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MCHuL  S  SLEIE5  OF  STANDAEI;  LITKM 
prsTTAX  III:::?. 


WOEKS  OF  TH'J^IAS  BEOuKS. 
TOL  in. 


COUNCIL  OF  PUBLICATION. 


W.  LINDSAY  ALEXANDER,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Theology,  Congregational 
Union,  Edinburgh. 

JAMES  BEGG,  D.D.,  Minister  of  Newington  Free  Church,  Edinburgh. 

THOMAS  J.  CRAWFORD,  D.D.,  S.T.P.,  Professor  of  Divinity,  University, 
Edinburgh. 

D.  T.  K.  DRUMMOND,  M.A.,  Minister  of  St  Thomas's  Episcopal  Church, 
Edinburgh. 

WILLIAM  H.  GOOLD,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Biblical  Literature  and  Church 
History,  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church,  Edinburgh. 

ANDREW  THOMSON,  D.D.,  Minister  of  Broughton  Place  United  Presby- 
terian Church,  Edinburgh. 

General  ©tutor. 
REV.  THOMAS  SMITH,  M.A.,  Edinbukgh. 


THE  COMPLETE  WORKS 


THOMAS    BROOKS. 


BY  THE  REV.  ALEXANDER  BALLOCH  GROSART, 
LIVERPOOL. 


VOL.   III. 


CONTAINING  ! 


THE   UNSEARCHABLE   RICHES  OF   CHRIST. 
A  CABINET   OF  JEWELS. 


EDINBURGH  :  JAMES  NICHOL. 

LONDON:   JAMES  NISBET  AND  CO.      DUBLIN:    G.  HERBERT. 


M.DCCC.LXVI. 


EDINBURGH  : 

PRINTED  BY  JOHN  GREIG  AKD  SON, 

OLD  PHTSIC  GARDENS. 


;AV-' 


CONTENTS. 


I.-IHE  UNSEABCHABLE  EICHES  OF  CHEIST. 

PAGE 

Epistle  Dedicatory,        .  .  .  ,  .  .  3-6 

The  words  opened,  ......  7-8 

The  first  doctrine. — Tliose  that  are  loivest  in  their  oivn  esteem  are 

highest  in  God's  esteem,  proved,        .              .  8—10 

Eighteen  properties  of  an  humble  soul,            .             .             .  10-26 

Five  reasons  of  the  point,       .....  26-29 

Uses  of  it,     .             .             .             .             .             .             .  29-30 

Eight  motives  to  provoke  persons  to  be  humble,           .              .  30-36 
Nine  directions  and  helps  to  keep  us  humble  and  low  in  our  own 

eyes,      .......  86-41 

The  dangerous  nature  of  pride  held  forth  in  nine  propositions  : 

also,  six  ways  wherein  pride  shews  itself,              .             .  41-48 

The  second  doctrine. — All  saints  are  not  of  an  equal  size  and  growth 

in  grace  and  holiness,        .  .  .  48-49 

Twelve  things  by  which  souls  weak  in  grace  are  discovered  and 

deciphered,         ......         49-60 

Twelve    supports   and  comforts   to   uphold  weak   Christians. 

Wherein  also  you  may  see  how  Christ  and  they  are  sharers,         60-75 

Six  duties  that  lie  upon  weak  saints.  And  in  the  opening  of 
them,  several  weighty  questions  are  propounded  and 
answered,  ......         75-95 

The  duties  of  strong  saints  to  the  weak  shewed  in  eleven  particu- 
lars,      ....  .  .       95-102 

The  third  doctrine. — That  the  Lord  gives  the  best  gifts  to  his  best  be- 
loved ones,  ....  103 
What  those  best  gifts  are  that  Christ  bestows  upon  his  dearest 

ones,  shewed  in  ten  particulars,  .  .  .     103-110 

The  difference  between  Christ's  giving  and  the  world's  giving, 

shewed  in  six  things,       .....     110-111 
The  excellency  of  those  gifts  that  Christ  gives  above  all  other 

gifts  that  the  world  gives,  shewed  in  five  things,  .  .     111-113 

Six  reasons  why  God  gives  the  best  gifts  to  his  dearest  ones,   .      113-117 
Eight  inferences  or  uses  made  of  this  point,     .  .  .     117-122 

A  word  to  sinners,      ......     122-124 

The  fourth  doctrine. — That  the  gifts  and  graces  that  God  hestoivs  upon 
his  people  should  be  improved,  employed,  and 
exercised  by  his  peojjle,       .  .  .  124 


VI  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

This  point  proved  and  opened,  ....     124-125 

Twelve  reasons  why  gracious  souls  should  exercise  and  improve 
their  gifts  and  graces  ;  in  the  handling  and  opening  of 
which  reasons  several  other  considerable  things  fall  in,     .     125-136 

Three  sjiccial  ends  that  the  gifts  and  graces  that  God  has  be- 
stowed upon  believers  should  be  exercised  and  improved  to,     136-140 

The  main  use  is,  To  stir  up  all  Christians  to  make  a  blessed  im- 
provement of  their  gifts  and  graces,         .  .  .  140 

Seven  considerations  or  motives  to  stir  saints  up  to  improve  their 

talents,  .......     141-147 

Question  :  When  may  a  soul  be  said  to  be  excellent  in  grace,  or  to 

have  highly  improved  g7-ace  ?       .  .  .  147 

This  question  receives  ten  answers,     ....     147-150 

The  fifth  doctrine. — That  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  very  rich,            .  150 

This  point  is  opened  and  proved  by  eight  arguments,  .  .  151-155 
Four  grounds  and  reasons  why  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  held 

forth  in  the  word  to  be  so  very  rich,  .  .  .  155-157 
The  excellency  of  the  riches  of  Cbrist  above  all  other  riches  in 

the  world,  held  forth  in  seven  particulars,             .             .  157-161 

1st  Use  is,  To  exhort  Christians  to  labour  to  be  spiritually  rich. 

Seven  considerations  or  motives  to  work  Christians  to  this  ;  in 
th€  handling  of  which,  several  weighty  questions  are 
answered,  ......     161-172 

Question  :   What  means  must  Christians  use  that  they  may  grow 
rich  in  grace  f 

Answered  in  eight  things,       .....     172-179 

Seven  propositions  concerning  spiritual  riches.  The  serious 
minding  of  them  may  give  to  many  much  satisfaction,  and 
prevent  many  objections,  ....     179-190 

Five  notes  or  signs  of  a  person  that  is  spiritually  rich,  .     190-192 

2d  Use.     Do  not  join  anything  with  Christ,  in  the  great  work 

of  your  redemption  and  salvation,  .  .  .     192-193 

8d  Use.     If  Christ  be  so  rich,  then  take  heed  of  three  things,       193-194 

4th  Use.     K  Christ  be  so  rich,  oh  then  open  to  Christ  when  he 

knocks,  ......  194 

5th  Use.     If  Christ  be  so  rich,  then  sit  down  and  wonder  at  his 

condescending  love,         .....     194-195 

6th  Use.  If  Christ  be  so  rich,  then  prize  Christ  above  all.  Five 
considerations  to  work  Christians  to  a  high  prizing  of 
Christ,    .......     195-198 

7th  Use.  Then  tnist  to  Christ,  if  he  be  so  rich.  Trust  him 
with  your  best  treasure.  Trust  him  for  power  against  the 
remainders  of  corruption.  Trust  him  to  bring  you  into  the 
land  of  rest,         ......  198-199 

8th  Use.     If  Christ  be  so  rich,  then  do  not  leave  him,  do  not 

forsake  him,  do  not  turn  your  backs  upon  him,      .  .  199-200 

9th  Use.     If  Christ  be  so  rich,  oh  then  lot  Christians  strive 
more  and  more  to  clear  up  their  interest  in  Christ.      Six 
directions  herein,  .....  200-202 

A  word  to  sinners,       ......  202-208 

Nine  directions  to  poor  souls  that  would  fain  get  an  interest  in 

Christ,      .  203-207 


CONTENTS. 


The  sixth  doctrine. — That  it  is  the  great  duty  of  preachers  or  ministers 
to  preach  Jesus  Christ  to  the  peoj^le,  proved,    . 
Five  reasons  why  ministers  must  preach  Christ  to  the  people,    . 
How  Christ  is  to  be  preached,  shewed  in  eleven  things. 
(1.)  He  must  be  preached  plainly,  perspicuously, 
(2.)  ...  ...         faithfully,     . 

(3.)  ...  ...         humbly, 

(4.)  ...  ...  wisely, 

(5.)  ...  ...         zealously,    . 

(6.)*  ...  ...         laboriously, 

(7.)  ...  ...         exeraplarily, 

(8.)  ...  ...         feelingly,  experimentally, 

(9.)  rightly,         . 

(10.)  ...  ...         acceptably,  . 

(11.)  ...  ...         constantly.     They  must  not  lay  down 

to  take  up  the  sword,  &c.,  . 

Three  rules  or  directions,  that  such  are  to  observe,  as  would 

preach  Christ  aright  to  the  people. 
(1.)  They  must  get  a  Christ  within,      .... 

(2.)  They  must  mind  more,  and  study  more  Scripture  truths. 
Scripture  mysteries,  than  human  histories.     No  histories 
comparable  to  the  histories  of  the  Scriptures,  hinted  in 
seven  things,       ....  .  . 

(3.)  They  should  dwell  much  upon  the  vanity  of  human  doc- 
trines, the  vanity  of  which  doctrines  is  discovered  in 
five  things,  ...... 

The  last  doctrine. — That  the  office  of  a  faithful  minister  is  an  honour- 
able office. 
Two  things  are  premised  for  a  right  understanding  of  the  point, 

I.  Seven  things  speak  them  out  to  be  honourable. 

(1.)  The  several  worthy  names  and  titles  that  are  given  them 
in  Scripture,  speak  them  out  to  be  honourable,    . 

(2.)  Their  work  is  honourable,  .... 

(3.)  They  are  fellow-labourers  with  God  in  the  salvation  of  sin- 
ners. And  what  greater  honour  than  to  be  a  co-worker 
with  God  ?         . 

(4.)  The  honourable  account  that  God  hath  of  them,  speaks  out 
their  office  to  be  honourable,        .... 

(5.)  They  serve  an  honourable  master, 

(6.)  Their  very  work  and  service  is  honourable, 

(7.)  Their  reward  is  honourable,  .         . 

II.  What  honour  that  is  that  is  due  to  faithful  ministers,  shewed 

in  three  things. 
(1.)  Honourable  countenance  is  due  to  them,   . 
(2.)  Honourable  maintenance,  .... 

(3.)  Honourable  obedience,      ..... 
A  short  use,    ....... 

Quest.  How  must  Christians  honour  their  faithful  ministers. 

Shewed  in  five  things. 
(1.)  By  hearing  them,  and  giving  credit  to  their  messages  which 

they  deliver  from  the  Lord,         .... 
(2.)  By  standing  fast  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Lord  delivered  by 

them,  ....... 


207-208 
208-210 

211-212 
212-213 

213 
213-214 
214-215 
215-216 
216-217 
217-218 
218-219 

219 
the  Bible 
219-220 


220-221 


221-222 


222-223 


223 


224 
224 


224 

224-225 
225 
225 

225-220 


226-227 
227-228 
228-229 
229-236 


230 
230 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 


(3.)  By  being  followers  of  them,  so  far  as  they  are  followers  of 

Christ,  .......  230 

(4.)  By  bearing  them  upon  your  hearts,  when  you  are  in  the 

mount,  .  .  .  .  .  .  230-231 

(5.)  By  adhering  to  them,  and  abiding  with  them  in  all  their 

trials,  Sec,  ......  231 

The  use  of  all,  .  .  '       m    '  '  '  ^^^"^^^ 

II.-A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  ' 

Epistle  Dedicatory,         ......  235-248 

Ch.vptek  I. — Eighteen  special  Maxims,  Considerations,  Rules,  and 
Directions  that  are  seriously  to  be  minded  and  observed,  in  order 
to  the  clearing  up  of  a  man's  interest  in  Christ :  the  saving  work 
of  God  upon  his  own  soul ;  and  his  title  to  all  the  glory  of 
another  world,  ......  249-306 

Chapter  II. — Many  choice,  precious,  and  infallible  evidences  of 
true  saving  grace,  upon  which  a  Christian  may  safely  and 
securely,  comfortably  and  confidently,  rest  and  adventure  the 
weight  of  his  precious  and  immortal  soul,  and  by  which  he 
may  certainly  know  that  it  shall  go  well  with  him  for  ever  :  and 
that  he  has  a  real  saving  interest  in  Christ,  and  shall  be  everlast- 
ingly happy,  when  he  shall  be  here  no  more,  &c.,  .  .  306-390 

Chapter  III. — Sound,  saving  repentance,  repentance  unto  life  ;  that 
evangelical  repentance  that  hath  the  precious  promises  of  remis- 
sion of  sin  and  salvation  running  out  unto  it.  So  far  as  may 
speak  it  out  to  be  evidential  of  the  goodness  and  happiness  of 
a  Christian's  spiritual  and  eternal  condition,      .  .  .  390-436 

Chapter  IV. — How  far  an  hypocrite  cannot  go.  What  an  hypocrite 
cannot  do.  What  a  hypocrite  is  not.  The  several  rounds  in 
Jacob's  ladder  that  no  hypocrite  under  heaven  climb  up  to,       .  436-466 

Chapter  V. — Some  propositions  and  directions,  that  so  you  may  see 
what  a  sober  use  and  improvement  Christians  ought  to  make  of 
their  evidences  for  heaven ;  and  how,  in  the  use  of  gracious  evi- 
dences, they  ought  to  live  above  their  gracious  evidences,  and 
how  to  exalt  and  lift  up  Christ  above  all  their  graces,  evidences, 
and  performances,        ......  466-505 


THE  UNSEARCHABLE  EICHES  OF  CHRIST. 


VOL.  III. 


NOTE. 

The  '  Unsearchable  Riches  of  Christ'  was  originally  published  in  1655.  A  second  edi- 
tion followed  in  1657  ;  a  third,  '  corrected  and  amended,'  in  16C1  ;  and  a  fourth  iu  1671 — 
all  4to.     Our  text  is  the  third  edition,  and  its  title-page  is  given  below.* — G. 

*  ' Avi^iy^viasroi  irXoZroi  roZ  y^oiaroZ. 

THE 

Unsearchable  Riches 

OF 

CHRIST. 

OR, 

MEAT  for  STRONG  MEN, 
»  And 

MILKE  for  BABES. 

Held  forth  in  Twenty-two 

SERMONS 

FROM 

Ephesians  III.  VIII. 

By  Thomas  Beooks,  Preacher  of  the  word 
in  London. 

The  Third  Edition  Corrected  and  Amended. 

Ipse  unus  erit  tibiomnia.quiainipsouno  bono,  bona  sunt  om- 
nia. Avg. 
It  pleased  the  father,  that  in  him  should  all  fullne?se  dwell.   Col.  1.19. 
In  whom  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdoms  and  knowledge.    Chap.  2.  3. 

LONDON  :  Printed  by  M.S.  for  John  Ilancock  at  the  first  Shop  in 
Popes  head- Alley,  next  to  Cornhill. 

166  1. 


EPISTLE  DEDICATORY. 


To  all  true  Israelites,  in  whom  there  is  no  giiile,  Grace,  mercy,  and 
peace,  from  God  the  Father,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  be 
multiplied. 

Dear  Hearts,  my  design  in  appearing  once  more  in  print  is  not  to 
please  the  captious  critic,  or  the  sullen  cynic,  but  to  heighten  yoar 
'  fellowship  with  the  Father  and  the  Son,'  1  John  i.  3,  4,  and  to  further 
you  in  a  closer  walking  with  God,  and  to  ripen  you  more  and  more  for 
reigning  with  God  when  you  shall  be  here  no  more. 

'  Beloved  in  our  Lord,'  there  are  two  sad  and  great  evils — oh  that 
there  were  no  more  ! — among  the  saints  this  day.  The  strong  are  very 
apt,  yea,  they  make  little  of  offending  the  weak  ;  and  the  weak  are  as 
apt,  and  make  as  little  of  judging  and  condemning  the  strong,  Rom. 
xiv.  1-10.  The  serious  and  conscientious  perusal  of  this  treatise  may, 
by  the  blessing  of  the  Lord,  contribute  much  to  the  preventing  of  those 
sad  evils.  You  that  are  weak  may,  in  this  treatise,  as  ia  a  glass,  see 
your  weakness,  your  mercies,  your  graces,  your  duties,  your  privileges, 
and  your  comforts.^  You  that  are  weak  in  grace,  may  here  find  many 
questions  answered  and  doubts  resolved,  that  tend  to  the  satisfying, 
quieting,  settling,  and  establishing  of  your  precious  souls  in  peace,  joy, 
and  assurance.  Yoiv  that  are  weak  in  grace,  may  here  find  a  staff  to 
support  you,  a  light  to  direct  you,  a  sword  to  defend  you,  and  a  cordial 
to  strengthen  you,  &c.  And  you  that  are  strong  in  grace,  may  here  see 
what  is  your  way,  what  is  your  work,  and  what  at  last  shall  be  your  re- 
ward. Here  you  will  find  that  which  tends  to  the  discovery  of  spirits, 
the  sweetening  of  spirits,  the  uniting  of  spirits,  the  healing  of  spirits,  and 
the  making  up  of  breaches,  &c. 

Here  you  will  find  '  meat  for  strong  men,'  and  '  milk  for  babes.'  Here 
you  will  find  who  is  more  motion  than  notion  ;  more  heart  than  head  ; 
more  spirit  than  flesh  ;  more  inside  than  outside,  &c. 

Here  you  will  find  'the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ,' — which  of  all 
boxes  of  precious  ointment  is  the  most  precious — opened  ;  and  oh  how 

'  Invalidum  omne  natura  querulum,  weak  spirits  are  ever  quarrelling  and  contending. — 
Seneca,     [I)e  Animi  Tranquillitate. — G.] 


4  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  RICHES  OF  CHRIST. 

sweet  must  he  be,  that  is  the  sweetest  of  sweets !  In  Christ  are  riches 
of  justification  ;  in  Christ  are  riches  of  sanctitication,  riches  of  consola- 
tion, and  riches  of  glorification.  And  this  following  treatise  may  serve 
as  a  key,  I  say  not  as  a  golden  one,  to  open  the  door,  that  you  may  come 
whore  these  treasures  lie.  Christ's  riches  are  like  the  eternal  springs 
of  the  earth,  that  cannot  dry  up,  but  are  and  shall  be  diffused  by  his 
Spirit  and  gospel,  until  his  whole  house  be  filled  with  them. 

The  excellency  and  usefulness  of  the  riches  of  Christ,  and  answers  to 
many  weighty  queries  about  his  unsearchable  riches,  is  more  than 
hinted  at  in  this  tract.  In  this  tract  much  is  spoken  concerning  thenature, 
properties,  and  excellencies  of  humility,  which  is  both  the  beautifier  and 
preserver  of  all  other  graces. 

Here  you  may  see  that  those  that  are  lowest  in  their  own  esteem,  arc 
highest  in  God's  esteem.  Here  you  may  see  that  humble  souls  are  not 
so  low  and  contemptible  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  as  they  are  honourable 
in  the  eyes  of  God.^ 

And  if  ever  there  were  an  age  since  Christ  was  on  earth,  wherein  it 
was  needful  to  preach,  press,  and  print  this  great  doctrine  of  humility, 
of  self,  of  soul  abasement,  this  is  the  age  wherein  we  live.  Oh  the  pride, 
the  stateliness  of  the  professors  of  this  age  !  But  because  this  point  is 
largely  spoken  to  in  this  tract,  I  shall  satisfy  myself  with  this  touch. 

There  are  many  other  weighty  things  treated  on,  which  for  brevity's 
sake  I  shall  omit,  only  give  me  leave  to  acquaint  you  with  a  few  things 
about  this  ensuing  tract,  and  then  I  shall  draw  to  a  close. 

First,  That  it  is  the  substance  of  twenty-two  sermons,  preached  by 
me  about  three  years  ago,  on  the  lecture  nights  at  this  place  where 
now  I  preach. 

Secondly,  That  there  are  in  it  several  other  things  of  no  small  con- 
cernment to  your  souls,  that  I  did  not  then  deliver,  but  have  been  given 
in  since,  from  that  fountain  that  fills  all  in  all. 

Thirdly,  That  though  I  have  been  much  pressed  to  print  these 
sermons,  yet  I  should  never  have  yielded,  had  I  not  been  thoroughly 
convinced  and  persuaded  in  my  judgment  and  conscience,  that  they 
maj^  by  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  upon  them,  prove  many  ways  useful 
and  serviceable  to  all  those  honest  Nathanaels  into  whose  hands  they 
may  fall,  else  they  had  been  buried  in  the  dark,  and  never  come  to 
public  light.^ 

I  have  only  a  few  requests  to  make  to  you,  and  then  I  shall  take  my 
leave  of  you. 

And  my  first  request  is  this,  that  you  would  meditate  and  dwell  upon 
what  you  "read  ;  otherwise  your  pains  (I  say  not  your  souls)  and  mine 
will  be  lost. 

It  is  a  law  among  the  Parsees  in  India,  to  iise  premeditation  in  what 
they  are  to  do,  that  if  it  be  bad,  to  reject  it ;  if  good,  to  act  it.  The  ap- 
plication is  easy.^  The  more  any  man  is  in  the  contemplation  of  truth, 
the  more  fairer  and  firmer  impression  is  made  upon  his  heart  by  truth. 

1  Humility  is  conservatrix  virtutum.  saith  Bernard :  that  which  keeps  all  graces  togetliei- 
.    .    llumilitas  animi,  suhlimitas  Cliristiani.     [Serm. :  on  Canticles,  as  before.— G.'] 

*  A  sermon  preached  serveth  but  an  auditory,  a  sermon  printed  may  servo  many  audi- 
tories. 

^  Lectio  sine  meditatione  arida  est,  meditatio  sine  lectione  erronea  est,  oratio  sine  medilatione 
tep'.da  e«^— Augustine,  finely. 


EPISTLE  DEDICATORY,  5 

Christians  must  be  like  the  clean  beasts,  that  parted  the  hoof  and  chewed 
the  cud  ;  they  must  by  heavenly  meditation  chew  truths  and  concoct 
truths,  or  else  they  will  never  taste  the  sweetness  that  is  in  divine  truths. 

Mary  'pondered  the  sayings  of  the  shepherds  in  her  heart,'  Luke  ii. 
19.1  Not  they  that  eat  most,  but  they  that  digest  most,  are  the  most 
healthful.  Not  they  that  get  most,  but  they  that  keep  most,  are  richest. 
So  not  they  that  hear  most,  or  read  most,  but  they  that  meditate  most, 
are  most  edified  and  enriched. 

My  second  request  to  you  is  this,  that  you  will  make  conscience  of 
living  out  those  truths  you  read.^ 

To  read  much  and  practise  nothing,  is  to  hunt  much  and  catcli 
nothing. 

Suetonius  reports  of  Julius  Caesar,  '  That  seeing  Alexander's  statue, 
he  fetched  a  deep  sigh,  because  he  at  that  age  had  done  so  little.^ 

Ah  !  what  cause  have  most  to  sigh,  that  they  have  heard  so  much, 
and  read  so  much,  and  yet  done  so  little  !  Surely  it  is  more  honourable 
to  do  great  things,  than  to  speak  or  read  great  things  !  It  is  the  doer 
that  will  be  most  happy  at  last,  John  xiii.  17.  In  vitce  lihro  scrihuntur 
qui  quod  possunt  faciunt,  etsi  quod  dehent,  non  possunt,  they  are 
written  in  the  book  of  life,  that  do  what  good  they  can,  though  they 
cannot  do  as  they  would  [Bernard.]* 

I  have  read  of  a  sood  man  coming  from  a  public  lecture,  and  being 
asked  by  one  whether  the  sermon  was  done,  answered,  with  a  sad  sigh, 
'  Ah!  it  is  said,  but  not  done.'^ 

My  third  request  is  this,  that  you  will  pray  over  what  you  read. 

Many  read  much,  and  pray  little,  and  therefore  get  little  by  all  they 
read. 

Galen  writes  of  a  fish  called  Uranoscopos,  that  hath  but  one  eye, 
and  yet  looks  continually  up  to  heaven.''  When  a  Christian  has  one 
eye  upon  his  book,  the  other  should  be  looking  up  to  heaven  for  a 
blessing  upon  what  he  reads. 

When  one  heard  what  admirable  victories  Scanderbeg's  sword  had 
wrought,  he  would  needs  see  it ;  and  when  he  saw  it,  says  he.  This  is 
but  an  ordinary  sword  ;  alas  !  what  can  this  do  ?  Scanderbeg  sent  him 
word,  I  have  sent  thee  my  sword,  but  I  have  the  arm  that  did  all  by  it. 

Alas  l'^  what  can  Christ's  sword,  Christ's  word,  do  without  his  arm? 
Therefore  look  up  to  Christ's  arm  in  prayer,  that  so  his  sword,  his 
word,  may  do  great  things  in  your  souls. 

Luther  professeth  '  that  he  profited  more  by  prayer  in  a  short  space 
than  by  study  in  a  longer ;'  as  John,  by  weeping,  got  the  sealed  book 
open. 

M.y  fourth  request  to  you  is  this,  That  if,  by  the  blessing  of  the  Lord 
upon  my  weak  endeavours,  any  leaf  or  line  should  drop  myrrh  or  mercy, 

'  The  angels  are  much  in  meditation. 

^  Your  actions,  in  passing,  pass  not  away;  for  every  good  work  is  a  grain  of  seed  f(ir 
eternal  life.  3  Eisiorice  Ccesarum,  Julius  Csesar. — G. 

^  It  was  a  saying  of  Augustine,  one  thousand  two  hundred  years  ago,  that  we  must 
take  heed  lest,  whilst  we  fear  our  exhortation  being  cooled,  prayer  be  not  damped,  and 
pride  inflamed. 

s  Philip  Goodwin's  'Evangelical  Communicant.'     1649.— G. 

^  See  Index  under  '  Galen'  for  other  references  to  the  oyjavoa-xocra?. — G, 

^  See  Glossary  for  other  uses  of  '  alas'  in  this  way,  and  cf.  Sibbes,  sub  voce. — G. 


b  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  RICHES  OF  CHRIST. 

marrow  or  fatness,  upon  your  spirits,  that  you  will  give  all  the  glory  to 
the  God  of  heaven,  for  to  him  alone  it  does  belong. 

Through  grace  I  know  I  am  a  poor  worm  ;  I  am  nothing,  I  have 
nothing  but  what  I  have  received.  The  crown  becomes  no  head  but 
Christ's.  Let  him  who  is  our  all  in  all  have  the  honour  and  the  glory 
of  all,  and  I  have  my  end.^ 

Pliny  tells  of  some  in  the  remote  parts  of  India  that  have  no  mouth.s, 
and  yet  live  on  the  smell  of  herbs  and  sweet  flowers  ;  but  I  hope  better 
things  of  you,  even  such  as  accompany  salvation.* 

My  fifth  request  to  you  is  this,  That  you  would  let  me  lie  near  your 
hearts,  when  you  are  in  the  mount  especially. 

Oh  pray,  pray  hard  for  me,  that  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  may  be  re- 
doubled upon  me ;  that  his  word  may  prosper  in  my  mouth ;  that  it 
may  '  run,  and  be  glorified ;'  and  that  I  may  be  high  in  my  communion 
with  God,  and  holy  and  imblameable  in  my  walkings  with  God;  and 
tliat  it  may  be  still  day  with  my  soul;  that  I  inay  live  and  die  in  the 
joys  and  comforts  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  that  when  my  sun  is  set,  my 
glass  out,  my  work  done,  my  race  run,  I  may  rest  in  the  everlasting 
arms  of  divine  love,  &c.^ 

My  last  and  least  request  to  you  is  this.  That  you  will  please  to  cast 
a  mantle  of  love  over  the  mistakes  of  the  press,  and  do  me  that  right, 
and  yourselves  the  courtesy,  as,  before  you  read,  to  correct  any  material 
faults  that  you  shall  find  pointed  at  in  the  errata.'' 

God  s  easy  passing  over  the  many  and  daily  erratas  of  your  lives, 
cannot  but  make  you  so  ingenuous  as  readily  to  pass  over  the  erratas 
in  this  book. 

You  are  choice  jewels  in  my  eye;  you  lie  near  unto  my  heart;  I  am 
willing  to  spend  and  be  spent  for  your  sakes.  My  earnest  and  humble 
desire  is,  that  my  service  and  labour  of  love  may  be  accepted  by  you, 
Rom.  XV.  81,  and  that  it  may  work  much  for  your  internal  and  eternal 
welfare  ;  and  that  '  an  abundant  entrance  may  be  administered  to  you 
into  the  everlasting  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,' 
2  Pet.  i.  11,  and  i.  8  ;  and  that  you  may  be  filled  '  with  joy  unspeakable 
and  full  of  glory,'  and  with  that  '  peace  that  passes  understanding.' 
This  is,  and  by  grace  shall  be,  the  pra3^er  of  him  who  desires  to  approve 
himself  faithful  to  Christ,  his  truths,  his  interests,  and  his  people,  and 
wl.o  is  your  souls'  servant  in  all  gospel  engagements. 

Thosias  Brooks. 

'  Ingratitude,  say  some,  is  a  monster  in  nature,  a  solecism  in  manners,  and  a  parado.'c 
in  grace,  damming  up  the  course  of  donations,  divine  and  human. 

-  See  our  Index  under  Psylli,  as  before. — G. 

3  1  Thes.  V.  25  ;  2  Thes.  iii.  1  ;  Heb.  iii.  18  ;  Col.  iv.  3  ;  Philip,  i.  19  ;  2  Cor.  i.  11  ; 
Acts  xii.  5;  Rev.  xiv.  13. 

*  In  every  pomegranate  there  is  at  least  one  rotten  kernel  to  be  found,  said  Cratea  the 
philosopher.     [Suidas,  s.  v.  Kj«r>ij  — G.] 


THE  UNSEARCHABLE  RICHES  OF  CHRIST. 


Unto  me,  tvho  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,  is  this  grace  given, 
that  I  should  preach  among  the  Gentiles  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ.— Evn.  III.  8. 

'  Unto  me,  who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints.' 

The  Greek  is  a  comparative  made  of  a  superlative.  '  Less  than  the 
least  of  all  saints,'  is  a  double  diminutive,  and  signifies  lesser  than  the 
least,  if  lesser  might  be.*  Here  you  have  the  greatest  apostle  descending- 
down  to  the  lowest  step  of  humility.  Great  Paul  is  least  of  saints,  last 
of  the  apostles,  and  greatest  of  sinners.^  The  choicest  buildings  have 
the  lowest  foundations,  the  best  balsam  sinks  to  the  bottom ;  those  ears 
of  corn  and  boughs  of  trees  that  are  most  filled  and  best  laden,  bow 
lowest.  So  do  those  souls  that  are  most  loaden  with  the  fruits  of  pai-adise. 
'  Unto  me  who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints.' 

'  Is  this  grace  given.' 

In  the  Greek,  or  '  was  this  grace  given.'^  The  word  that  is  here  ren- 
dered grace,  is  taken  in  Scripture  not  only  for  the  favour  of  God,  but 
also  for  his  gracious  gifts  ;  and  so  you  are  to  understand  it  in  this  place. 
Grace  is  taken  for  the  gifts  of  grace ;  and  they  are  twofold,  common 
or  special.  Some  are  common  to  believers  and  hypocrites,  as  know- 
ledge, tongues,  a  gift  of  prayer,  &c. ;  some  are  special  and  peculiar  to 
the  saints,  as  fear,  love,  faith,  &c.  Now  Paul  had  all  these,  the  better 
to  fit  him  for  that  high  and  noble  service  to  which  he  was  called. 

'  That  I  should  preach.' 

That  is,  declare  good  news  or  glad  tidings.  The  Greek  word  answers 
to  the  Hebrew  word,  which  signifies  good  news,  glad  tidings,  and  a 
joyful  message.* 

'  That  I  should  preach  am^ong  the  Gentiles.' 

Sometimes  this  Greek  word  is  generally  used  for  all  men,  or  for  all 
nations.     Sometimes  the  word  is  used  more  especially  for  the  people  of 

'  iXax"''^'''^'^?'^'  minimissimus. — Estius.  [Commentaria  in  omnes  S.  Pauli  Epist.,  in  loco. 
2  vols,  folio,  1709.— G.] 

^  Qui  parvus  est  in  reputatione  propria,  magnus  est  in  reputatione  divina. — Grogory  [Na- 
zianzen].     He  that  is  little  in  his  own  account  is  great  in  God's  esteem. 

^  looSn  n  x''?'^  auTfi.  xa.^KXfj.a.  is  always  taken  in  Scripture  for  a  free  gift,  a  grace  gift  ; 
but  x"-i'i  is  taken  not  only  for  the  favour  of  God,  but  also  for  his  gracious  gifts. 

^  sVv£<r/v  luayyixiffutStti,  Mat.  xxviil.  19  ;  John  xi.  48,  50,  51 ;  Acts  x.  22. 


8  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

the  Jews.  Sometimes  it  is  used  for  the  Gentiles  distinguished  from  the 
Jews.  So  it  is  used  Mat.  vi.  32,  '  For  after  all  these  things  do  the 
Gentiles  seek.'  And  so  it  is  used  here.  Those  that  are  *  without  God 
in  the  world,'  that  stand  in  arms  arainst  God,  that  are  imorant  of  those 
riches  of  grace  that  are  in  Christ ;  this  grace  is  given  to  me,  that  I 
should  preach  among  the  poor  heathens,  '  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ' 

'  That  I  might  preach  among  the  Gentiles.'  Wliat,  myself  ?  No, 
but  *  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.'^ 

The  Greek  word  signifies,  not  to  be  traced  out.^  Here  is  rhetoric 
indeed  !  Here  is  riches,  unsearchable  riches,  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ.  Riches  always  imply  two  things  :  1,  abundance  ;  2,  abundance 
of  such  things  as  be  of  worth.  Now  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the 
greatest  riches,  the  best  riches,  the  choicest  riches  ;  in  Christ  are  riches 
of  justification,  Titus  ii.  14  ;  in  Christ  are  riches  of  sanctification,  Philip, 
iv.  12,  13  ;  in  Christ  are  riches  of  consolation,  2  Cor,  xii.  9;  and  in 
Christ  are  riches  of  glorification,  1  Pet.  i.  2,  3.  But  of  these  glorious 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ,  we  shall  speak  hereafter. 

I  shall  begin  at  this  time  Avith  the  first  words,  '  Unto  me  who  am  less 
than  the  least  of  all  saints.'  There  are  these  two  observations  that 
naturally  flow  from  these  words. 

Ohs.  1.  That  the  most  holy  men  are  always  the  most  humble  men. 

None  so  humble  on  earth,  as  those  that  live  highest  in  heaven. 

Or  if  you  Avill,  take  the  observation  thus  : 

That  those  that  are  the  most  highly  valued  and  esteemed  of  by  God, 
are  loivest  and  least  in  their  own  esteem. 

'  Unto  me,  who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints/  &c. 

06s.  2.  The  second  observation  is. 

That  there  are  lueak  saints  as  well  as  strong  ;  little  saints  as  well 
as  great. 

Or  thus, 

All  saints  are  not  of  an  equal  growth  or  stature. 

I.  I  shall  begin  with  the  first  observation,  TJiat  the  most  holy  men 
are  always  the  most  humble  men.  Souls  that  are  the  most  highly 
esteemed  and  valued  by  God,  do  set  the  least  and  lowest  esteem  upon 
themselves.     '  Unto  me  who  am  less  tlian  the  least  of  all  saints,'  &c. 

In  the  handling  of  this  point,  I  shall  do  these  three  things  : 

I.  I  shall  prove  that  the  most  holy  souls  are  always  the  most  humble 
souls. 

II.  I  shall  shew  you  the  properties  of  souls  truly  humble. 

III.  I  shall  shew  you  the  reasons  why  those  that  are  the  most  highly 
prized  and  esteemed  of  God,  do  set  so  low  a  price  upon  themselves. 

IV.  And  then  the  use. 

I.  For  the  first,  That  this  is  so,  I  shall  give  you  most  clear  proofs,  and 
open  them  to  you. 

'  Ipse  unvs  erit  tihi  omnia,  quia  in  ipao  vno  bono,  bona  svnt  omnia  :  one  Christ  will  be  to 
thee  instead  of  all  things  else,  because  in  him  are  all  good  things  to  be  found. — Augustine 

^  Gal.  i.  16.  aȣ|<;^v/a<rTov.  Nec  Christus  ncc  ccclum  patitur  hyperbolem,  a  man  cannot 
hyperbolize  in  speaking  of  Christ  and  heaven.  Omne  bonum  in  summo  bono,  all  good  is  in 
IJie  chiefest  good. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  KICHES  OF  CHRIST.  9 

See  it  in  Job.^  No  man  ever  received  a  fairer  or  a  more  valuable 
certificate  under  the  hand  of  God,  or  the  broad  seal  of  heaven,  for  his 
being  a  soul  famous  in  grace  and  holiness,  than  Job,  as  you  may  see, 
Job  i.  8,  "And  the  Lord  said  unto  Satan,  Hast  thou  considered  my  servant 
Job,  that  there  is  none  like  him  in  the  earth,  a  perfect  and  an  upright 
man,  one  that  feareth  God  and  escheweth  evil  V  And  yet  no  man  could 
speak  more  undervaluingly  of  himself  than  Job  did.  Job  xlii.  5,  6, 
'  I  have  heard  of  thee  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear,  but  now  mine  eye 
seeth  thee,  I  abhor  myself  in  dust  and  ashes.'^  This  expression  is  the 
deepest  act  of  abhoiTency.  Abhorrency  strictly  taken,  is  hatred  wound 
up  to  the  height.  '  I  abhor  myself  The  word  that  is  rendered  abJtor 
signifies  to  reject,  to  disdain,  to  contemn,  and  to  cast  off^  Ah  !  says 
Job,  I  abhor  myself,  I  reject  myself,  I  disdain  myself,  I  cast  off  myself, 
I  have  a  vile  esteem  of  myself*  So  our  blessed  apostle,  who  had  been 
'  caught  up  into  the  third  heavens,  and  had  such  glorious  revelations  as 
could  not  be  uttered,'  yet  he  accounted  himself  less  than  the  least  of 
all  saints.^  Not  that  anything  can  be  less  than  the  least ;  the  apostle's 
holy  rhetoric  doth  not  cross  Aristotle's  philosophy ;  but  the  original 
word  being  a  double  diminutive,  his  meaning  is  that  he  was  as  little 
as  could  be  ;  therefore  he  put  himself  down  so  little  as  could  not  be, 
less  than  the  least. 

Another  proof  you  have,  Isa.  vi.  1,  5,  6.  As  Paul  among  the  apostles 
was  the  greatest,  so  Isaiah  among  the  prophets  was  the  dearest  and 
choicest  gospel  preacher,  and  holds  out  more  of  Christ  and  of  his  king- 
dom and  glory,  than  all  the  other  prophets  do.  Isa.  vi.  1,  He  sees  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  in  a  vision,  and  this  makes  him  cry  out,  verse  5,  'Woe  is 
me,  for  I  am  undone,  because  I  am  a  man  of  unclean  lips,  and  I  dwell  in 
the  midst  of  a  people  of  unclean  lips,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  the  King, 
the  Lord  of  hosts  ;  I  am  undone.'  The  Hebrew  is,  '  I  am  cut  off,'  I  am 
a  forlorn  man  !  Why?  '  For  I  have  seen  the  King,  the  Lord  of  hosts.'*^ 
Here  you  have  the  highest  and  choicest  among  the  prophets,  as  you 
had  Paul  before  among  the  apostles,  abasing  and  laying  low  himself. 

So  Peter.  Luke  v.  8,  '  Depart  from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O 
Lord.'''  When  he  saw  that  glorious  miracle  wrought  by  the  Lord  Jesus, 
he  Cries  out  as  one  very  sensible  of  his  own  weakness  and  sinfulness. 
'  Depart  from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man.'  Ah  !  I  am  not  worthy  to  be 
near  such  majesty  and  glory,  who  am  a  mere  bundle  of  vice  and  vanity, 
of  folly  and  iniquity. 

Take  another  clear  instance  :  Gen.  xviii.  27,  '  And  Abraham  answered 
and  said.  Behold,  I  have  taken  upon  me  to  speak  unto  the  Lord,  who 
am  but  dust  and  ashes.'     Here  you  have  the  father  of  the  faithful,  the 

*  Job  was  a  non-such  in  regard  of  those  perfections  and  degrees  of  grace  that  he  had 
attained  to  beyond  any  other  saints  on  earth. 

^  Job  was  high  in  worth  and  humble  in  heart ;  humilitas  animi,  suhlimitas  Christiani. 

•*  A  me,  me  salva  Domine  :  deliver  me,  0  Lord,  from  that  evil  man,  myself. — Augustine. 
[Confessions. — G.] 

^  2  Cor.  xii.  1-7.  Vide  Bezam.  [Nov.  Test.,  Exp.  in  loco. — G.]  cL^^nra.  p-/i//.aTa,  word- 
less words,  such  as  words  are  too  weak  to  utter. 

^  The  clearest  sight  and  vision  of  God  does  always  give  a  man  the  fullest  sight  of  his 
own  emptiness,  sinfulness,  and  nothingness.     "'n''Dn3"''3,  I  am  cut  oif, 

^  'Avjij  Ufjt.a.o'ru'K'oi,  a  man,  a  sinner,  a  very  mixture  and  compound  of  dirt  and  sin. 


10  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EpII.  III.  8. 

greatest  believer  in  the  world,  accounting  himself  dust  and  ashes.^  Dust 
notes  the  baseness  of  his  orimnal,  and  ashes  notes  his  deservinsr  to  be 

.....  ^ 

burnt  to  asiies,  if  God  should  deal  with  him  in  justice  rather  than  in 
mercy.  The  nearer  any  soul  draws  to  God,  the  more  humble  will  that 
soul  lie  before  God.  None  so  near  God  as  the  angels,  nor  none  so 
humble  before  God  as  the  angels. 

So  Jacob,  Gen.  xxxii.  1 0,  '  I  am  not  worthy  of  the  lea.st  of  all  the 
mercies,  and  all  the  truth  which  thou  hast  shewed  unto  thy  servant/ 
&cJ'  Jacob,  a  man  eminent  in  his  prevailing  with  God,  a  prince  that 
had  the  honour  and  the  happiness  to  overcome  the  God  of  mercy,  yet 
judges  himself  unworthy  of  the  least  mercy.  Ah  !  how  low  is  that  soul 
in  his  own  eyes,  that  is  most  honourable  in  God's  eyes  ! 

David,  you  know,  was  a  man  after  God's  own  heart,  1  Kings  xv.  5  ;  a 
man  highly  honoured,  much  beloved,  and  dearly  prized  by  the  Lord ;  yet 
1  Sam.  xxvi.  20,  he  counts  himself  a  flea;  and  what  is  more  contemptible 
than  a  flea  ?  In  Ps.  xxii.  6,  '  I  am  a  worm,'  saith  he,  '  and  no  man.'  The 
word  that  is  there  rendered  tvorm,  is  a  word  that  signifies  a  very  little 
worm  which  breedeth  in  scarlet,  a  worai  that  is  so  little  that  a  man  can 
hardly  see  or  perceive  it.  A  worm  is  the  most  despicable  creature  in 
the  world,  trampled  under  foot  by  every  one.  Says  he,  I  am  a  despi- 
cable worm  in  my  own  eyes,  and  in  my  enemies'  eyes.* 

And  thus  you  see  the  point  proved,  that  the  most  holy  men  have 
been  always  the  most  humble  men. 

II.  The  second  thing  that  I  am  to  do  is,  to  sheiv  you  the  2)Toperties 
of  humble  souls.  I  confess,  when  I  look  abroad  in  the  world,  and  observe 
the  carriage  of  all  sorts  of  men,  my  heart  is  stiiTed  to  speak  as  fully  and 
as  home  to  this  point  as  Christ  shall  help  me.  It  is  very  very  sad  to  con- 
sider, how  few  humble  souls  there  be  in  these  days.  Ah  !  the  damnable 
pride  that  reigns  and  rules  in  the  hearts  and  lives  of  most  men.  I 
think  it  is  far  greater  than  hath  been  known  in  the  generations  before 
us.  Ah,  England  !  England  !  what  folly,  what  damnable  wickedness  is 
this,  that  thou  shouldst  be  a-lifting  thyself  up  in  pride,  when  God  is 
a-staining  the  pride  of  all  glory,  and  bringing  into  contempt  the  honour- 
able of  the  earth,  and  a-setting  his  feet  upon  the  neck  of  pride.* 

[1.]  Now  the  fii'st  property  that  I  shall  lay  down  of  an  humble  soul 
is  this  : 

Aoi  hiLinble  soul  under  the  highest  spiritual  dicoveries,  and  under 
the  greatest  outward  mercies,  forgets  Twt  his  foi^nier  sinfulness  and  his 
former  outward  meanness.  Paul  had  been  taken  up  into  the  third 
heavens,  and  had  glorious  revelations  and  manifestations  of  God,  2  Cor. 
xii.  1-4  ;  he  cries  out,  '  I  was  a  blasphemer,  a  persecutor,  and  injurious,' 
1  Tim.  i.  13.  Under  the  choicest  discoveries,  he  remembers  his  former 
blasphemies.  So  Rom.  vii.  23,  'I  see  a  law  in  my  members  Avarring 
against  the  law  of  my  mind,  and  bringing  me  into  captivity  to  the  law 
of  sin,  which  is  in  my  members.'     He  had  been  at  this  time  about 

'  1DN1  "ISy,  gnapharvorphar,  dust  and  ashes;  i.e.  base,  vile,  worthless.  Solemnly  think 
that  thou  art  dust  and  ashes,  and  be  proud  if  thou  canst,  Isa.  vi.  1,  2. 

-  Dnonn  7D0  ^DJDp,  1  am  less  than  all  mercies,  to  wit,  in  worth  or  weight,  &c, 

■^  ny'piri'  (olaynalh,  an  humble  soul  is  a  little,  little  nothing  in  his  own  eyes. 

*  (jod  loves  to  hear  this  as  a  parcel  of  his  praise,  parcere  snhJccCis  et  debellare  super- 
bos,  to  spare  the  lowly  and  strike  down  the  proud. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  EICHES  OF  CHRIST.  11 

fourteen  years  converted,  as  some  judge.  He  was  a  man  that  lived  at 
as  high  a  rate  in  God,  as  any  we  read  of ;  a  man  that  was  filled  with 
glorious  discoveries  and  revelations,  and  yet  under  all  discoveries  and 
revelations,  he  remembers  that  body  of  sin  and  death  that  made  him 
cry  out,  '  O  wretched  man  that  I  am,  who  shall  deliver  me  ?'  Who 
shall  ease  me  of  my  burden,  who  shal]  knock  off  these  chains  that  make 
my  life  a  hell  ?^  I  will  by  a  few  instances  prove  the  other  branch  : 
Gen.  xxxii.  10,  '  I  am  not  worthy  of  the  least  of  all  the  mercies,'  says 
Jacob,  '  for  with  my  staff  I  passed  over  this  Jordan,  and  now  I  am  be- 
come two  bands/  I  remember,  saith  he,  when  I  went  over  Jordan,  I 
was  as  a  footman  that  carried  all  his  wealth  with  him.  Under  his 
outward  greatness  he  forgets  not  his  former  meanness.  An  humble 
soul  is  good  at  looking  back  upon  his  former  low  estate,  upon  his  thread- 
bare coat  that  was  his  best  and  only  robe.^ 

So  David,  1  Chron.  xvii.  16,  17,  '  And  David  the  king  came  and  sat 
before  the  Lord,  and  said,  What  am  I,  0  Lord  God,  and  what  is  mine 
house,  that  thou  hast  brought  me  hitherto  ?  And  yet  this  was  a  small 
thing  in  thine  eyes,  0  God ;  for  thou  hast  also  spoken  of  thy  servant's 
house  for  a  great  while  to  come,  and  hast  regarded  me  according  to  the 
state  of  a  man  of  high  degree.  Who  am  I,  O  Lord  God,  and  what  is 
mine  house  ?'  David  remembered  the  meanness  of  his  birth  ;  he 
remembered  his  shepherd's  crook,  as  Jacob  did  his  travelling  staff.* 
Mercies  make  an  humble  soul  glad,  but  not  proud.  An  humble  soul  is 
lowest  when  his  mercies  are  highest ;  he  is  least  when  he  is  greatest ; 
he  is  lowest  when  he  is  highest ;  he  is  most  poor  when  he  is  most  rich. 
Nothing  melts  like  mercy,  nothing  draws  like  mercy,  nothing  humbles 
like  mercy.  Mercy  gives  the  humble  soul  such  excellent  counsel,  as 
Plasilla  the  empress  gave  her  husband  Theodosius,  '  Remember,  O 
husband,'  saith  she,  '  what  lately  you  were,  and  what  now  you  are  ;  so 
shall  you  govern  well  the  empire,  and  give  God  his  due  praise  for  so 
great  an  advancement.'*  The  voice  of  mercy  is,  Remember  what  lately 
thou  wert,  and  what  now  thou  art,  and  be  humble.  Now  proud  men 
that  are  lifted  up  from  the  dunghill,  that  abound  in  worldly  wealth, 
ah  !  how  does  their  blood  rise  with  their  outward  good  !  The  more  mer- 
cies they  have,  the  more  proud  they  are  ;  mercies  do  but  puff  and  swell 
such  souls.  In  a  crowd  of  mercies,  they  cry  out  in  the  pride  of  their 
hearts  :  '  Depart  from  us,  O  God,  for  we  desire  not  the  knowledge  of 
thy  ways.  What  is  the  Almighty  that  we  should  serve  him  ?  and  what 
profit  shall  we  have,  if  we  pray  unto  him  ?'  Ps.  Ixxiii.  3-13  ;  Job  xxi. 
7-16,  xiv.  15. 

[2.]  A  second  property  of  an  humble  soul  is  this,  He  overlooks  his 

1  Chrysostom  observes  it  of  Paul,  as  his  greatest  honour,  that  although  he  had  obtained 
pardon  of  God  for  bis  sins,  yet  he  is  not  ashamed  to  reckon  them  up  to  the  world.  The 
spouse  of  Christ,  under  all  the  kisses  and  embraces  of  Christ,  acknowledges  herself  to  be 
black  :  Cant.  i.  2,  5,  compared. 

■-'  Omnia  mea  mecum  porto,  all  my  goods  I  carry  with  me,  said  Bias,  one  of  the  seven 
wise  men  of  Greece.     \^As  before. — G.] 

3  Iphicrates,  that  noble  captain,  cried  out.  From  how  small  to  how  great  an  estate  am 
I  raised!  [Son  of  Timotheus,  a  shoemaker. — G.]  So  does  the  humble  soul,  when  God 
turns  his  brass  into  silver,  his  iron  into  gold,  his  pence  into  pounds.  Agathocles,  who, 
of  a  potter's  son,  was  made  king  of  Sicily,  would  always  be  served  in  earthen  vessels. 
[A.  was  himself  a  '  potter.'— G.] 

*  Kather  Placilla,  sometimes  Flacilla  and  Placidia.     Cf.  Tillemont,  as  before. — G. 


12  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

own  righteousness,  and  lives  upon  the  Hghteousness  of  another,  to  icit, 
the  Lord  Jesus.  So  the  apostle,  Philip.  iiL  8-10,  ovei'looks  liis  owu 
rigliteousness,  and  lives  wholly  upon  the  ri<(hteousness  of  Christ :  '  I 
desire  to  be  found  in  him,'  saith  ho,  '  not  havin<i:  mine  own  ri<rhteous- 
ness.'  Away  with  it,  it  is  dross,  it  is  dung,  it  is  dog's  meat !  It  is  a 
rotten  righteousness,  an  imperfect  righteousness,  a  weak  righteousness, 
'  which  is  of  the  law  ;  but  that  which  is  through  the  faith  of  Christ,  the 
righteousness  which  is  of  God  by  faith, '^  that  is  a  spotless  righteous- 
ness, a  pure  righteousness,  a  complete  righteousness,  an  incomparable 
righteousness;  and, therefore,  an  humble  soul  overlooks  his  own  right- 
eousness, and  lives  upon  Christ's  righteousness.  Remember  this,  all 
the  sighing,  mourning,  sobbing,  and  complaining  in  the  world,  doth  not 
so  undeniably  evidence  a  man  to  be  humble,  as  his  overlooking  his  own 
righteousness,  and  living  really  and  purely  upon  the  righteousness  of 
Christ.  This  is  the  greatest  demonstration  of  humility  that  can  be 
sh'ewn  by  man,  Mat.  vi.  8.  Men  may  do  much,  hear  much,  pray  much, 
fast  much,  and  give  much,  &c.,  and  yet  be  as  proud  as  Lucifer,  as  you 
may  see  in  the  Scribes,  Pharisees,  Mat.  xxiii.,  and  those  in  Isa.  Iviii.  3, 
who  in  the  pride  of  their  hearts  made  an  idol  of  their  own  righteous- 
ness :  '  Wherefore  have  we  fasted,'  say  they,  '  and  thou  seest  it  not  ? 
wherefore  have  we  afflicted  our  souls,  and  thou  takest  no  knowledge  1' 
Oh !  but  for  a  man  now  to  trample  upon  his  own  righteousness,  and  to  live 
wholly  upon  the  righteousness  of  another,  this  speaks  out  a  man  to  be 
humble  indeed.  There  is  notliing  that  the  heart  of  man  stands  more 
averse  to  than  this,  of  coming  off  from  his  own  righteousness.  Man  is 
a  creature  apt  to  warm  himself  with  the  sparks  of  his  own  fire,  though 
he  doth  lie  down  for  it  in  eternal  sorrow,  Isa.  1.  11.  Man  is  naturally 
prone  to  go  about  to  establish  his  own  righteousness,  that  he  might  not 
subject  to  the  righteousness  of  Christ ;  he  will  labour  as  for  life,  to  lift 
up  his  own  righteousness,  and  to  make  a  saviour  of  it,  Rom.  x.  4. 
Ay,  but  an  humble  soul  disclaims  his  own  righteousness  :  '  All  our  right- 
eousness is  as  filthy  rags.'  '  Enter  not  into  judgment  with  thy  servant, 
for  in  thy  sight  shall  no  man  living  be  justilied,'  Ps.  cxliii.  2.  So  Job, 
'  Though  I  were  righteous,  yet  I  would  not  answer,  but  I  would  make 
supplication  to  my  judge,'  Job  ix.  15.  Proud  Pharisees  bless  themselves 
in  their  own  righteousness  :  '  I  thank  God  I  am  not  as  this  publican  ;  I 
fast  twice  in  the  week,'  &c.,  Luke  xviii.  11,  12.  Ay,  but  now  a  soul 
truly  humbled  blushes  to  see  his  own  righteousness,  and  glories  in  this, 
that  he  has  the  righteousness  of  Christ  to  live  upon.^  Rev.  iv.  10,  11, 
the  twenty -four  elders  throw  down  their  crowns  at  the  feet  of  Christ. 
By  their  crowns  you  may  understand  their  gifts,  their  excellencies,  their 
righteousness ;  they  throw  down  these  before  Christ's  throne,  to  note 
to  us,  that  they  did  not  put  confidence  in  them,  and  that  Christ  was  the 
crown  of  crowns  and  the  top  of  all  their  royalty  and  glory.  An  humble 
soul  looks  upon  Christ's  righteousness  as  his  only  crown. 

[3.]  Thirdly,  The  loivest  and  the  meanest  good  ivork  is  not  heloiu  an 
humble  soul.     An  humble  David  will  dance  before  the  ark  :  he  enjoyed 

^  Ver.  8,  iTKvS'uXa,  dogs'  meat :  i.  e.  coarse  and  contemptible,  Isa.  Ixiv.  6  ;  Cant.  iv.  2  ; 
Eev.  xiv.  5;  Col.  ii.  10. 

*  A  proud  heart  eyes  more  his  seeming  worth  than  his  real  want.  Non  decel  Christia- 
num  in  hac  vita  coronari,  said  the  Christian  soldier. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  13 

SO  much  of  God  in  it,  that  it  caused  him  to  leap  and  dance  before  it  ; 
but  Michal  his  wife  despised  him  for  a  fool,  and  counted  him  as  a  simple 
vain  fellow,  looking  upon  his  carriage  as  vain  and  light,  and  not  becom- 
ing the  might,  majesty,  and  glory  of  so  glorious  a  prince.  Well  !  says 
this  humble  soul,  if  this  be  to  be  vile,  I  will  be  more  vile. 

Great  Paul,  yet  being  humble  and  low  in  his  own  eyes,  he  can  stoop 
to  do  service  to  the  least  and  meanest  saint.  1  Cor.  ix.  19-21, 'For 
though  I  be  free  from  all  men,  3'^et  have  I  made  myself  servant  unto  all, 
that  I  might  gain  the  more.  And  unto  the  Jews  I  became  as  a  Jew, 
that  I  might  gain  the  Jews.  To  them  that  are  under  the  law,  as  under 
the  law,  that  I  might  gain  them  that  are  under  the  law.  To  them  that 
are  without  law,  as  without  law,  being  not  without  law  to  God,  but 
under  the  law  to  Christ,  that  I  might  gain  them  that  are  without  law. 
To  the  weak,  became  I  as  weak,  that  I  might  gain  the  weak.  I  am 
made  all  things  to  all  men,  that  I  might  by  all  means  gain*  some.'> 
Here  you  have  an  humble  soul  bowing  and  stooping  to  the  meanest 
saint,  and  the  lowest  services,  that  he  might  win  souls.  So  the  Lord 
Jesus  himself  was  famous  in  this,  John  xiii.  4.  Though  he  was  the 
Lord  of  glory,  and  one  that  thought  it  no  robbery  to  he  equal  with 
God,  one  that  had  all  perfection  and  fulness  in  himself,  yet  the  lowest 
work  is  not  below  this  King  of  kings.  Witness  his  washing  his  dis- 
ciples' feet  and  wiping  them  with  a  towel,  1  Cor.  ii.  8 ;  Philip  ii  6  • 
Col.  i.  19. 

Bonaventure,  though  he  was  born  of  great  parentage,  and  a  great 
scholar,  yet  to  keej)  his  mind  from  swelling,  he  would  often  sweep  rooms, 
wash  vessels,  and  make  beds. 

So  that  famous  Italian  marquess,^  when  God  was  pleased  by  the  ministry 
of  his  word  to  convert  him,  the  lowest  work  was  not  below  him.  Thono-h 
he  might  have  lived  like  a  king  in  his  own  country,  yet  having  tasted 
of  that  life  and  sweet  that  was  in  Jesus,  he  was  so  humble  that  he  would 
go  to  market,  and  carry  home  the  meanest  and  the  poorest  things  the 
market  yielded.  There  was  nothing  below  him,  when  God  had  chanoed 
him,  and  humbled  him.^ 

It  was  recorded  to  the  glory  of  some  ancient  generals,  that  they  were 
able  to  call  every  common  soldier  by  his  own  name,  and  were  careful  to 
provide  money,  not  only  for  their  captains  and  soldiers,  but  litter  also 
for  the  meanest  beast.*  There  is  not  the  lowest  good  that  is  below  the 
humble  soul.  If  the  work  be  good,  though  never  so  low,  humility  will 
put  a  hand  to  it  ;  so  will  not  pride. 

^  Ver.  19.  !ci^ly,<ra  Signifies  to  gain  with  joy  and  delight  of  heart.  Ah,  says  Paul,  it  is 
my  greatest  joy,  my  greatest  delight,  to  gain  souls  to  Christ.  The  word  also  signifies 
craft,  or  guile  Ah  !  humble  Paul  will  use  a  holy  craft,  a  holy  guile,  to  win  souls.  To 
know  the  art  of  alms  is  greater  than  to  be  crowned  with  the  diadem  of  kings,  and  yet  to 
convert  one  soul  is  greater  than  to  pour  out  ten  thousand  talents  into  the  baskets  of  the 
poor. — Chn/sostom. 

2  Galeacius  Carraciolus,  as  before.     Cf.  Sibbes,  vol.  i.  pp   184,  289,  seq.—Q. 

3  Proud  hearts  cannot  stoop  to  low  services  ;  they  say  this  work  and  that  is  below  their 
parts,  place,  parentage,  and  employments. 

*  Cirius  [Cyrus?]  and  Scipio.  These  heathens  will  rise  in  judgment  against  many 
proud  professors  in  these  days,  who  scorn  to  stoop  to  mean  services,  &c.  Venial,  veniat 
verbuni  Domini,  et  subniittemus  illi  sezcenta  etsi  nobis  essent  colla,  said  Baldassar,  a  German 
minister.  So  it  is  with  all  that  are  high  in  worth  and  humble  in  heart.  Lev.  x.  2,  3, 
God  will  be  sanctified  either  actively  or  passively  ;  aid  a  nobis  aut  in  nos,  either  in  us  or 
upon  us. 


U  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  Ill  8. 

[4?.]  A  fourth  property  of  an  humble  heart  is  this,  An  humble  heart 
toill  suhmiit  to  everi/  truth  of  God,  that  is  rtiade  knoum  to  it ;  even  to 
those  divine  truths  that  are  most  C7'oss  to  flesh  and  blood.  1  Sam.  iii. 
17,  Eli  would  fain  know  what  God  had  discovered  to  Samuel  concerning 
him  ;  Samuel  tells  him  that  he  must  break  his  neck,  that  the  priesthood 
must  be  taken  away  from  him,  and  his  sons  must  be  slain  in  the  war  ; 
why  '  it  is  the  Lord,'  saith  he,  '  let  him  do  what  seemeth  him  good.'  So 
in  Lev.  x.  3,  the  Lord  by  fire  from  heaven  destroys  Aaron's  two  sons. 
'  Then  Moses  said  unto  Aaron,  This  is  that  the  Lord  spake,  saying,  I 
will  be  sanctified  in  them  that  come  nigh  me,  and  before  all  the  people 
I  will  be  glorified  ;  and  Aaron  held  his  peace.'  If  God  miss  of  his  honour 
one  way,  he  will  rain  hell  out  of  heaven,  but  he  will  have  it  another 
way.  This  Aaron  knew,  and  therefore  he  held  his  peace,  when  God 
shewed  himself  to  be  '  a  consuming  fire.'  The  Hebrew  word'  that  is  here 
rendere'd  peace,  signifies  the  quietness  and  silence  of  his  mind.  He  did 
not  hold  ills  tongue  only,  for  many  a  man  may  hold  his  tongue,  and  yet 
his  mind  and  heart  may  kick  and  swell  against  God,  but  his  very  mind 
was  quiet  and  still ;  there  was  a  heavenly  calm  in  his  spirit ;  he  was 
dumb  and  silent,  because  the  Lord  had  done  it.  So  in  Acts  x.  33,  '  We 
are  all  here  present  before  God,  to  hear  all  things  that  ai'e  commanded 
thee  of  God.'  We  are  not  here  to  hear  what  may  tickle  our  ears,  or 
please  our  fancies,  or  satisfy  our  lusts.  No  ;  but  we  are  here  to  hear 
what  God  will  say.  Our  hearts  stand  ready  pressed  to  subject  them- 
selves to  whatever  God  shall  declare  to  be  his  will.  We  are  willing  to 
hear  what  we  may  do,  that  we  may  obey  sincerely  and  universally  the 
good  pleasure  of  our  God,  knowing  that  it  is  as  well  our  dignity  as  our 
duty  so  to  do. 

There  are  three  things  in  an  humble  soul  that  do  strongly  incline  it 
to  duty. 

The^irs^  is  divine  love. 
.  The  second  is  divine  presence. 

The  third  is  divine  glory. 

The  dove  made  use  of  her  wings  to  fly  to  the  ark  ;  so  doth  an  humble 
soul  of  his  duties  to  fly  to  Christ.  Though  the  dove  did  use  her  wings, 
yet  she  did  not  trust  in  her  wings,  but  in  the  ark.  So  though  an  humble 
soul  does  use  duties,  yet  he  does  not  trust  in  his  duties,  but  in  his 
Jesus.  But  now  proud  hearts  they  hate  the  truth,  they  cry  out,  '  Who 
is  the  Lord,  that  we  should  obey  him  V  And  what  are  his  command- 
ments, that  we  should  submit  to  them?  Ay,  but  an  humble  soul  falls 
under  the  power  of  truth,  and  counts  it  his  greatest  glory  to  be  obedient 
to  all  truth. 

[5.]  A  fifth  property  of  an  humble  soul  is  this:  An  humble  soul  lives 
not  upon  liimself,  nor  upon  hisoivn  actings,  but  upon  the  Lord  Jesus, 

'  Dl^l.  The  word  often  signifies  a  modest  quietness  of  mind,  tlie  troubled  aflFec- 
tions  being  allayed  ;  so  here.  In  Lam.  iii.  27-29  it  signifies  to  submit  unto  God.  and  to 
be  patient  in  affliction  ;  and  so  it  may  be  taken  here.  Nxtnqiinvi  nimis  dieitur,  quid  nun- 
quam  satis  discitur,  we  can  never  hear  that  too  often  that  we  can  never  learn  too  well. 
Aliliti  mulla  agenda,  patienda  plura,  the  Christian  soldier  must  do  many  things,  and  suffer 
more.  If  Seneca  said  of  liis  wise  man,  Mnjore  parte  illic  est,  unde  dcscindit,  lie  is  more 
in  heaven  than  in  earth,  this  is  much  more  true  of  humble,  holy  souls.  [Seneca :  De 
Constantia  Supieixtis. — G.]  Duke  wmen  Christi,  sweet  is  the  name  of  Christ.  Christ 
may  well  be  comjiared  to  the  trees  of  the  sanctuary,  Ezek.  xlvii.  12,  which  were  both  for 
meat  and  medicine. 


EpH.  Ill  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  15 

and  his  actings.  Poor  men,  you  know,  they  do  not  live  upon  them- 
vselves,  they  live  upon  others  ;  they  live  upon  the  care  of  others,  the  love 
of  others,  the  provision  of  others.  Why !  thus  an  humble  soul  lives 
upon  the  care  of  Christ,  the  love  of  Christ,  the  promise  of  Christ,  the 
faithfulness  of  Christ,  the  discoveries  of  Christ.  He  lives  upon  Christ 
for  his  justification,  Philip,  iii.  7-10  ;  he  lives  upon  Christ  for  his  sanc- 
tification.  Cant  iv.  16,  '  Awake,  O  north  wind,  and  come  thou  south, 
blow  upon  my  garden,  that  the  spices  thereof  may  flow  out  ;'  and  he 
lives  upon  Christ  for  his  consolation  :  Cant.  ii.  3,  '  As  the  apple-tree 
among  the  trees  of  the  wood,  so  is  my  beloved  among  the  sons.  I  sat 
down  under  his  shadow  with  great  delight,  and  his  fruit  was  sweet  to  my 
taste  ;'  and  he  lives  upon  Christ  for  the  performance  of  all  holy  actions  : 
Philip,  iv.  13,  '  I  can  do  all  things  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth 
me  ;'  Gal.  ii.  20,  'I  live,  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  lives  in  me ;  and  the  life 
which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who 
loved  me,  and  gave  himself  for  me.'  An  humble  soul  sees  in  Christ'  a 
fulness  of  abundance,  and  a  fulness .  of  redundancy,  and  here  his  soul 
lives  and  feeds.  An  humble  soul  sees  that  all  his  stock  is  in  the  hands 
of  Christ.  His  stock  of  graces,  his  stock  of  comforts,  his  stock  of  expe- 
riences are  in  the  hands  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  thegreatLord-keeperof  all 
a  believer's  graces,  and  of  all  his  comforts  ;  and  therefore,  as  children  live 
upon  them  in  whose  hand  their  stock  is,  be  it  a  brother  or  a  friend, 
why,  so  an  humble  soul  sees  its  stock  is  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  therefore  he  lives  upon  Christ,  upon  his  love,  and  his  pro- 
vision, and  his  undertakings,  &c.  But  now  proud  hearts  live  not  upon 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  they  live  upon  themselves,  and  upon  their  own 
duties,  their  owm  righteousness,  their  own  actings,  as  the  Scripture 
evidences.  Christ  dwells  in  that  heart  most  eminently  that  hath 
emptied  itself  of  itself.  Christ  is  the  humble  man's  manna,  upon  which 
he  lives,  and  by  which  he  thrive*,  Lsa.  Iviii.  2,  7;  Luke  vii.  47. 

[6.]  A  sixth  property  of  an  humble  soul  is  this.  He  judges  himself  to 
he  belovj  the  ivrath  and  judgments  of  God?  An  humble  soul  looks  upon 
himself  as  one  not  worthy  that  God  should  spend  a  rod  upon  him,  in 
order  to  his  reformation,  edification,  or  salvation.  As  I  am  unworthy, 
saith  an  humble  soul,  that  God  should  smile  upon  me,  so  I  am  unworthy 
that  he  should  spend  a  frown  upon  me.  Job  xiii.  25,  '  Wilt  thou  break 
a  leaf  driven  to  and  fro  ?  And  wilt  thou  pursue  the  dry  stubble  ?'  Why, 
I  am  but  a  leaf,  I  am  but  a  little  dry  stubble,  I  am  below  thy  wrath  ;  I 
am  so  very,  very  bad,  that  I  wonder  that  thou  shouldst  so  much  as 
spend  a  rod  upon  me.  What  more  weak,  worthless,  slight,  and  con- 
temptible than  a  leaf,  than  dry  stubble  ?  Why,  Lord,  says  Job,  I  am  a 
poor,  weak,  and  worthless  creature,  I  wonder  that  thou  shouldst  take 
any  pains  to  do  me  good,  I  can't  but  count  and  call  everytliing  a  mercy 
that  is  less  than  hell. 

So  David,  in  1  Sam.  xxiv.  14,  '  After  whom  is  the  Kmg  of  Israel  come 

1  Plenitudo  abundantice  and  phnitudo  redundandce.  Omne  bomim  in  summo  bono,  all 
good  is  in  the  chiefest  good.  Christ  is  quicquid  appeiibile,  as  Ori;,'en  speaks,  whatever 
we  can  desire. 

2  A  proud  heart  resists,  and  is  resisted  :  this  is  dura  durum,  flint  to  flint,  fire  to  fire. 
An  humble  soul  blesses  God  as  well  for  crosses  as  mercies,  as  well  for  adversity  as  for 
prosperity,  as  well  for  frowns  as  for  smiles,  &c.,  because  he  judges  himself  unworthy  of 
the  least  rebukes  from  God. 


16  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

out  1  After  whom  dost  thou  pursue  ?  After  a  dead  dog,  after  a  flea.' 
The  Language  of  an  humble  soul,  when  God  Ijcgins  to  be  angry,  is  this  : 
Lord,  I  can  bk'ss  thee  that  thou  wilt  take  any  pains  with  me ;  but  I 
humbly  acknowledge  that  I  am  below  the  least  rod,  I  am  not  worthy 
that  thou  shouldst  frown  upon  me,  threaten  me,  strike  me,  or  whip  me, 
for  my  internal  and  eternal  good.  But  proud  hearts  think  themselves 
wronged  when  they  are  afflicted,  they  cry  out  with  Cain,  '  Our  punish- 
ment is  greater  than  we  can  bear,'  Gen.  iv.  13. 

[7.]  A  seventh  property  of  an  humble  soul  is  this,  An  hwmhle  soul 
(loth  h'lrjhhi  iinze  the  least  of  Christ.  The  least  smile,  the  least  good 
word,  the  least  good  look,  the  least  truth,  the  least  mercy,  is  highly 
valued  by  an  humble  soul. 

The  Canaanitish  woman  in  the  fifteenth  of  Matthew  sets  a  high  price 
upon  a  crumb  of  mercy.'  Ah,  Lord,  says  the  humble  soul,  if!  may  not 
have  a  loaf  of  mercy,  give  me  a  piece  of  mercy ;  if  not  a  piece  of  mercy, 
give  me  a  crumb  of  mercy.  If  I  may  not  have  sun-light,  let  me  have 
moon-light;  if  not  moon-light,  let  me  have  star-light ;  if  not  star-light, 
let  me  have  candle-light;  and  for  that  I  will  bless  thee. 

In  the  time  of  the  law,  the  meanest  things  that  were  consecrated 
were  very  highly  prized,  as  leather  or  wood,  that  was  in  the  tabernacle. 
An  humble  soul  looks  upon  all  the  things  of  God  as  consecrated  things. 
Every  truth  of  God  is  a  consecrated  truth  ;  it  is  consecrated  to  holy 
use,  and  this  causes  the  soul  highly  to  prize  it;  and  so  every  smile  of 
God,  and  every  discovery  of  God,  and  every  drop  of  mercy  from  God,  is 
very  highly  prized  by  a  soul  that  walks  humbly  with  God.  The  name 
of  Christ,  the  voice  of  Christ,  the  footsteps  of  Christ,  the  least  touch  of 
the  garment  of  Christ,  the  least-regarded  truth  of  Christ,  the  meanest 
and  least-regarded  among  the  flock  of  Christ,  is  highly  prized  by  humble 
souls  that  are  interested  in  Christ,  Song  i.  3;  John  x.  4,  5;  Ps.  xxvii.  4; 
Mat.  ix.  20,  21;  Acts  xxiv.  14;  1  Cor.  ix.  22.  An  humble  soul  cannot, 
an  humble  soul  dares  not,  call  anything  little  that  has  Christ  in  it ; 
neither  can  an  humble  soul  call  or  count  anything  great  wherein  he 
sees  not  Christ,  wdierein  he  enjoys  not  Christ.^  An  humble  soul  highly 
prizes  the  least  nod,  the  least  love-token,  the  least  courtesy  from  Christ; 
but  proud  hearts  count  great  mercies  small  mercies,  and  small  mercies 
no  mercies ;  yea,  pride  does  so  unman  them,  that  they  often  call  mercy 
misery,  &c. 

[8.]  The  eighth  property  of  an  humble  soul  is  this.  It  can  never  be 
good  enough,  it  can  never  pray  enough,  nor  hear  enough,  nor  mourn 
enough,  nor  believe  enough,  nor  love  enough,  nor  fear  enough,  nor  joy 
enough,  nor  rej^ent  enough,  nor  loathe  sin  enough,  nor  be  humble 
enougli,  &c. 

Humble  Paul  looks  upon  his  great  all  as  nothing  at  all ;  he  forgets 
those  things  that  are  behind,  and  reaches  forth  to  those  things  which 
are  before,  '  that  if  by  any  means  he  might  attain  unto  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead,'  Philip,  iii.  11-14  ;  that  is,  that  perfection  of  holiness  which 

*  Ver.  27.  Faith  will  pick  an  argument  out  of  a  repulse,  and  turn  discouragenDnts 
into  encouragements.  Lutiier  would  not  take  all  the  world  lor  one  leaf  of  the  Bible ;  such 
a  price  he  set  upon  it,  from  the  sweet  that  he  found  in  it. 

2  Austin  loved  Tully  before  his  conversion,  but  not  so  much  after,  qiiia  novien  Jesu  non 
erat  j6t,  because  the  name  of  Christ  was  not  there.     [Confessions,  b.  lii.,  iv.  7.— G.] 


EpH.  III.  8.]  EICHES  OF  CHRIST.  17 

the  dead  shall  attain  unto  in  the  morning  of  the  resurrection,  by  a 
metonymy  of  the  subject  for  the  adjunct.' 

No  holiness  below  that  matchless,  peerless,  spotless,  perfect  holiness 
that  saints  shall  have  in  the  glorious  day  of  Christ's  appearing,  will 
satisfy  the  humble  soul.  An  humble  heart  is  an  aspiring  heart ;  he 
cannot  be  contented  to  get  up  some  rounds  in  Jacob's  ladder,  but  he  must 
get  to  the  very  top  of  the  ladder,  to  the  very  top  of  holiness.  An  humble 
heart  cannot  be  satisfied  with  so  much  grace  as  will  bring  him  to  glory, 
with  so  much  of  heaven  as  will  keep  him  from  dropping  into  hell;  he 
is  still  crying  out,  Give,  Lord,  give ;  give  me  more  of  thyself,  more  of 
thy  Sou,  more  of  thy  Spirit;  give  me  more  light,  more  life,  more  love, 
&c.  Csesar  in  warlike  matters  minded  more  what  was  to  conquer  than 
what  was  conquered ;  what  was  to  gain  than  what  was  gained.  So  does 
an  humble  soul  mind  more  what  he  should  be  than  what  he  is,  what  is 
to  be  done  than  what  is  done.  Verily  heaven  is  for  that  man,  and  that 
man  is  for  heaven,  that  sets  up  for  his  mark  the  perfection  of  holiness. 
Poor  men  are  full  of  desires ;  they  are  often  a-sighing  it  out,  Oh  that  we 
had  bread  to  strengthen  us,  drink  to  refresh  us,  clothes  to  cover  us, 
friends  to  visit  us,  and  houses  to  shelter  us,  &c.  ;  so  souls  that  are  spi- 
ritually poor  they  are  often  a-sighing  it  out.  Oh  that  we  had  more  of 
Christ  to  strengthen  us,  more  of  Christ  to  refresh  us,  more  of  Christ  to 
be  a  covering  and  shelter  to  us,  &c.  I  had  rather,  says  the  humble 
soul,  be  a  poor  man  and  a  rich  Christian,  than  a  rich  man  and  a  poor 
Christian.  Lord,  says  the  humble  soul,  I  had  rather  do  anything,  I  had 
rather  bear  anything,  I  had  rather  be  anything,  than  to  be  a  dwarf  in 
grace,  Rev.  iii.  17,  Isa.  Ixv.  5,  Luke  xviii.  11,  12.  The  light  and  glory 
of  humble  Christians  rises  by  degrees:  Cant.  vi.  1,  (1.)  Looking  forth 
as  the  morning,  with  a  little  light ;  (2.)  Fair  as  the  moon,  more  light ; 
(3.)  Clear  as  the  sun,  i.e.  come  up  to  a  higher  degree  of  spiritual  light, 
life,  and  glory.  Lord,  says  the  humble  soul,  give  me  much  grace,  and 
then  a  little  gold  will  serve  my  turn;  give  me  much  of  heaven,  and  little 
of  earth  will  content  me;  give  me  much  of  the  springs  above,  and  a 
little  of  the  springs  below  will  satisfy  me,  &c. 

[9.]  The  ninth  property  of  an  humble  soul  is  this,  7^  will  smite 
and  strike  for  small  sins  as  well  as  for  great,  for  those  the  ivorld  count 
no  sin,  as  luell  as  for  those  that  they  count  gross  si7is. 

When  David  had  but  cut  off  the  lap  of  Saul's  garment,  his  heart 
smote  him  as  if  he  had  cut  off  his  head.  The  Hebrew  word  signifies 
to  smite,  wound,  or  chastise.^  Ah!  his  heart  struck  him,  his  heart 
chastised  him,  his  heart  wounded  him  for  cutting  off  Saul's  skirt, 
though  he  did  it  upon  noble  grounds,  viz.,  to  convince  Saul  of  his 
false  jealousies,  and  to  evidence  his  own  innocency  and  integrity  :  and 

^  IviXTiitiifiiviis ;  it  signifies  the  straining  of  tlie  whole  body,  a  stretching  out  head  and 
hands,  as  runners  in  a  race  do  to  lay  hold  on  the  mark  or  prize  proposed,  Ps.  x.  17.  De- 
sires, laavath,  from  Avah,  that  signifies  so  to  desire  and  long  after  a  thing  as  to  have  one's 
teeth  water  at  it ;  so  in  Micah  vii.  1.  But  proud  hearts  sit  down  and  pride  themselves, 
and  bless  themselves,  as  if  they  had  attained  to  much,  when  they  have  attained  to  nothing 
that  can  raise  them  above  the  lowest  step  of  misery. 

2  1  Sam.  xxiv.  5,  "y).     A  good  man's  heart,  when  kindly  awakened,  may  smite  him 
for  those  actions  that  at  first  he  judged  very  prudent  and  politic.     How  great  a  pain, 
not  to  be  borne,  comes  from  the  prick  of  this  small  thorn  !     Little  sins  have  put  several 
to  their  wits'  ends,  when  they  have  been  set  home  upon  their  consciences. 
VOL.  in.  B 


18  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

SO,  at  another  time,  liis  heart  smote  him  for  numherinf^  tlie  people,  as 
if  he  liad  murdered  the  people:  2  Sam.  xxiv.  10,  'And  David's  heart 
smote  him,  after  that  he  had  numbered  the  people;  and  David  said  unto 
the  Lord,  I  have  sinned  greatly  in  that  I  have  done  :  and  now  I  be- 
seech thee,  O  Lord,  take  away  the  iniquity  of  thy  s(;rvant,  for  I  have 
done  very  foolishly.'  An  humble  soul  knows  that  little  sins,  if  I  may 
so  call  any,  cost  Christ  his  blood,  and  that  they  make  way  for  greater; 
and  that  little  sins  multiplied  become  great,  as  a  little  sum  multiplied 
is  great;  that  they  cloud  the  face  of  God,  wound  conscience,  grieve  the 
Spirit,  rejoice  Satan,  and  make  work  for  repentance,  &c.  An  humble 
soul  knows  that  little  sins,  suppose  them  so,  are  very  dangerous  ;  a  little 
leaven  leaveneth  the  whole  lump;  a  little  staff  may  kill  one;  a  little 
poison  may  poison  one;  a  little  leak  in  a  ship  sinks  it;  a  little  fly  in 
tiie  box  of  ointment  spoils  it;  a  little  flaw  in  a  good  cause  mars  it;  so  a 
little  sm  may  at  once  l>ar  the  door  of  heaven  and  open  the  gates  of  hell ; 
and  therefore  an  humble  soul  smites  and  strikes  itself  for  the  least  as 
well  as  the  greatest.  Though  a  head  of  garlic  be  little,  yet  it  will  poison 
the  leopard,  though  he  be  great.  Though  a  mouse  is  but  little,  yet  it 
will  kill  an  elephant,  if  he  gets  up  into  his  trunk.  Though  the  scorpion 
be  little,  yet  it  will  sting  a  lion  to  death ;  and  so  will  the  least  sin,  if 
not  pardoned  by  the  death  of  Christ. 

A  proud  heart  counts  great  sins  small,  and  small  sins  no  sins,  and  so 
disarms  conscience  for  a  time  of  its  whipping  and  wounding  power  ; 
but  at  death,  or  in  hell,  conscience  will  take  up  an  iron  rod,  with  which 
it  will  lash  the  sinner  for  ever ;  and  then,  though  too  late,  the  sinner 
shall  acknowledge  his  little  sins  to  be  very  great,  and  his  great  sins  to 
be  exceeding  grievous  and  odious,  &e. 

[10.]  The  tenth  property  of  an  humble  soul  is  this,  It  ivill  quietly 
hear  burdens,  and  patiently  take  blows  and  knocks,  and  make  no 
noise.  An  humble  soul  sees  God  through  man;  he  sees  God  through 
all  the  actions  and  carriages  of  men  :  '  1  was  dumb,'  saith  the  prophet, 
'  I  opened  not  my  mouth,  because  thou  didst  it.'^  An  humble  soul 
looks  through  secondary  causes,  and  sees  the  hand  of  God,  and  then 
lays  his  own  hand  upon  his  mouth.  An  himible  soul  is  a  mute  soul,  a 
tongue-tied  soul,  when  he  looks  through  secondary  causes  to  the  supreme 
cause.  So  Aaron,  when  he  saw  his  sons  suddenly  surprised  by  a  dread- 
ful and  doleful  death,  he  held  his  peace,  he  bridled  his  passions;  he  sits 
silent  under  a  terrible  stroke  of  divine  justice,  because  the  Hre  that 
devoured  them  went  out  from  the  Lord.  So  when  Samuel  had  told  Eli 
that  God  would  judge  his  house  for  ever,  and  that  he  had  sworn  that 
the  iniquity  of  his  house  should  not  be  purged  with  sacrifice  nor  offering 
for  ever,  &c.,  '  It  is  the  Lord,'  says  Eli,  '  let  him  do  what  seemetli  him 
good.'  Eli  humbly  and  patiently  lays  his  neck  upon  the  block;  it  is 
the  Lord;  let  him  strike,  let  him  kill,  &c.,  says  Eli,  1  Sam.  iii.  11,  13. 

So  David,  when  Shimei  manifested  his  desperate  fury  and  folly,  malice 
and  madness,  in  raving  and  raging  at  him,  in  cursing  and  reproaching 
of  him,  says  he.  '  Let  him  alone,  and  let  him  curse,  for  th(j  Lord  hath 
bidden  him,'  2  Sam.  xvi,  5,  14.     God,  says  he,  will,  by  his  wise  provi- 

'  Pa.  xxxi.x.  9,  *no'?SJ,  from  alam,  wliicli  sif;nifios  to  bo  mute,  or  tongue-tied.  Lev.  x. 
1-3,  vaiidevi  from  JJantd,  wliich  siguilies  the  quietuess  of  the  mind,  the  troubled  affec- 
tions being  allayed. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  ]  9 

tlence,  turn  his  cursing  into  blessing.  I  see  the  justice  of  God  in  his 
cursing,  therefore  let  him  alone,  let  him  curse,  says  David.  ^ 

Cassianus  reports,  that  when  a  certain  Christian  was  held  captive  by 
the  infidels,  and  tormented  by  divers  pains  and  ignominious  taunts, 
being  demanded,  by  way  of  scorn  and  reproach,  Tell  us  what  Christ  has 
done  for  you,  answered.  He  hath  done  what  you  see,  that  I  am  not 
moved  at  all  the  cruelties  and  contumelies  you  cast  upon  me.* 

So  that  blessed  martyr,  Gyles  of  Brussels,  when  the  friars,  sent  to 
reduce  him,  did  at  any  time  miscall  him,  he  ever  held  his  peace,  inso- 
much that  those  wretches  would  say  abroad  that  he  had  a  dumb  devil 
in  him.*  Full  vessels  will  bear  many  a  knock,  many  a  stroke,  and  yet 
make  no  noise.  So  Christians  that  are  full  of  Christ,  that  are  full  of 
the  Spirit,  will  bear  many  a  knock,  many  a  stroke,  and  yet  make  no 
noise. 

An  humble  soul  may  groan  under  afflictions,  but  he  will  not  grumble 
in  calms.  Proud  hearts  discourse  of  patience,  but  in  storms  humble 
hearts  exercise  patience.  Philosophers  have  much  commended  it,  but 
in  the  hour  of  darkness  it  is  the  humble  soul  that  acts  it.  I  am 
afflicted,  says  the  humble  soul,  but  it  is  mercy  I  am  not  destroyed.  I 
am  fallen  into  the  pit ;  it  is  free  grace  I  am  not  fallen  into  hell.  God 
is  too  just  to  wrong  me,  and  too  gracious  to  harm  me  ;  and  therefore  I 
will  be  still  and  quiet,  let  him  do  what  he  will  with  me,  says  the  humble 
soul.  But  proud  souls  resist  when  they  are  resisted,  they  strike  when 
they  are  stricken,  Isa.  Iviii.  1-8  :  '  Who  is  the  Lord,'  says  lofty  Pharaoh, 
'that  I  should  obey  him  ?'  and  Cain  cries  out,  'My  punishment  is 
greater  than  I  am  able  to  bear/  Well !  remember  this  :  though  it  be 
not  easy  in  afflictions  and  tribulations  to  hold  our  peace,  yet  it  is  very 
advantageous  ;  which  the  heathens  seemed  to  imitate  in  placing  the 
image  of  Angerona  [goddess  of  silence],  with  the  mouth  bound  upon 
the  altar  of  Volupia  [of  pleasure],  to  shew  that  those  that  do  prudently 
and  humbly  conceal  their  sorrows  and  anxieties  by  patience,  shall  attain 
comfort  and  refreshment.* 

[11.]  The  eleventh  property  of  an  humble  soul  is  this:  in  all  religious 
duties  and  services,  he  trades  with  God  upon  the  credit  of  Christ.^ 
Lord,  says  the  humble  soul,  I  need  power  against  such  and  such  sins  : 
give  it  me  upon  the  credit  of  Christ's  blood.  I  need  strength  to  such 
and  such  services  :  give  it  me  upon  the  credit  of  Christ's  word.  I  need 
such  and  such  mercies  for  the  cheering,  refreshing,  quickening,  and 
strengthening  of  me  :  give  them  into  my  bosom  upon  the  credit  of 
Christ's  intercession.  As  a  poor  man  lives  and  deals  upon  the  credits 
of  others,  so  does  an  humble  soul  live  and  deal  with  God  for  the  strength- 
ening of  every  grace,  and  for  the  supply  of  every  mercy,  upon  the  credit 

*  Gallesius  observes  upon  Exod.  xxii.  28,  the  exceeding  patience  of  those  three  em- 
perors, Theodosius,  Honorius,  and  Arcadius,  towards  those  that  spoke  evil  of  them.  [Qu. 
'Gallasius?'— G.] 

2  [Foxe.]     Acts  et  Mon.  fol.  811.     [By  Townsend,  sub  nomine. — G.] 

3  By  long  soothing  our  own  wills,  we  have  forsaken,  as  Cassian  saitli,  the  very  shadow 
of  patience.     [Voes  and  Esch,  not  Gyles.     Foxe,  as  above,  vol.  iv.  349-50. — G.] 

*  lion  sic  Deos  coluimus  aut  sic  vixinius,  id  ille  nos  vinceret,  said  the  emperor  [Marcus  A.] 
Antoninus  Philosophus.     ['  Meditations.' — G.] 

5  John  xiv.  13,  and  xv.  IG,  and  xvi.  tS,  2G.  The  name  of  Jesus  hath  a  thousand 
trf-asures  of  joy  and  comfort  in  it,  saith  Chrysostom ;  and  is  therefore  used  by  Paul  five 
hundred  times,  as  some  have  reckoned. 


20  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

of  the  Lord  Jesus.  An  humble  soul  knows  that  since  he  broke  with 
God  in  innoccncy,  God  will  tinist  him  no  more,  he  will  take  his  word  no 
more  ;  and  therefore  when  he  goes  to  God  for  mercy,  he  brings  his  Ben- 
jamin, his  Jesus,  in  his  arms,  and  pleads  for  mercy  upon  the  account  of 
Jesus. 

Plutarch  reports  that  it  was  wont  to  be  the  way  of  the  Molossians, 
when  they  would  seek  the  favour  of  their  prince,  they  took  up  the  king's 
son  in  their  arms,  and  So  went  and  kneeled  before  the  king,  and  by  this 
means  overcame  him.'  So  do  humble  souls  make  a  conquest  upon  God 
with  Christ  in  their  arms.  The  Father  will  not  give  that  soul  the 
repulse  that  brings  Christ  in  his  arms.'^  The  humble  soul  knows  that 
God  out  of  Christ  is  incommunicable,  that  God  out  of  Christ  is  incom- 
prehensible, that  God  out  of  Christ  is  very  terrible,  and  that  God  out  of 
Christ  is  inaccessible  ;  and  therefore  he  still  brings  Christ  with  him,  and 
presents  all  his  requests  in  his  name,  and  so  prevails,  &c.  Oh !  but 
proud  souls  deal  with  God  upon  the  credit  of  their  own  worthiness, 
righteou.sness,  services,  prayers,  tears,  fastings,  &c.,  as  the  proud  Phari- 
sees and  those  wrangling  hypocrites  in  Isa.  Iviii.  1-3. 

It  was  a  very  proud  saying  of  one,  Coduni  gratis  non  accipiam,  I 
will  not  have  heaven  but  at  a  rate ;  and  therefore  well  did  the  father 
call  vain-glory  a  pleasant  thief,  and  the  sweet  spoiler  of  spiritual  ex- 
cellencies. 

[12.]  The  twelfth  property  of  an  humble  soul  is  this  :  it  endeavours 
onore  how  to  honour  and  glorify  God  in  afiictions,  than  how  to 
get  out  of  affl.icti(ms.  So  Daniel,  the  three  children,  the  apostles,  and 
those  worthies  of  whom  this  world  was  not  Avorthy.  They  were  not 
curious  about  getting  out  of  affliction,  but  studious  how  to  glorify  God 
in  their  afflictions.'  They  were  willing  to  be  anything,  and  to  bear  any- 
thing, that  in  everything  God  might  be  glorified.  They  made  it  their 
business  to  glorify  God  in  the  fire,  in  the  prison,  in  the  den,  on  the 
rack,  and  under  the  sword,  &c.  Lord,  says  the  humble  soul,  do  but 
keep  dow^n  my  sins,  and  keep  up  my  heart  in  a  way  of  honouring  of 
thee  under  all  my  troubles,  and  then  my  troubles  will  be  no  troubles, 
my  afflictions  will  be  no  afflictions.  Though  my  burdens  be  doubled, 
and  my  troubles  be  multiplied,  yet  do  but  help  me  to  honour  thee  by 
believing  in  thee,  by  waiting  on  thee,  and  by  submitting  to  thee,  and  I 
shall  sing  care  away,  and  shall  say.  It  is  enough.* 

When  Valens  the  emperor  sent  messengers  to  win  Eusebius  to  heresy 
by  fair  words  and  large  promises,  he  answered,  Alas,  sir  '  these  speeches 
are  fit  to  catch  little  children  that  look  after  such  things,  but  we  that 
are  taught  and  nourished  by  the  holy  Scriptures  are  readier  to  suffer  a 
thousand  deaths  than  to  suffer  one  syllable  or  tittle  of  the  Scripture  to 
be  altered.     And  when  the  emperor  threatened  to  confiscate  his  goods, 

'  So  Themistocles  did  when  he  sought  the  favour  of  kiug  Admetus.  [Plutarch,  sub 
nomine. — G.] 

-  The  name  of  a  Saviour,  saith  Bernard,  is  lioney  in  the  nioutli,  and  music  in  the  ear, 
and  a  jubilee  in  the  heart.  [Serm.  on  Canticles,  as  before. — G.]  The  boy  tiiat  was  a 
monitor  cried  aloud  to  him  that  rode  in  triumph,  Memento  te  esse  homincm,  remember  thy- 
self to  bo  a  man. 

3  Dan.  iii.;  Acts  v.  41.  42,  and  iv.  29  ;  Hcb.  xi. ;  Eph.  vi.  10,  20;  Philip,  i.  13,  19. 

*  I'rorsiis  Satan  est  Lut/tervs,  sed  Christus  vivit  et  regiiat,  Amcu,  said  Lulher,  in  writ- 
ing to  his  friend  Spalatinus.    [During  Diet  of  Augsburg — G.] 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  21 

to  torment  him,  to  banish  him,  or  to  kill  him,  he  answered,  He  need  not 
fear  confiscation  that  hath  nothing  to  lose;  nor  banishment,  to  whom 
heaven  only  is  a  country  ;  nor  torments,  when  his  body  will  be  dashed 
with  one  blow  ;  nor  death,  which  is  the  only  wa}'  to  set  him  at  liberty 
from  sin  and  sorrow.^  Oh  !  but  when  a  proud  man  is  under  troubles 
and  afflictions,  his  head  and  heart  are  full  of  plots  and  projects  how  to 
get  off  his  chains,  and  to  get  out  of  the  furnace,  &c.  A  proud  heart  will 
say  anything,  and  do  anything,  and  be  anything,  to  free  himself  from 
the  burdens  that  press  him,  as  you  see  in  Pharaoh,  &c.  ;  but  an  humble 
soul  is  willing  to  bear  the  cross  as  long  as  he  can  get  strength  from 
heaven  to  kiss  the  cross,  to  bless  God  for  the  cross,  and  to  glorify  Gcd 
under  the  cross,  &c.,  John  i.  20,  21. 

[13.]  The  thirteenth  property  of  an  humble  soul  is  this  :  it  seeks  not, 
it  looks  not,  after  great  things.     A  little  will  satisfy  nature,  less  will 
satisfy  grace  ;  but  nothing  will  satisfy  a  proud  man's  lusts.^     Lord,  says 
the  humble  soul,  if  thou  wilt  but  give  me  bread  to  eat  and  raiment  to 
put  on,  thou  shalt  be  my  God,  Gen.  xxviii.  20-22.     Let  the  men  of  the 
world,  says  the  humble  soul,  take  the  world  in  all  its  greatness  and 
glory,  and  divide  it  among  themselves.^     Let  me  have  much  of  Christ 
and  heaven  in  my  heart,  and  food  convenient  to  support  ray  natural 
life,  and  it  shall  be  enough  :  Job  xxii.  29,  '  When  men  are  cast  down, 
then  thou  shalt  say,  There  is  lifting  up;  and  he  shall  save  the  humble 
person  \  or  as  the  Hebrew  hath  it,  ne  shahh  gneaim,  him  that  hath  low 
eyes,  noting  to  us  that  an  humble  soul  looks  not  after  high  things.*     So 
in  Ps.  cxxxi.  1,  2,  '  Lord,  my  heart  is  not  haughty  nor  mine  eyes  lofty.' 
But  how  do  you  know  that,  David  ?     Why,  says  he,  '  I  do  not  exercise 
myself  in  great  matters,  or  in  things  too  high,  or  too  wonderful  for  me. 
Heb.  '•300  niN'?D3ni  Surely  I  behaved  and  quieted  myself.'    '  My  soul  is 
as  a  child  that  is  weaned  of  his  mother.     My  soul  is  even  as  a  weaned 
child.'     As  a  great  shoe  fits  not  a  little  foot,  nor  a  great  sail  a  little  ship, 
nor  a  great  ring  a  little  finger,  so  a  great  estate  fits  not  a  humble  soul. 
It  was  a  prudent  speech  of  that  Indian  king  Taxiles  to  the  invading 
Alexander  :*  What  should  we  need,  said  he,  to  fight  and  make  war  one 
with  another,  if  thou  comest  not  to  take  away  our  water  and  our  neces- 
saries by  which  we  must  live  ?     As  for  other  goods,  if  I  be  richer  than 
thou,  I  am  ready  to  give  thee  of  mine ;  and  if  I  have  less,  I  will  not 
think  scorn  to  thank  thee  if  thou  wilt  give  me  some  of  thine.     Oh !  but 
proud  Absalom  can't  be  content  to  be  the  king's  son,  unless  he  may 
have  the  crown  presently  from  his  father's  head.     Csesar  can  abide  no 
superior,  nor  Pompey  an  equal.     A  proud  soul  is  content  with  nothing. 
A  crown  could  not  content  Ahab,  but  he  must  have  Naboth's  vine- 
yard,  though  he  swim  to  it  in  blood.     Diogenes   had  more   content 
with  his  tub  to  shelter  him  from  the  injuries  of  the  weather,  and  with 
his  wooden  dish  to  eat  and  drink  in,  than  Alexander  had  with  the  con- 
quest of  half  the  world,  and  the  fruition  of  all  the  treasures,  pleasures, 
and  glories  of  Asia.^     So  an  humble  soul  is  more  contented  and  satisfied 

'  Happy  is  that  soul,  and  to  be  equalled  with  angels,  who  is  willing  to  suffer,  if  it 
were  possible,  as  great  things  for  Christ  as  Christ  hath  suffered  for  it,  said  Jerome. 

*  Galen.  '   Vir  bonus  paucis  indiget. 

*  Ps.  iv.  6,  7  ;  Prov.  xxx.  8.     Luther  made  many  a  meal  of  a  herring,  and  Junius  of 
an  egg.     [Francis  Junius,  the  noble-born  coadjutor  of  Treraellius.     Died  1602. — G.] 

^  Plutarch  lAlewandur,  59,  65. — G.]  ^  Plutarch,  &c.,  as  before. — G. 


22  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

Avith  Daniel's  pulse  and  John's  coat  than  proud  princes  are  with  their 
glistering  crowns  and  golden  sceptres. 

[14.]  The  fourteenth  property  of  an  luunblc  soul  is  this:  it  can 
rejoice  in  the  (/races  and  gracious  actiiKjs  of  others,  as  well  as  in  its 
mvn.  An  humble  Moses  could  say  when  Eldad  and  Medad  prophesied 
in  the  camp,  *  Would  God  that  all  tlie  Lord's  people  were  prophets,  and 
that  the  Lord  would  put  his  Spirit  upon  them,'  Num.  xi.  26-30.  So 
humble  Paul  in  Acts  xxvi.  29,  '  And  Paul  said,  I  would  to  God  that  not 
only  thou,  but  also  all  that  hear  me  this  day,  were  both  almost  and 
altogether  such  as  I  am,  except  those  bonds."  1  heartily  wish  and 
pray  for  thine  own  sake  that  not  only  in  a  low  but  in  an  eminent, 
degree,  both  thou  and  all  that  are  here  present,  were  as  far  Christians 
as  I  am  ;  only  I  would  not  wish  them  imprisoned  as  I  am.  An  humble 
soul  is  no  churl.  There  is  no  envy  in  spiritual  things  ;  one  may  have 
as  much  of  spirituals  as  another,  and  all  alike.  So  in  1  Thes.  i.  2,  3, 
'  We  give  thanks  to  God  always  for  you  all,  making  mention  of  you  in 
our  prayers  ;  remembering  without  ceasing  your  work  of  faith,  and 
labour  of  love,  and  patience  of  hope  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  the 
sight  of  God  and  our  Father.'  So  in  the  2  Epistle  i.  2-4,  '  Grace  be  unto 
you,  and  peace,  from  God  our  Father,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  We 
are  bound  to  thank  God  always  for  you,  brethren,  as  it  is  meet,  because 
that  your  faith  groweth  exceedingly,  and  the  charity  of  every  one  of  you 
all  towards  each  other  aboundeth  :  so  that  we  ourselves  glory  in  you  in 
the  churches  of  God,  for  your  patience  and  faith  in  all  your  persecutions 
and  tribulations  that  you  endure.'  Ezekiel  can  commend  Daniel,  his 
eontemporary,  matching  him  with  Noah  and  Job,  for  his  power  in 
prayer  ;  and  Peter  highly  praises  Paul's  epistles,  though  he  had  been 
sharply  reproved  in  one  of  them,  Ezek.  xiv.  1 4,  2  Peter  iii.,  &c.  Oh !  but 
proud  souls  will  be  still  a-casting  disgrace  and  contempt  upon  those 
excellencies  in  others  that  they  want  in  themselves. 

A  proud  cardinal,  in  Luther's  time,  said,  Indeed,  a  reformation  is 
needful,  and  to  be  desired,  but  that  Luther,  a  rascally  friar,  should  be 
the  man  should  do  it,  is  intolerable.^  Pride  is  like  certain  flies,  called 
cantharides,  who  light  especially  upon  the  fairest  wheat  and  the  most 
blown  roses.' 

Though  Licinius,  who  was  joined  with  Galerius  in  the  empire,  was 
so  ignorant  that  he  could  not  write  his  own  name,  yet  as  Eusebius  re- 
ports, he  called  the  liberal  arts  a  public  poison.^ 

This  age  is  full  of  such  monsters  that  envy  every  light  that  outshines 
their  own,  and  that  throw  dirt  upon  the  graces  and  excellencies  of  others, 
that  themselves  may  only  shine.  Pride  is  notable  both  at  subtraction 
and  at  multiplication.  A  proud  heart  always  prizes  himself  above  the 
market  ;  he  reckons  his  own  pence  for  pounds,  and  others'  pounds  for 
pence  ;  he  looks  upon  his  own  counters  as  gold,  and  upon  others'  gold  as 
counters.     All  pearls  are  counterfeit  but  what  he  wears. 

'  sv  oXi't^*  xa.)  ID  -rcxx^  :  a  little  and  a  great  way.  The  ancient  church  had  her  diptychs. 
or  public  tables,  wherein  the  persons  most  noted  for  piety  were  recorded.  Plato  calle(l 
Aristotle  the  intelligent  reader,  and  Aristotle  set  up  an  altar  in  honour  of  Plato. 

*  Attributed  to  Cardinal  Cajetan.     Cf.  Sibbes,  vol.  vii.  p.  4C4 — G. 

^  Ca;.sar  Borgias,  emulating  and  imitating  Julius  Ca>sar,  did  use  to  say,  Aut  Caesar, 
out  nullus  ;  but  not  long  after  he  was  slain  in  the  kingdom  of  Navsirre. 

*  As  before  :  see  Index,  sub  7iomine. — U. 


EpH.  III.  8. J  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  23 

[15.]  The  fifteenth  property  of  an  humble  soul  is,  he  ivill  rather  hear 
wrongs  than  revenge  wrongs  offered.  The  humble  soul  knows  that 
vengeance  is  the  Lord's,  and  that  he  will  repay,  &c.,  Ps.  xciv.  1 .  The 
humble  soul  loves  not  to  take  the  sword  in  his  own  hand,  Rom.  xii.  19  ; 
he  knows  the  day  is  a-coming,  wherein  the  Lord  will  give  his  enemies 
two  blows  for  one,  and  here  he  rests.  An  humble  soid,  when  wrongs 
are  offered,  is  like  a  man  with  a  sword  in  one  hand  and  a  salve  in 
the  other;  could  wound  but  will  heal:'  Ps.  xxxv.  11-16,  'False  wit- 
nesses did  rise  up :  they  laid  to  my  charge  things  that  I  knew  not. 
They  rewarded  me  evil  for  good,  to  the  spoiling  of  my  soul.  But  as  for 
me,  when  they  were  sick,  my  clothing  was  sackcloth :  I  humbled  my 
soul  with  fasting ;  and  my  prayer  returned  into  my  own  bosom.  I  be- 
haved myself  as  though  he  had  been  my  friend  or  brother  :  I  bowed 
down  heavily,  as  one  that  mourneth  for  his  mother,'  &c.  The  Scripture 
abounds  in  instances  of  this  nature. 

Dionysius  having  not  very  well  used  Plato  at  the  court,  when  he  was 
gone,  fearing  lest  he  should  write  against  him,  he  sent  after  him  to 
bid  him  not  to  write  against  him.  Says  he,  '  Tell  Dionysius  that  I 
have  not  so  much  leisure  as  to  think  of  him.'  So  humble  wronged  souls 
are  not  at  leisure  to  think  of  the  wrongs  and  injuries  that  others  do 
them.  2 

Mr  Foxe,  that  wrote  the  Book  of  Martyrs,  would  be  sure  to  do  him 
a  kindness  that  had  done  him  an  injury  :  so  that  it  used  to  be  a  pro- 
verb, '  If  a  man  would  have  Mr  Foxe  do  him  a  kindness,  let  him  do  him 
an  injury.'  An  humble  soul  is  often  in  looking  over  the  wrongs  and 
injuries  that  he  has  done  to  God,  and  the  sweet  and  tender  carriage  of 
God  towards  him  notwithstanding  those  wrongs  and  injuries  ;  and  this 
wins  him,  and  works  him  to  be  more  willing  and  ready  to  bear  wrongs, 
and  forgive  wrongs,  than  to  revenge  any  offered  wrongs. 

[16.]  The  sixteenth  property  of  an  humble  soul  is  this.  An  humble 
soul,  though  he  be  of  never  so  rare  abilities,  yet  he  will  not  disdain  to 
be  tauglit  what  he  hnoivs  not,  by  the  meanest  persons,  Isa.  xi.  6.  A 
child  shall  lead  the  humble  soul  in  the  way  that  is  good  ;  he  cares  not 
how  mean  and  contemptible  the  person  is,  if  a  guide  or  an  instructor 
to  him. 

Apollos,  '  an  eloquent  man,  and  mighty  in  the  Scripture,'  a  master  in 
Israel,  and  yet  sits  by  an  Aquila,  a  tent-maker,  and  Priscilla  his  wife,  to 
be  instructed  by  them.  Acts  xviii.  24-26.^  Sometimes  the  poorest  and 
the  meanest  Christian  may,  for  counsel  and  comfort,  be  a  god  to  an- 
other, as  Moses  was  to  Aaron.  As  an  humble  soul  knows  that  the  stars 
have  their  situation  in  heaven,  though  sometimes  he  sees  them  by  their 
reflection  in  a  puddle,  in  the  bottom  of  a  well,  or  in  a  stinking  ditch  ; 
so  he  knows  that  godly  souls,  though  never  so  poor,  low,  and  contempt- 
ible, as  to  the  things  of  this  world,  are  fixed  in  heaven,  in  tlie  region 
above  ;  and  therefore  their  poverty  and  meanness  is  no  bar  to  hinder 
him  from  learning  of  them,  Eph.  ii.  6. 

•  I  may  truly  say  of  the  humble  soul  what  TuUy  said  of  Cajsar,  Nihil  oblivisci  soles, 
nisi  injurias,  that  he  forgot  nothing  but  injuries.  Augustus  Ceesar,  in  whose  time  Clirist 
was  born,  bid  Catullus,  the  railing  poet,  to  supper,  to  shew  that  he  had  forgiven  him. 
[Rather  Julius  Csesar  :  Suetonius,  Jul.  73. — G.] 

2  Cf.  Tyzetzes,  Chil.  v.  182-185.— G. 

3  Vide  Baza  on  the  words.    [Annot.,  as  before. — G.] 


24  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

Though  John  was  poor  in  the  world,  yet  many  humble  souls  did  not 
disdain,  but  rejoice  in  his  ministry.  Christ  lived  poor  and  died  poor, 
Mat.  viii.  20.  As  he  was  bom  in  another  man's  house,  so  he  was  buried 
in  another  man's  tomb.  Austin  observes,  when  Christ  died  he  made  no 
will  ;  he  had  no  crown-lands,  only  his  coat  was  left,  and  that  the  sol- 
diers parted  among  them  ;  and  yet  those  that  were  meek  and  lowly  in 
heart  counted  it  their  heaven,  their  happiness,  to  be  taught  and  instructed 
by  him.' 

[17.]  The  seventeenth  property  of  an  humble  soul  is  this  :  an  humble 
soul  ivill  bless  God,  and  be  thankfid  to  God,  as  ivell  under  misery  as 
under  mercy ;  as  ivell  when  God  froiuns  as  when  he  smiles  ;  as  well 
when  God  takes  as  when  he  gives ;  as  well  under  crosses  and  losses, 
as  under  blessings  and  mercies:^  Job  i.  21,  '  The  Lord  gives  and  the 
Lord  takes,  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord.'  He  doth  not  cry  out 
upon  the  Sabeans  and  the  Chaldeans,  but  he  looks  through  all  second- 
ary causes,  and  sees  the  hand  of  God  ;  and  then  he  lays  his  hand 
upon  his  own  heart,  and  sweetly  sings  it  out,  '  The  Lord  gives,  and 
the  Lord  takes,  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord.'  An  humble 
soul,  in  every  condition,  blesses  God,  as  the  apostle  commands,  in 
the  1  Thes.  v.  18,  '  In  every  thing  give  thanks  to  God.'  So  1  Cor.  iv.  12, 
'  Being  reviled,  we  bless  ;  being  persecuted,  we  suffer.'  The  language 
of  an  humble  soul  is,  If  it  be  thy  will,  saith  an  humble  soul,  I  should 
be  in  darkne.ss,  I  wall  bless  thee  ;  and  if  it  be  thy  will  I  should  be  again 
in  light,  I  will  bless  thee  ;  if  thou  wilt  comfort  me,  I  will  bless  thee  ; 
and  if  thou  wilt  afflict  me,  I  will  bless  thee  ;  if  thou  wilt  make  me  poor, 
I  will  bless  thee  ;  if  thou  wilt  make  me  rich,  I  will  bless  thee  ;  if  thou 
wilt  give  me  the  least  mercy,  I  will  bless  thee  ;  if  thou  wdlt  give  me  no 
mercy,  I  will  bless  thee.  An  humble  soul  is  quick-sighted  ;  he  sees  the 
rod  in  a  Father's  hand;  he  sees  honey  upon  the  top  of  every  twig,  and  so 
can  bless  God ;  he  sees  sugar  at  the  bottom  of  the  bitterest  cup  that  God 
doth  put  into  his  hand  ;  he  knows  that  God's  house  of  correction  is  a 
school  of  instruction  ;  and  so  he  can  sit  down  and  bless  when  the  rod 
is  upon  his  back.  An  humble  soul  knows  that  the  design  of  God  in  all 
is  his  instruction,  his  reformation,  and  his  salvation.^ 

It  was  a  sw^eet  saying  of  holy  Bradford,  If  the  queen  will  give  me 
ray  life,  I  will  thank  her  ;  if  she  will  banish  me,  I  will  thank  her  ;  if 
she  will  burn  me,  I  will  thank  her  ;  if  she  will  condemn  me  to  perpe- 
tual imprisonment,  I  will  thank  her.*  Ay,  this  is  the  temper  of  an 
humble  heart.  An  humble  soul  knows,  that  to  ble.ss  God  in  prosperity 
is  the  way  to  increase  it ;  and  to  bless  God  in  adversity  is  the  way  to 
remove  it.  An  humble  soul  knows,  that  if  he  blesses  God  under  mer- 
cies, he  hath  paid  his  debt ;  but  if  he  blesses  God  under  crosses,  he 

'  On  John  xiv.  27.— G. 

*  Tully  calls  gratitude  Moximam,  imo  matrem,  omnium  virttitum  rcliqitarum,  the 
greatest,  yea,  the  mother  of  all  virtues. 

*  The  Jews  have  a  proverb,  that  wo  must  leap  up  to  mount  Gerizim,  which  was  a 
mount  of  blessings  ;  but  creep  into  mount  Ebal,  which  was  a  mount  of  curses  :  to  shew 
that  we  must  be  ready  to  bless,  but  backward  to  curse.  An  humble  soul  can  extract  one 
contrary  out  of  another,  honey  out  of  the  rock,  gold  out  of  iron,  &c.  Afflictions  to  humble 
souls  are  the  Lord's  plough,  the  Lord's  harrow,  the  Lord's  flail,  the  Lord's  drawing-plas- 
ter, the  Lord's  pruning  knife,  the  Lords  potion,  the  Lord's  soap  ;  and  therefore  they  can 
sit  down  and  bless  tlie  Lord,  and  kiss  the  rod. 

*  Foxe,  sub  nomine,  and  his  own  Letters. — G. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  25 

hath  made  God  a  debtor.  But  oh  the  pride  of  men's  hearts,  when  the 
rod  is  upon  their  backs  !  You  have  many  professors  that  are  seemingly- 
humble,  while  the  sun  shines,  while  God  gives,  and  smiles,  and  strokes  ; 
but  when  his  smiles  are  turned  into  frowns,  when  he  strikes  and  lays 
on,  oh  the  murmurings  !  the  disputings  !  the  frettings  !  and  wranglings 
of  proud  souls  !  they  always  kick  when  God  strikes. 

[18.]  The  last  property  of  an  humble  soul  is  this  :  an  humble  soul 
will  wisely  and  patiently  bear  reproof :  Pro  v.  xxv.  12,  'As  an  ear- 
ring of  gold,  and  an  ornament  of  fine  gold,  so  is  a  wise  reprover  upon 
an  obedient  ear.'  A  seasonable  reproof  falling  upon  an  humble  soul 
hath  a  redoubled  grace  with  it.  It  is  an  ear-ring  of  gold,  and  as  an 
ornament  of  fine  gold,  or  as  a  diamond  in  a  diadem. 

An  humble  David  can  say,  '  Let  the  righteous  smite  me,  it  shall  be 
a  kindness,  and  let  him  reprove  me,  it  shall  be  an  excellent  oil,  which 
shall  not  break  my  head,'  Ps.  cxli.  5.  David  compares  the  faithful 
reproof  of  the  righteous,  to  the  excellent  oil  that  they  used  about  their 
heads.  Some  translate  it,  '  Let  it  never  cease  from  my  head.'  That  is, 
let  me  never  want  it,  and  so  the  original  will  bear  too,  I  would  never 
want  reproofs,  whatsoever  I  want :  '  But  yet  my  prayer  shall  be  in  their 
calamities.'  I  will  requite  their  reproofs  with  my  best  prayers  in  the 
day  of  their  calamity,  saith  David.  Whereas  a  proud  heart  will  neither 
pray  for  such  nor  with  such  as  reprove  them,  but  in  their  calamities 
will  most  insult  over  them.' 

Some  translate  it  more  emphatically  :  '  The  more  they  do,  the  more 
I  shall  think  myself  bound  unto  them.'  And  this  was  Gerson's  dispo- 
sition,^ of  whom  it  is  recorded,  that  he  rejoiced  in  nothing  more  than  if 
he  were  freely  and  friendly  reproved  by  any  :  Prov.  ix.  8,  9,  '  Rebuke 
a  wise  man,  and  he  will  love  thee ;  give  instruction  to  a  wise  man,  and 
he  will  be  yet  wiser.'  Prov.  xix.  25,  '  Reprove  one  that  hath  under- 
standing, and  he  will  understand  knowledge.'  You  know  how  sweetly 
David  carries  it  towards  Abigail,  1  Sam.  xxv.  32,  33  ;  she  wisely  meets 
him,  and  puts  him  in  mind  of  what  he  was  going  about,  and  he  falls 
a-blessing  of  her  presently  :  '  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  which 
sent  thee  this  day  to  meet  me,  and  blessed  be  thy  advice,  and  blessed 
be  thou  which  hast  kept  me  this  day  from  coming  to  shed  blood.'  I 
was  resolved  in  my  passion,  and  in  the  heat  of  my  spirit,  that  I  would 
not  leave  a  man  alive,  but  blessed  be  God,  and  blessed  be  thy  counsel ! 
An  humble  soul  can  sit  down  and  bless  God  under  reproofs.  An  humble 
soul  is  like  the  Scythian  king,  that  went  naked  in  the  snow,  and  when 
Alexander  wondered  how  he  could  endure  it,  he  answered,  '  I  am  not 
ashamed,  for  I  am  all  forehead.'  An  humble  soul  is  all  forehead,  able 
to  bear  reproofs  with  much  wisdom  and  patience.  Oh  !  but  a  proud 
heart  cannot  bear  reproofs,  he  scorns  the  reprover  and  his  reproofs  too.^ 

'  •'^J'N"!  ''i''"7N.  Oil  is  here  metaphorically  taken  for  words  of  reproof,  which  may  be 
said  figuratively  to  break  the  head.      Vide  Job  x.  2. 

2  In  vit.  Jo.  Gerson.  So  Alypius  loved  Austin  for  reproving  him  [Confessions,  b.  vi., 
vii.  12.— G.]  So  did  David  Nathan,  1  Kings  i.  ;  2  Sam.  xii.  12,  V6,  and  xxiv.  13,  14. 
That  is  a  choice  and  tender  spirit  that  can  meekly  and  humbly  embrace  reproofs,  and  bless 
God  for  reproofs. 

3  Manasseh,  king  of  Judah,  being  reproved  by  the  aged  princely  prophet  Isaiah,  caused 
him,  near  to  the  fountain  of  Siloa,  to  be  sawn  in  sunder  with  a  wooden  saw,  in  the 
eightieth  year  of  his  age  ;  for  which  cruel  act,  amongst  other  of  his  sins,  he  was  sorely 


2G  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [Epil.  III.  8. 

Prov.  XV,  12,  'A  scorner  lovetli  not  one  that  reproveth  him,  neither 
will  he  go  unto  the  wise.'  Amos  v.  10,  '  They  hate  him  that  reproveth 
in  the  gate  ;'  as  Ahab  did  good  Micaiah,  and  John  Baptist  did  Herod, 
and  our  Saviour  the  Pharisees,'  Luke  xvi.  13.  Christ  beint;  to  deal  with 
tlie  covetous  Scribes  and  Piiarisees,  he  lays  the  law  iiome,  and  tells  them 
plainly  that  they  could  not  serve  God  and  mammon.  Here  Christ 
strikes  at  their  right  eye  ;  but  how  do  they  hear  this  ?  Mark  in  the 
14th  verse,  '  The  Piiarisees  also,  who  were  covetous,  heard  all  these 
things,  and  they  derided  him.'  The  Pharisees  did  not  simply  laugh  at 
Christ,  but  gave  also  external  signs  of  scorn  in  their  countenance  and 
gestures.  They  blew  their  nose  at  him,  for  that  is  the  meaning  of  the 
original  word."  By  their  gestures  they  demonstrated  their  horrid  derid- 
ing of  him  ;  they  fleared  and  jeered,  when  they  should  have  feared  and 
trembled  at  the  wrath  to  come  :  Isa.  xxviii.  10,  '  For  precept  must  be 
upon  precept,  precept  upon  precept ;  line  upon  line,  line  upon  line  ; 
here  a  little,  and  there  a  little.'  One  observes,  that  that  was  a  scoff 
put  upon  the  prophet,  and  is  as  if  they  should  say,  Here  is  nothing 
but  precept  upon  precept,  line  upon  line.  And,  indeed,  the  very  sound 
of  the  words  in  the  original  carries  a  taunt,  zau  le  zau,  kau  lahau,  as 
scornful  people,  by  the  tone  of  their  voice  and  rhyming  words,  scorn  at 
such  as  they  despise.  Pride  and  passion,  and  other  vices,  in  these  days 
go  armed  ;  touch  them  never  so  gently,  yet,  like  the  nettle,  they  will 
sting  you  ;  and  if  you  deal  with  them  roimdly,  roughly,  cuttingly,  as 
the  apostle  speaks,  they  will  swagger  with  you,  as  tlie  Hebrew  did  with 
Moses:  'Who  made  thee  a  judge  over  us?'  Exod.  ii.  13,  14.  And 
thus  much  for  the  properties  of  an  humble  soul. 

III.  I  come  now  to  the  next  thing,  and  that  is,  to  shew  you  the 
reasons  why  the  best  men  are  the  most  humble  men. 

[1.]  First,  Because  they  see  tltemselves  the  greatest  debtors  to  God  for 
'I chat  they  do  enjoy. 

There  is  no  man  on  earth  that  sees  himself  such  a  debtor  to  God  as 
tlie  humble  man.  Every  smile  makes  him  a  debtor  to  God,  and  every 
good  word  from  heaven  makes  him  a  debtor  to  God.  He  looks  upon 
all  his  temporals,  as  health,  wealth,  wife,  child,  friend,  &c.,  and  sees 
himself  deeply  indebted  for  all.  He  looks  upon  his  spiritual  mercies, 
and  sees  himself  a  great  debtor  to  God  for  them ;  he  looks  upon  his 
graces,  and  sees  himself  a  debtor  for  them  ;  he  looks  upon  his  experi- 
ences, and  sees  himself  a  debtor  for  them ;  he  looks  upon  all  his  pri- 
vileges, and  sees  himself  a  debtor  for  them  ;  he  looks  upon  his  in-comes, 
and  sees  himself  a  debtor  for  them.*  The  more  mercy  he  hath  received, 
the  more  he  looks  upon  himself  indebted  and  obliged  to  pay  duty  and 
tribute  to  God  ;  as  you  may  see  in  Ps.  cxvi.  6,  7,  8,  12,  13,  14  verses 
compared.  In  the  Gth,  7th,  8th  verses,  he  tells  you  of  the  mercies  he 
punished  by  God,  2  Chron.  xxxiii.  11.  So  Cambyses,  king  of  Persia,  hated  Praxaspes, 
one  of  his  nobles  tliat  was  familiar  with  him,  for  reproving  his  drunkenness. 

*  The  meaning  is  plain,  though  the  sentence  is  inaccurate. — Ed. 

^  They  blowed  their  nose  at  him,  manifesting  thereby  their  scorning  at  what  he  said. 

'  When  a  knight  died  at  Home  that  was  much  in  debt,  Augustus  the  emperor  sent  to 
buy  his  bed.  conceiving  there  must  needs  be  some  extraordinary  virtue  in  it,  if  ho  tliat 
was  so  much  in  debt  couhl  take  any  rest  upon  it.  An  humble  soul  sees  himself  so  mucli 
in  debt  for  mercies  in  hand,  and  mercies  in  hope,  tliat  he  cannot  sleep  without  blessing 
and  admiring  of  (iod. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  27 

had  received  from  God,  and  in  the  12th  and  lotli  verses,  says  he,  *  What 
shall  I  render  to  the  Lord  for  all  his  benefits  towards  me  ?'  I  see  my- 
self, saith  he,  wonderfully  indebted  ;  well,  what  then  ?  why,  '  I  will  take 
the  cup  of  salvation,  and  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord.  I  will  pay 
my  vows  unto  the  Lord,  in  the  presence  of  all  his  people.'  The  same 
you  have  in  the  16th,  l7th,  and  18th  verses  of  the  same  psalm. 

So  David,  Ps.  ciii.  1-4,  casts  his  eyes  upon  his  temporal  and  his 
spiritual  mercies,  and  then  calls  upon  his  soul :  '  O  my  soul,  bless  the 
Lord  ;  and  all  that  is  within  me,  bless  his  holy  name.  Bless  the  Lord, 
O  my  soul,  and  forget  not  all  his  benefits  :  who  forgive th  all  thine 
iniquities  ;  who  healeth  all  thy  diseases,'  &c.  An  humble  soul  knows, 
that  it  is  a  strange  folly  to  be  proud  of  being  more  in  debt  than  another. 
It  is  true,  saith  he,  I  have  this  and  that  mercy  in  possession,  and  such 
and  such  mercies  in  reversion  ;  but  by  all,  I  am  the  more  a  debtor  to 
God.i 

Cgpsar  admired  at  that  mad  soldier,  who  was  very  much  in  debt  and 
yet  slept  so  quietly.  So  does  an  humble  soul  wonder  and  admire,  to  see 
men  that  are  so  much  indebted  to  God  for  mercies,  as  many  are,  and 
yet  sleep  so  quietly,  and  be  so  mindless  and  careless  in  blessing  and 
praising  of  God.  There  is  nothing,  saith  one,  that  endures  so  small  a 
time,  as  the  memory  of  mercies  received  ;  and  the  more  great  they  are, 
the  more  commonly  they  are  recompensed  with  ingratitude. 

[2.]  Secondly,  It  is  because  in  this  life  they  have  but  a  taste  of  God. 
In  the  1  Pet.  ii.  2,  3,  '  As  new-born  babes,  desire  the  sincere  milk  of 
the  word,  that  ye  may  grow  thereby  ;  if  so  be  ye  have  tasted  that  the 
Lord  is  gracious."  The  best  men  on  this  side  heaven  have  but  a  taste  ; 
he  is  but  in  a  tasting,  desiring,  hungering,  thirsting,  and  growing  condi- 
tion :  Job  xxvi.  14,  'These  are  part  of  his  ways,  but  how  little  a  por- 
tion is  heard  of  him  !'  So  in  1  Cor.  xiii.  9,  10,  12,  '  We  know  but  in 
part,  and  we  prophesy  but  in  part ;  now  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly, 
but  then  face  to  face.'  The  Lord  gives  out  but  little  of  himself  here, 
we  have  but  a  taste  of  divine  sweetness  here,  we  see  but  the  back-parts 
of  God,  the  day  is  not  far  off  when  we  shall  see  his  face.  The  best  of 
Christ  is  beliind,  as  the  sweetest  honey  lies  in  the  bottom.  Our  greatest 
knowledge  here  is  to  know  that  we  know  nothing. 

The  Rabbins  in  their  comments  upon  Scripture,  when  they  meet  with 
hard  knots  that  they  cannot  explicate,  they  salve  all  with  this,  Ellas 
cum  venerit  solvet  omnia,  '  When  Elias  comes,  he  will  resolve  all 
things.'  The  best  men  are  in  the  dark,  and  will  be  in  the  dark,  till  the 
Lord  comes  to  shine  forth  upon  them  in  more  grace  and  glory.  The 
best  men  on  this  side  heaven  are  narrow  vessels  :  they  are  able  to  receive 
and  take  in  but  little  of  God.  The  best  men  are  so  full  of  the  world, 
and  the  vanities  thereof,  that  they  are  able  to  take  in  but  little  of  God. 
Here  God  gives  his  people  some  tastes,  that  they  may  not  faint ;  and  he 
gives  them  but  a  taste,  that  they  may  long  to  be  at  home,  that  they 
may  keep  humble,  that  they  may  sit  loose  from  things  below,  that  they  ■ 
may  not  break  and  despise  bruised  reeds,  and  that  heaven  may  be  the 
more  sweet  to  them  at  last,  &c. 

'  I  have  read  of  a  stork  that  cast  a  pearl  into  the  bosom  of  a  maid,  which  had  healed 
her  of  a  wound.  So  humble  souls  cast  the  pearl  of  praise  into  the  bosom  of  God  for  all 
his  favours  towards  them.— Gmc.  Hist.,  lib.  iv.     [Guicciardini.— G.] 


28  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

[3.]  A  third  reason  wliy  tlie  best  men  are  the  most  humble,  and 
that  is,  because  the  best  men  dwell  more  vpon  tfceir  worser  'part,  their 
ignoble  paii,  titan  they  do  upon  their  noble  part,  their  better  p}art. 

In  Isa.  vi.  5,  'I  am  a  man  of  unclean  hps,'  saith  that  humble  soul. 
So  humble  Job  cries  out  of  the  iniquity  of  his  youth  ;  and  says  he, 
'  Once  have  I  spoken  foolishly,  yea,  twice,  but  I  will  do  so  no  more,' 
Job  xiii.  26,  xl.  15.  Humble  David,  Ps.  li.  3,  sighs  it  out,  'My  sin  is 
ever  before  me.'  So  humble  Paul,  Rom.  vii.  22,  23,  complains,  that  he 
'  hath  a  law  in  his  members  Avarring  against  the  law  of  his  mind,  and 
leading  him  captive  to  the  law  of  sin  ;'  and  that,  '  when  he  would  do 
good,  evil  was  present  with  him.'  An  humble  soul  sees  that  he  can 
stay  no  more  from  sin  than  the  heart  can  from  panting,  and  the  pulse 
from  beating;  he  sees  his  heart  and  life  to  be  fuller  of  sin,  than  the 
firmament  is  of  stars  ;  and  this  keeps  him  low.'  He  sees  that  sin  is  so 
bred  in  the  bone,  that  till  his  bones,  as  Joseph's,  be  carried  out  of  the 
Egypt  of  this  world,  it  will  not  out.  He  every  day  finds  that  these 
Jebusites  and  Canaanites  be  as  thorns  in  his  eyes,  and  as  goads  in 
his  sides.  He  finds  sin  an  ill  inmate,  that  will  not  out,  till  the  house 
fall  on  the  head  of  it;  as  the  fretting  leprosy,  in  the  walls  of  the  house, 
would  not  out  till  the  house  itself  was  demolished.^  Though  sin  and 
grace  were  never  born  together,  and  though  they  shall  not  die  together ; 
yet  while  the  believer  lives,  these  two  must  live  together  ;  and  this 
keeps  them  humble. 

As  the  peacock,  looking  upon  his  black  feet,  lets  fall  his  plumes,  so 
the  poor  soul,  when  he  looks  upon  his  black  feet,  the  vanity  of  his 
mind,  the  body  of  sin  that  is  in  him,  his  proud  spirit  falls  low. 

Epaminondas,  an  Athenian  captain,  bemg  asked  why  he  was  so  sad 
the  day  after  a  great  victory,  answered,  '  Yesterday  I  was  tickled  with 
much  vain-glory,  therefore  I  correct  myself  for  it  to-day.''  That  is  the 
temper  of  an  humble  soul.  It  is  very  observable,  that  the  saints  are 
pressed  to  take  notice  of  their  better  part :  Cant.  i.  15,  '  Behold  thou 
art  fair  my  love,  behold  thou  art  fair.'  And  so,  chap.  iv.  1,  '  Behold 
thou  art  fair,  behold  thou  art  fair.'*  God  hath  much  ado  to  get  a 
gracious  heart  to  mind  his  spiritual  beauty;  to  take  notice  of  the  inward 
excellency  that  he  hath  wrought  in  it.  Though  '  the  king's  daughter 
be  all  glorious  within,'  yet  God  hath  much  ado  to  bring  her  to  see  and 
take  notice  of  her  inward  beauty  and  glory.  The  humble  soul  is  more 
set  to  eye  and  dwell  upon  its  deformity,  than  it  is  upon  that  beauty 
and  glory  that  God  hath  stamped  upon  it.  And  this  makes  the  man 
little  and  low  in  his  own  eyes. 

[4.]  Fourthly,  Because  they  have  the  clearest  sight  and  vision  of 
God,  and  have  the  nearest  and  highest  commiLnion  ivith  God.  None 
on  earth  are  so  near  to  God,  and  so  high  in  their  communion  with  God, 
as  humble  souls.  And  as  they  have  the  clearest  visions  of  God,  so 
those  actions  of  God  give  them  the  fullest  sight  and  knowledge  of  their 
own  sinfulness  and  nothingness.     So  in  Job  xlii.  5,  6,  '  I  have  heard  of 

'   Tcneo  in  memorin,  scribo  in  charta,  sed  non  habeo  in  vita. — Augustine. 

'As  llagar  would  dwell  with  Sarah  till  she  beat  her  out  of  doors,  so  will  sin  dwell 
with  grace  till  death  beat  it  out  of  doors.  '  Plutarch  :  P2pam. — G. 

*  This  duplication,  as  well  as  the  ecc,  is  full  of  attention  and  admiration,  and  Christ 
by  praising  perfects  liis  own  work  ;  for  locutio  verbi  in/usio  doni,  to  call  her  fair  is  to 
make  her  so,  &c. 


EpH.  III.  8]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  29 

thee  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear,  but  now  mine  eye  hath  seen  thee,  I 
abhor  myself  in  dust  and  ashes.'  Isa.  vi.  1,  5,  In  a  vision  the  Lord 
discovers  his  glory  to  the  prophet,  then  verse  5,  '  Woe  is  me !'  saith  he, 
'  for  I  am  undone  ;'  or  '  I  am  cut  off,'  why  ?  Because  '  I  am  a  man  of 
unclean  lips  ;  and  have  seen  the  King,  the  Lord  of  hosts.''  Oh,  the 
vision  that  I  have  had  of  the  glory  of  God  hath  given  me  such  a  clear 
and  full  sight  of  my  own  vileness  and  baseness,  that  I  cannot  but  loathe 
and  abhor  myself  When  Abraham  draws  near  to  God,  then  he  accounts 
himself  but  dust  and  ashes.  Gen.  xviii.  26,  27.  The  angels  that  are 
near  God,  that  stand  before  him,  they  cover  their  faces  with  two  wings, 
as  with  a  double  scarf,  in  the  6th  of  Isaiah  ver.  2. 

[5.]  The  fifth  and  last  reason  why  those  are  most  humble  that  are 
most  holy  is,  because  they  maintain  in  themselves  a  holy  fear  of  sin- 
ing.^ 

And  the  more  this  holy  fear  of  falling  is  maintained,  the  more  the 
soul  is  humbled.  Pro  v.  xiv.  16,  '  A  wise  man  feareth,  and  departeth 
from  evil;'  and  chap,  xxviii.  14,  'Happy  is  the  man  that  feareth  always: 
but  he  that  hardeneth  his  heart  shall  fall  into  mischief  And  this 
keeps  the  holy  soul  humble. 

1  have  known  a  good  old  man,  saith  Bernard,  who  when  he  had  heard 
of  any  that  had  committed  some  notorious  offence,  was  wont  to  say 
with  himself,  llle  hodie,  et  ego  cixis,  he  fell  to-day,  so  may  I  to-morrow. 
Now,  the  reason  why  humble  souls  do  keep  up  in  themselves  a  holy 
fear  of  falling,  is  because  this  is  the  best  to  keep  them  from  falling. 
Job  fears  and  conquers  on  the  dunghill  ;  Adam  presumes,  and  falls  in 
paradise;  Nehemiah  fears,  and  stands,  Neh.  v.  15;  Peter  presumes, 
and  falls.  Mat.  xxvi.  69,  seq. ;  Mr  Sanders  the  martyr,  in  Queen  Mary's 
days,  fears  and  stands  ;  Dr  Pendleton  presumes,  and  falls  from  a  pro- 
fessor to  be  a  papist.^ 

When  Agamemnon  said.  What  should  the  conqueror  fear  ?  Casander 
presently  answered.  Quod  nihil  timet,  He  should  fear  this  most  of  all, 
that  he  fears  not  at  all. 

And  so  I  have  done  with  the  reasons  of  the  point.    I  shall  now  come  to 

IV.  The  uses  of  it :  and  the  first  is  this. 

[l.J  Is  it  so,  that  the  most  holy  souls  are  the  most  humble  souls? 
Then  this  shews  you,  that  the  number  of  holy  souls  is  very  fetu.  Oh, 
how  few  be  there  that  are  low  in  their  own  eyes!  The  number  of  souls 
that  are  high  in  the  esteem  of  God,  and  low  in  their  own  esteem,  are 
very  few.  Oh,  the  pride  of  England  !  Oh,  the  pride  of  London  ! 
Pride  in  these  days  has  got  a  whore's  forehead  ;  yet  pride  cannot  climb 
so  high  but  justice  will  sit  above  her. 

Bernard  saith,  that  pride  is  the  rich  man's  cousin.  I  may  add,  and 
the  poor  man's  cousin,  and  the  profane  man's  cousin,  and  the  civil 
man's  cousin,  and  the  formal  man's  cousin,  and  the  hypocrite's  cousin  ; 
yea,  all  men's  cousin ;  and  it  will  first  or  last  cast  down  and  cast  out  all 
the  Lucifers  and  Adams  in  the  world.* 

'  DXJDX,  from  DXD,  which  signifies  to  reject,  to  despise,  to  cast  off,  to  contemn. 

2  As  one  fire,  so  one  fear  drives  out  another.  As  the  sunshine  puts  out  fire,  so  doth 
the  fear  of  God  the  fire  of  lusts.  ^  Clarke,  as  before. — d, 

*  A  proud  heart  resists,  and  is  resisted  ;  this  is  duro  durum,  flint  to  flint,  fire  to  fire, 
yet  down  he  must. 


so  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

[2.]  Secondly,  As  you  would  approve  yourselves  to  be  high  in  the 
account  of  God,  as  you  ivould  approve  yourselves  to  be  not  only  good, 
but  eminently  good,  keep  humble.  Since  England  was  England,  since 
the  gospel  sinned  amongst  us,  there  was  never  such  reason  to  press  this 
duty  of  Inunility,  as  in  these  days  of  pride  wherein  we  live  ;  and  there- 
fore I  sliall  endeavour  these  two  things  : 

First,  To  lay  down  some  motives  that  may  work  you  to  be  humble. 

Secondly,  To  propound  some  directions  that  may  further  you  in  this 
work. 

First,  For  the  motives,  Consider, 

(1.)  First,  lioiu  God  singles  out  humble  souls  from,  all  others,  to 
pour  out  most  of  the  oil  of  grace  into  their  hearts. 

No  vessels  that  God  delights  to  fill,  like  broken  vessels,  like  contrite 
spirits:  James  iv.  6,  'He  resists  the  proud,  and  gives  grace  to  the 
humble.'  The  Greek  word  signifies,  to  set  himself  in  battle  array. 
God  takes  the  wind  and  hill  of  a  proud  soul,  but  he  gives  grace  to  the 
humble.  The  silver  dews  flow  down  from  the  mountains  to  the  lowest 
valleys.  Abraham  was  but  dust  and  ashes  in  his  own  eyes  ;  ay,  but 
saith  God,  '  Shall  I  hide  from  Abraham  the  thing  that  I  will  do  ?'  Gen. 
xviii.  17.  No  ;  I  will  not.  An  humble  soul  shall  be  both  of  God's 
court  and  his  counsel  too.  Humble  Jacob,  that  was  in  his  own  eyes 
less  than  the  least  of  all  mercies,  Gen.  xxxii.  10,  what  a  glorious  vision 
had  he  of  God,  when  the  ground  was  his  bed,  and  the  stone  his  pillow, 
and  the  hedges  his  curtains,  and  the  heavens  his  canopy ;  then  he  saw 
angels  ascend  and  descend.  Gen.  xxviii.  An  humble  soul  that  lies  low, 
oh  what  sights  of  God  hath  he!  What  glory  doth  he  behold,  when  the 
proud  soul  sees  nothing !  God  pours  in  grace  to  the  humble,  as  men 
pour  in  liquor  into  an  empty  vessel.  He  does  not  drop  in  grace  into 
an  humble  heart,  but  he  pours  it  in.* 

The  altar  under  the  law  was  hollow,  to  receive  the  fire,  the  wood, 
and  the  sacrifice  ;  so  the  hearts  of  men,  under  the  gospel,  must  be 
humble,  empty  of  all  spiritual  pride  and  self-conceitedness,  that  so  they 
may  receive  the  fire  of  the  Spirit,  and  Jesus  Christ,  who  otfered  himself 
for  a  sacrifice  for  our  sins. 

Humility  is  both  a  grace,  and  a  vessel  to  receive  grace.  There  is 
none  that  sees  so  much  need  of  grace  as  humble  souls.  There  is  none 
prizes  grace  like  humble  souls.  There  i&  none  improves  grace  like 
humble  souls.  Therefore  God  singles  out  the  humble  soul  to  fill  him 
to  the  brim  with  grace,  when  the  proud  is  sent  empty  away. 

(2.)  A  second  motive  is,  of  all  garinients  humility  doth  best  become 
Christians,  and  most  adorn  their  prof  cssion. 

Faith  is  the  champion  of  grace,  and  love  the  nurse,  but  humility  the 
beauty  of  grace  :  1  Peter  v.  5,  '  Be  clothed  with  humility.'  The  Greek 
word  iyx-oijbZ'jidaa&i  imports,  that  humility  is  the  ribbon  or  string  that  ties 
to<Tether  all  those  precious  pearls,  the  rest  of  the  graces.  If  this  string 
break,  they  are  all  scattered. 

The  Greek  word  that  is  rendered  clofJted,  comes  of  another  Greek 
word  y.oiMZog,  that  signifies  to  knit,  and  tie  knots,  as  delicate  and  curious 
women  used  to  do,  of  ribbons,  to  adorn  their  heads  and  bodies,  as  if 

•  He  that  is  in  the  low  pits  and  caves  of  the  earth  sees  the  stars  in  the  firmament,  when 
they  who  are  upon  the  tops  of  the  mouutaius  discern  them  not. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  31 

humility  were  the  knot  of  every  virtue,  the  grace  of  every  grace, 
Chrysostom  calls  humility  the  root,  mother,  nurse,  foundation,  and 
band  of  all  virtue/  Basil  calls  it  '  the  storehouse  and  treasury  of  all 
good.'  For  what  is  the  scandal  and  reproach  of  religion  at  this  day  ? 
Nothing  more  than  the  pride  of  professors.  Is  not  this  the  language  of 
most  ?  They  are  great  professors.  Oh  but  very  proud  !  They  are  great 
hearers,  they  will  run  from  sermon  to  sermon,  and  cry  up  this  man,  and 
cry  up  that  man,  Oh  but  proud  !  They  are  great  talkers,  Oh  but  as  proud 
as  the  devil !  &c.  Oh  that  you  would  take  the  counsel  of  the  apostle, 
'  Be  clothed  with  humility' ;  and  that  Col.  iii,  12,  '  Put  on  therefore,  as 
the  elect  of  God,  holy  and  beloved,  bowels  of  mercy,  kindness,  humble- 
ness of  mind,  meekness,  longsuffering.'     No  robes  to  these.' 

(3.)  The  third  motive  is  this,  humility  is  a  loadstone  that  draws 
both  the  heart  of  God  and  man  to  it. 

In  Isa.  Ivii.  15,  '  Thus  saith  the  high  and  lofty  One,  that  inhabiteth 
eternity,  whose  name  is  holy  ;  I  dvvell  in  the  high  and  holy  place,  with 
him  also  that  is  of  a  contrite  and  humble  spirit.'  The  Lord  singles  out 
the  humble  soul  of  all  others,  to  make  him  an  habitation  for  himself 
Here  is  a  wonder  !  God  is  on  high  ;  and  yet  the  higher  a  man  lifts  up 
himself,  the  farther  he  is  from  God ;  and  the  lower  a  man  humbles 
himself,  the  nearer  he  is  to  God.  Of  all  souls,  God  delights  most  to 
dwell  with  the  humble,  for  they  do  most  prize  and  best  improve  his 
precious  presence. 

In  Prov.  xxix.  23,  *  A  man's  pride  shall  bring  him  low,  but  honour 
shall  uphold  the  humble  in  spirit.  Prov.  xxii.  4,  '  By  humility  and  the 
fear  of  the  Lord  are  riches  and  honour,'  &c.  The  Hebrew  is,  '  The  heel 
of  humility.'  Riches  and  honour  follow  humility  at  the  very  heels. 
One  of  the  ancients  used  to  say  that  humility  is  the  first,  second,  and 
third  grace  of  a  Christian.^  Humility  is  a  very  drawing  grace ;  it  draws 
men  to  think  well  and  speak  well  of  Christ,  the  gospel,  and  the  people 
of  God ;  it  makes  the  very  world  to  say,  Ay,  these  are  Christians 
indeed ;  they  are  fuU  of  light,  and  yet  full  of  lowliness  ;  they  are  high 
in  worth,  and  yet  humble  in  heart.  Oh,  these  are  the  crown  and  the 
glory  of  religion.'' 

An  humble  soul  is  like  the  violet,,  that  by  its  fragrant  smell  draws 
the  eye  and  the  hearts  of  others  to  him.  Mat.  xviii.  4,  '  They  are  the 
greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.'  He  that  is  least  in  his  own  account 
is  always  greatest  in  God's,  and  in  good  men's  account. 

(4.)  The  fourth  motive  is  this,  consider  all  the  ivorld  cannot  keep 
him  up,  that  doth  not  keep  down  his  own  spirit. 

One  asked  a  philosopher,  what  God  was  a-doing  ?  He  answered, 
'  That  his  whole  work  was  to  lift  up  the  humble,  and  to  cast  down  the 
proud.'*  That  man  cannot  possibly  be  kept  up,  whose  spirit  is  not  kept 
down,  as  you  may  clearly  see  in  Pharaoh,  Haman,  Herod,  and  Nebuchad- 
nezzar ;  all  the  world  could  -not  keep  them  up,  because  their  spirit  was 
not  kept  down. 

'  It  is  reported  of  the  crystal,  that  it  hath  such  a  virtue  in  it,  that  the  very  touching 
of  it  quickens  other  stones,  and  puts  a  lustre  and  beauty  upon  them.  So  does  hutnility 
put  a  lustre  upon  every  grace. 

2  Augustine.     Of.  our  Index  under  IlumilUy  for  other  references. — G. 

^   Vis  magnus  esse  ?  incipe  ah  imo,  wilt  thou  be  great  ?  begin  from  below,  saith  the  father. 

*   Totam  ipsius  occupationcm  esse  in  elevatione  huniilium,  el  superborum  d<jcctiom: 


32  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

Prov.  xxlx.  27,  'A  man's  ])ride  shall  bring  him  low  ;'  for  it  sets  God 
against  him,  and  angels  against  him,  and  men  against  him  ;  yea,  even 
those  that  are  as  proud  as  himself.  It  is  very  observable,  that  whereas 
one  drunkard  loves  another,  one  swearer  loves  another,  and  one  thief 
loves  another,  and  one  imclean  person  loves  another,  &c.,  yet  one  proud 
person  cannot  endure  another,  but  seeks  to  undermine  him,  that  he 
alone  may  bear  the  bell,  and  carry  the  commendations,  the  praise,  the 
promotion.  It  is  storied  of  the  Romans,  that  were  the  proudest  people 
on  the  earth,  that  they  reckoned  it  as  a  parcel  of  their  praise,  that  they 
brought  down  the  proud.  All  the  world,  sirs,  will  not  keep  up  those 
persons  that  do  not  keep  down  their  spirits.^ 

Proud  Valerian,  the  Roman  emperor,  fell  from  being  an  emperor  to 
be  a  footstool  to  Sapor,  king  of  Persia,  as  oft  as  he  took  horse. 

Henry  the  Fourth,  emperor,  in  sixty-two  battles,  had  generally  the 
better,  and  yet  was  deposed,  and  driven  to  that  misery,  that  he  desired 
only  a  clerkship  in  a  house  at  Spira,  that  himself  had  built.  And  oh  1 
that  professors  would  think  of  this  in  these  days  in  which  we  live.  All 
the  world  shall  not  keep  up  those  which  do  not  keep  down  their  own 
spirits.  The  very  design  of  God  is  to  stain  the  pride  of  all  glory,  and 
to  bring  into  contempt  the  honourable  of  the  earth.  Therefore  now  if 
men  in  our  days  shall  grow  proud  and  high,  under  mercies  and  divine 
appearances,  justice  will  be  above  them,  and  turn  their  glory  into  shame, 
and  lay  their  honour  in  the  dust.  If  your  blood  rises  with  your  out- 
ward good,  you  will  certainly  fall,  and  great  will  be  your  fall. 

(5.)  The  fifth  consideration  to  provoke  us  to  be  humble  is  this  :  let  us 
have  always  our  eye  fixed  upon  the  example  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  his 
humble  and  loivly  carnage. 

Christ  by  his  example  labours  to  provoke  his  disciples  to  keep  humble, 
and  to  walk  lowly:  in  John  xiii.  4,  5,  12,  13,  14,  15  verses  compared. 
He  rises  and  washes  his  disciples'  feet,  &c.,  and  mark  what  he  aims  at 
in  that  carriage  of  his,  verse  12-14  :  'Know  ye  what  I  have  done  unto 
you,'  saith  he ;  '  Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord,  and  ye  say  well,  for  so  I 
am  ;  if  I  then,  your  Lord  and  Master,  have  washed  your  feet,  ye  also 
ou«-ht  to  wash  one  another's  feet ;  for  I  have  given  you  an  example, 
that  you  should  do  as  I  have  done  to  you.'  I  have  given  you  an  ex- 
ample, saith  Christ,  and  I  would  have  you  to  imitate  my  example. 
Example  is  the  most  powerful  rhetoric  ;  the  highest  and  noblest  example 
should  be  very  quickening  and  provoking.  Oh  !  here  you  have  thef 
o-reatest,  the  noblest  example  of  humility,  that  was  ever  read  or  heard 
of.  Upon  consideration  of  this  great  and  eminent  example  of  Christ's 
humility,  Guericus,  a  good  man,  cried  out,  Thou  hast  overcome  me,  O 
Lord  !  thou  hast  overcome  my  pride.  This  example  of  thine  hath  mas- 
tered me.  Oh  that  we  could  say  with  this  good  man.  Thou  hast  over- 
come, 0  Lord !  thou  hast  overcome  our  proud  hearts,  by  this  example 
thou  hast  overmastered  our  lofty  spirits. 

This  example  of  Christ's  humility  you  have  further  set  forth,  Philip. 
ii.  6-8,  '  Who  being  in  the  form  of  God,'  that  is,  in  the  nature  and 
essepce  of  God,  being  very  God,  clothed  with  divine  glory  and  majesty 
as  God,  '  thought  it  no  robbery/  it  being  his  right  by  nature,  '  to  be 

*  Dionysius,  a  proud  kiug  of  Sicily,  fell  from  a  kiug  to  a  sclioolmaster.  History  ia  full 
of  such  iastauces. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  33 

equal  with  God/  The  Greek  words  that  are  rendered,  '  he  thouglit  it 
DO  robbery,'  do  import,  he  made  it  not  a  matter  of  triumph  or  ostenta- 
tion to  be  equal  with  God,  it  being  his  right  by  nature,  and  therefore 
the  challenging  of  it  could  be  no  usurpation  of  another's  right,  of 
taking  to  himself  that  which  was  not  his  own.  'He  thought  it  no  rob- 
bery to  be  equal  with  God.'  The  Greek  is  equals,  that  is,  every  way, 
equal,  not  a  secondary  and  inferior  God,  as  the  Arians  would  have 
him.  'But  made  himself  of  no  reputation,'  verse  7.  The  Greek  is 
'  emptied  himself,'  that  is,  he  suspended  and  laid  aside  his  glory  and 
majesty,  or  dis-robed  himself  of  his  glory  and  dignity,  and  became  a 
sinner,  both  by  imputation  and  by  reputation,  for  our  sakes. 

And  verse  8,  '  he  humbled  himself  This  Sun  of  righteousness  went 
ten  degrees  back  in  the  dial  of  his  Father,  that  he  might  come  to  us 
with  healing  under  his  wings.  '  And  became  obedient  unto  death,  even 
the  death  of  the  cross.'  In  these  words  there  is  a  kind  of  gradation  ; 
for  it  is  more  to  become  obedient  than  to  humble  himself ;  and  more  to 
yield  unto  death  than  to  become  obedient ;  and  yet  more  to  be  crucified 
than  simply  to  die  ;  for  it  was  to  submit  himself  to  a  most  painful, 
ignominious,  and  cursed  death.  '  He  became  obedient.'  That  is,  saitb 
Beza,  '  to  his  dying  day,'  his  whole  life  being  nothing  but  a  con- 
tinual death.  ^ 

1  have  read  of  an  earl  called  Eleazarus,  that  being  given  to  immo- 
derate anger,  was  cured  of  that  disordered  affection  by  studying  of 
Christ  and  his  patience ;  he  still  dwelt  upon  the  meditation  of  Christ 
and  his  patience,  till  he  found  his  heart  transformed  into  the  simili- 
tude of  Jesus  Christ.  And  oh  !  that  you  would  never  leave  pondering 
upon  that  glorious  example  of  Christ's  humility,  till  your  hearts  be 
made  humble,  like  the  heart  of  Christ.  Oh !  that  that  sweet  word  of 
Christ,  Mat.  xi.  29,  might  stick  upon  all  your  hearts,  '  Take  my  yoke 
upon  you,  and  learn  of  me  ;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly,  and  you  shall  find 
rest  to  your  souls.' 

Bonaventure  engraved  this  sweet  saying  of  our  Lord,  *  Learn  of  me, 
for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,'  in  his  study  ;  and  oh  that  this  saying 
was  engraven  upon  all  your  foreheads,  upon  all  your  hearts  !  Oh  that 
it  was  engraven  upon  the  dishes  you  eat  in,  the  cups  you  drink  in,  the 
seats  you  sit  on,  the  beds  you  lie  on,  &cc? 

Jerome  having  read  the  religious  life  and  death  of  Hilarion,  folding 
up  the  book,  said.  Well !  Hilarion  shall  be  the  champion  whom  I  will 
imitate.  Oh  !  when  you  look  upon  this  glorious  example  of  Christ, 
say,  The  Lord  Jesus  his  example  shall  be  that  that  my  soul  shall 
imitate. 

(6.)  Sixthly,  consider  Humility  will  free  a  man  from,  'perturbations 
and  distempers. 

When  there  are  never  such  great  storms  without,  humility  will  cause 
a  calm  within.  There  are  a  great  many  storms  abroad,  and  there  is 
nothing  will  put  the  soul  into  a  quiet  condition  but  humility.  An 
humble  soul  saith.  Who  am  I,  that  I  may  not  be  despised  ?     Who  am  I, 

^  Annot.  in  loco,  as  before. — G- 

2  It  was  a  good  law  that  the  Ephesians  made,  that  men  should  propound  to  themselves 
the  best  patterns,  and  ever  bear  in  mind  some  eminent  man. 

VOL.  III.  C 


34!  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

that  I  may  not  be  reproached,  abused,  slighted,  neglected  ?  That 
which  Avill  break  a  proud  man's  heart,  will  not  so  much  as  break  an 
humble  man's  sleep.  In  the  midst  of  a  storm,  an  humble  soul  is  still 
in  a  calm.  When  proud  hearts  are  at  their  wit's  ends,  stamping, 
swearing,  and  swaggering  at  God,  and  man,  and  providence,  an  humble 
soul  is  quiet  and  still,  like  a  ship  in  a  harbour.  Shimei,  2  Sam.  xvi. 
G,  13,  comes  railing  and  cursing  of  David,  and  calls  him  a  bloody  man, 
and  a  man  of  Belial,  that  is,  a  runnagado,  one  who  being  desperately 
wicked  had  shaken  off  the  yoke  of  government,  and  would  be  under  no 
law.  So  the  Hebrew  word  JacjTiat,  signifies  men  without  yoke,  or  lawless. 
Therefore  the  Septuagint  commonly  translate  it  'Tra^dvofiog^  altogether 
irregular.  It  signifies  most  flagitious  men,  and  notorious  and  des- 
perately wicked,  stigmatized  villains,  even  incarnate  devils  ;  and  yet 
David  holds  his  peace,  though  provoked  by  his  mighty  men  to  revenge 
himself  Oh !  how  would  this  cursing  and  railing  have  madded  and 
broken  many  a  proud  man's  heart ;  and  yet  it  stirs  not  David. 

Fulgentius,  after  he  was  extremely  persecuted,  he  had  an  advantage 
to  seek  revenge,  but  he  would  not;  for,  saith  he,  plura  2')ro  Christo 
toleraiida,  we  must  suffer  more  for  Christ  than  so.  What  though  I  am 
thus  and  thus  wronged?  What  though  I  have  an  opportunity  for 
revenge  ?  yet  I  must  suffer  more  than  so  for  Christ,  says  the  humble 
soul.  An  humble  soul,  when  wrongs  are  offered  him,  is  like  a  man 
with  a  sword  in  one  hand  and  salve  in  another ;  he  could  kill  but  will 
cure. 

One  wondering  at  the  patience  and  humble  carriage  of  Socrates, 
towards  one  that  reviled  him,  Socrates  said,  If  we  should  meet  one 
whose  body  were  more  unsound  than  ours,  should  we  be  angry  with  him, 
and  not  rather  pity  him  ?  Why  then  should  we  not  do  the  like  to 
him  whose  soul  is  more  diseased  than  ours  ?  An  humble  soul,  when 
he  meets  with  this  and  that  wrong  from  men,  he  knows  that  their 
souls  are  diseased,  and  that  rather  moves  him  to  pity  than  to  revenge 
wrongs  offered.  A  proud  heart  swells  and  grows  big,  when  in  the  least 
wronged,  and  is  ready  to  call  for  fire  from  heaven,  and  to  take  any 
opportunity  for  revenge  of  wrongs  offered.  No  man  so  abused  as  I,  no 
man  thus  styled  as  I,  says  the  proud  soul.  Oh,  but  an  humble  soul  in 
patience  possesses  himself  in  all  trials  and  storms. 

Gallasius  observes  upon  Exod.  xxii.  28,  the  patience  and  humble  car- 
riage of  those  three  emperors,  Theodosius,  Honorius,  and  Arcadius,  towards 
those  that  spake  evil  of  them  ;  they  would  have  them  subject  to  no  pun- 
ishment ;  for  they  said,  If  it  come  from  lightness  of  spirit,  it  is  to  be  con- 
temned; if  from  madness,  it  is  worthy  of  pity ;  if  from  injury,  it  is  to 
be  forgiven  ;  for  injuries  and  wrongs  are  to  be  pardoned.'  And  this  is 
the  true  temper  of  an  humble  soul,  and  by  this  he  enjoys  peace  and 
quiet  in  the  midst  of  all  earthquakes  and  heartquakes. 

(7.)  The  seventh  consideration  is  this,  consider  huinility  exalteth. 

He  that  is  most  humble,  is  and  shall  be  most  exalted  and  most 
honoured.  No  way  to  be  high,  like  this  of  being  low.  Moses  was  the 
meekest  man  on  earth,  and  God  made  him  the  honourablest,  calling  of 
him  up  unto  himself  into  the  mount,  making  known  his  glory  to  him, 
and  making  of  him  the  leader  of  his  people  Israel.  Gideon  was  very 
>  Willet  on  Exodus  xxviii,  Qu.  51.    [1618,  fulio.— G.] 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  35 

little  in  his  own  eyes ;  he  was  the  least  of  his  father's  house  in  his  own 
apprehension,  and  God  exalts  him,  making  him  the  deliverer  of  his 
Israel. 

It  was  a  good  saying  of  one,  Wilt  thou  be  great  ?  begin  from  below. 
As  the  roots  of  the  tree  descend,  so  the  branches  ascend.  The  lower 
any  man  is  in  this  sense,  the  higher  shall  that  man  be  raised.  Mat. 
xxiii.  12,  'And  whosoever  shall  exalt  himself  shall  be  abased  ;  and  he 
that  shall  humble  himself  shall  be  exalted.'  God,  that  is  wisdom  itself, 
hath  said  it,  and  he  will  make  it  good,  though  thou  seest  no  ways  how 
it  should  be  made  good.  The  lowest  valleys  have  the  blessing  of 
fruitfulness,  while  the  high  mountains  are  barren  ;  Prov.  xviii.  12, 
'  Before  destruction,  the  heart  of  man  is  lofty,  and  before  honour  is 
humility.' 

David  came  not  to  the  kingdom  till  he  could  truly  say,  'Lord,  my 
heart  is  not  haughty,  nor  mine  eyes  lifted  up,'  Ps.  cxxxi.  1,  2.  Abigail 
was  not  made  David's  wife  till  she  thought  it  honour  enough  to  wash 
the  feet  of  the  meanest  of  David's  servants,  1  Sam.  xxv.  Moses  must 
be  forty  years  a  stranger  in  Midian,  before  he  became  king  in  Jeshurun ; 
he  must  be  struck  sick  to  death  in  the  inn,  before  he  goes  to  Pharaoh 
on  that  noble  embassage. 

It  was  a  sweet  observation  of  Luther,  '  That  for  the  most  part  when 
God  set  him  upon  any  special  service  for  the  good  of  the  church,  he  was 
brought  low  by  some  fit  of  sickness  or  other.'^  Surely,  as  the  lower  the 
ebb,  the  higher  the  tide;  so  the  lower  any  descend  in  humility,  the 
higher  they  shall  ascend  in  honour  and  glory.  The  lower  this  founda- 
tion of  humility  is  laid,  the  higher  shall  the  roof  of  honour  be  overlaid. 
If  you  would  turn  spiritual  purchasers  of  honour,  or  of  whatsoever  else 
is  good,  no  way  like  this  of  humility.  We  live  in  times  wherein  men 
labour  to  purchase  honour ;  some  by  their  money,  others  by  their 
friends  ;  others  by  making  themselves  slaves  to  the  lusts  of  men ;  others 
by  being  prodigal  of  their  blood,  and  many  by  giving  themselves  up  to 
all  manner  of  baseness  and  wickedness,  whereby  their  carnal  ends  may 
be  attained,  and  themselves  exalted ;  but  these  men  and  their  honour 
wiU  quickly  be  laid  in  the  dust.  Oh !  but  the  readiest,  the  surest,  the 
safest,  the  sweetest  way  to  attain  to  true  honour,  is  to  be  humble,  to 
lie  low.  Humility  makes  a  man  precious  in  the  eye  of  God.  He  that 
is  little  in  his  own  account,  is  great  in  God's  esteem.^ 

(8.)  The  eighth  and  last  consideration  that  I  shall  propound  is  this, 
consider  humility  keeps  the  soul  free  from  many  darts  of  Satan's 
coasting,  and  snares  of  his  spreading. 

As  you  may  see  in  the  three  children  in  Daniel,  and  in  those  worthies 
in  the  1 J  th  of  the  Hebrews,  '  of  whom  this  world  was  not  worthy.'  As 
the  lowest  shrubs  are  freed  from  many  violent  gusts  and  blasts  of 
wind,  which  shake  and  rend  the  tallest  cedars  ;  so  the  humble  soul  is 
free  from  a  world  of  temptations,  that  proud  and  lofty  souls  are  shaken 
and  torn  in  pieces  with.  The  devil  hath  least  power  to  fasten  a  temp- 
tation upon  an  humble  soul.  He  that  hath  a  gracious  measure  of 
humility,  is  neither  affected  with  Satan's  proffers,  nor  terrified  with 

>  In  <  Table  Talk,'  as  before,  often.— G. 

*  Qui  parvus  est  in  reputaiione  propria,  magnus  est  in  reputaiione  divina. — Gregory  [of 
Nyssa. — G.] 


3G  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EpH.  III.  8. 

Satau's  threaten ings.  The  golden  chain  docs  not  alhire  him,  nor  the 
iron  chain  docs  not  daunt  him. 

I  have  read  of  one  who,  seeing  in  a  vision  many  snares  of  Satan 
spread  upon  the  earth,  he  sat  down  and  mourned,  and  said  with  him- 
self, 'Who  shall  pass  througli  these?'  whereunto  he  heard  a  voice 
answering,  '  Humility  shall  pass  through  them.'  A  proud  heart  is  as 
easily  conquered  as  tempted,  vanquished  as  assaulted.  But  the  hum- 
ble soul,  when  tempted,  says  with  that  worthy  convert,  '  I  am  not  the 
man  that  1  was.''  There  was  a  time  when  my  heart  was  proud  and 
lifted  up,  and  then  thou  couldst  no  sooner  knock  but  I  opened  ;  no 
sooner  call  but  I  answered ;  no  sooner  tempt  but  I  did  assent.  Oh  ! 
but  now  the  Lord  taught  me  to  be  humble  ;  I  can  resist,  though  I  can- 
not dispute  ;  I  can  fight,  but  not  yield. 

Mistress  Katherine  Bretterge,  an  humble  precious  soul,  being  once 
in  a  great  conflict  with  Satan,  said  thus  to  him,  '  Satan,  reason  not  with 
me,  I  am  but  a  weak  woman  ;  if  thou  hast  anything  to  say,  say  it  to 
my  Christ;  he  is  my  advocate,  my  strength,  and  my  redeemer,  and  he 
shall  plead  for  me.^  An  humble  soul  is  good  at  turnmg  Satan  over  to 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and  this  increases  Satan's  hell.  It  is  reported  of  Satan, 
that  he  should  say  thus  of  a  learned  man,  Tu  me  semper  vincis,  thou 
dost  always  overcome  me  ;  when  I  would  throw  thee  down,  thou  liftest 
up  thyself  in  assurance  of  faith  ;  and  when  I  would  exalt  and  promote 
thee,  thou  keepest  thyself  in  humility ;  and  so  thou  art  too  hard  for  me. 
The  only  way  to  avoid  cannon-shot,  as  they  say,  is  to  fall  down  flat ;  no 
such  way  to  be  freed  from  temptations  as  to  keep  low. 

And  so  I  have  done  with  the  first  head  ;  namely,  the  motives  that 
should  move  and  provoke  us  to  keep  humble,  to  be  base,  to  be  nothing 
in  our  own  eyes. 

I  shall  now  come  to  some  helps  and  directions  that  may  be  useful 
to  keep  us  humble  and  low  in  our  own  eyes.     And  the  first  is  this  : 

[1.]  Diuell  much  upon  the  greatness  of  God's  mercy  and  goodness 
to  you. 

Nothing  humbles  and  breaks  the  heart  of  a  sinner  like  mercy  and 
love.  Souls  that  converse  much  with  sin  and  wrath  may  be  much  ter- 
rified ;  but  souls  that  converse  much  with  grace  and  mercy  will  be 
much  humbled.  Luke  vii.,  the  Lord  Jesus  shews  mercy  to  tliat  noto- 
rious sinner,  and  then  she  falls  down  at  his  feet,  and  loves  much  and 
weeps  much,  &c.^  In  the  1  Chron.  xvii.,  it  was  in  the  heart  of  David 
to  build  God  a  house.  God  would  not  have  him  to  do  it,  yet  the  mes- 
senger must  tell  David  that  God  would  build  him  a  house,  and  estab- 
lish his  Son  upon  the  throne  for  ever.  Look  into  the  1 5th,  IGth,  and  1 7th 
verses,  and  there  you  shall  find  that  David  lets  fall  such  an  humble 
speech,  which  he  never  did  before  that  God  had  sent  him  that  message 
of  advancement.  '  And  David  the  king  came,  and  sat  before  the  Lord, 
and  said.  Who  am  I,  O  Lord  God  ?  and  what  is  mine  house,  that  thou 
hast  brought  me  hitherto  ?  And  yet  this  was  a  small  thing  in  thine 
eyes,  O  God  ;   for  thou  hast  also  spoken  of  thy  servant's   house  for 

'  Qtii$  pertransiel  ista  ?  The  answer  wa3,  Humilitas  pertranskt.  .  .  .  Ego  non  sum 
ego.  *  As  before  :  see  our  Index  under  Bretterge. — G. 

'  It  is  said  of  Adam,  that  he  turned  his  face  to  tho  giirden  of  Eden,  and  wept  sore. 
[Query,  by  the  Rabbins  ?  or  is  it  a  tacit  allusion  to  Milton's  description  ?  Par.  Lost, 
b,  xii.  646.— G.] 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  37 

a  great  while  to  come,'  &c.,  2  Sam.  vii.  18,  19.  And  this  sweetly  and 
kindly  melts  him,  and  humbles  him,  before  the  Lord.  Oh,  if  ever  you 
would  have  your  souls  kept  low,  dwell  upon  the  free  grace  and  love  of 
God  to  you  in  Christ.^  Dwell  upon  the  firstness  of  his  love,  dwell  upon 
the  freeness  of  his  love,  the  greatness  of  his  love,  the  fulness  of  his  love, 
the  unchangeableness  of  his  love,  the  everlastingness  of  his  love,  and 
the  activity  of  his  love.  If  this  do  not  humble  thee,  there  is  nothing 
on  earth  will  do  it.  Dwell  upon  what  God  hath  undertaken  for  you. 
Dwell  upon  the  choice  and  worthy  gifts  that  he  has  bestowed  on  you  ; 
and  dwell  upon  that  glory  and  happiness  that  he  has  prepared  for  you, 
and  then  be  proud  if  you  can. 

[2.]  Secondly,  Ke&p  faith  in  continual  eocercise,  upon  Christ  as 
crucified,  and  upon  Christ  as  glorified. 

There  are  two  special  sights  of  Christ,  that  tend  much  to  humble  and 
abase  a  soul. 

The  one  is  a  sight  of  Christ  in  his  misery,  in  the  12th  of  Zech. 
ver.  10. 

And  the  other  is  a  sight  of  Christ  in  his  glory  (Rev.  i.  7,  Isa.  vi.  1, 
8,  5,  compared).  It  is  dangerous  to  be  more  notion  than  motion  ;  to 
have  faith  in  the  head  and  none  in  the  heart  ;  to  have  an  idle  and  not 
an  active  faith.  It  is  not  enough  for  you  to  have  faith,  but  you  must 
look  to  the  acting  of  your  faith,  upon  Christ  as  crucitied,  and  upon  Christ 
as  glorified.  Souls  much  in  this  will  be  very  little  and  low  in  their 
own  eyes.  The  great  reason  why  the  soul  is  no  more  humble  is  because 
faith  is  no  more  active.^ 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Study  your  own  natures  more,  and  whatever  evil  you 
behold  in  other  men's  practices,  labour  to  see  the  same  in  your  own 
nature. 

There  is  the  seed  of  all  sins,  of  the  vilest  and  worst  of  sins,  in  the  best 
of  men.  When  thou  seest  another  drunk,  thou  mayest  see  the  seed  of 
that  sin  in  thy  own  nature.  When  thou  seest  another  unclean,  the 
seeds  of  uncleanness  thou  mayest  see  in  thy  own  nature.  And  in  that 
thou  dost  not  act  uncleanness  as  others,  it  arises  not  from  the  goodness 
of  thy  nature,  but  from  the  riches  of  God's  grace.^  Remember  this, 
there  is  not  a  worse  nature  in  hell  than  that  that  is  in  thee,  and  it 
would  discover  itself  accordingly  ;  if  the  Lord  did  not  restrain  it,  it 
would  carry  thee  to  those  horrid  acts  that  are  against  the  very  light  of 
nature.* 

There  was  one  that  was  a  long  time  tempted  to  three  horrid  sins  :  to 
be  drunk,  to  lie  with  his  mother,  and  to  murder  his  father.     Being  a 

1  As  honey  flows  naturally  from  the  bee,  so  does  mercy  flow  naturally  from  God. 

*  As  one  scale  goes  up,  the  other  goes  down  ;  so  as  faith  goes  up,  the  heart  goes  down. 
3  Imibria  sued  Scenola,  for  that  he  received  not  his  weapon  deep  enough  into  his 

body. — Augustine.     [Qu.  Scavola? — G.] 

*  I  have  read  of  an  Italian  monster,  who,  taking  his  enemy  upon  an  advantage,  set  his 
dagger  to  his  heart,  and  made  him  to  abjure  and  blaspheme  the  Lord,  tliat  so  he  might 
save  his  life  ;  which  being  done,  he  thrust  him  through,  and  with  a  bloody  triumph,  in- 
sulting over  him,  said,  Oh,  this  is  right  noble  and  heroical  revenge,  which  doth  not  only 
deprive  the  body  of  temporal  life,  but  bringeth  also  the  immortal  soul  to  endless  flames 
everlastingly.  See  what  natures  you  carry  with  you.  It  was  a  good  saying  of  one  of  tlie 
fathers  :  Other  vices  are  in  sius,  saith  he  ;  but  pride  and  high  confidence  is  most  apt  to 
creep  in  upon  duties  well  done.  [Related  in  Wanley's  Wonders,  with  authority,  book 
iv.  0.  xi. — G.] 


nS  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

long  time  followed  with  these  horrid  temptations,  at  last  he  thought  to 
get  rid  of  them,  by  yielding  to  that  he  judged  the  least,  and  that  was 
to  be  drunk  ;  but  when  he  was  drunk,  he  did  both  lie  with  his  mother 
and  murder  his  father.'  Why,  such  a  hellish  nature  is  in  every  soul 
that  breathes  !  and  did  God  leave  men  to  act  according  to  their  natures, 
men  would  be  all  incarnate  devils,  and  thi.s  Avorld  a  perfect  hell.  Such 
is  the  corruption  of  our  nature,  that  propound  any  divine  good  to  it,  it 
is  entertained  as  fire  by  water  ;  but  propound  any  evil,  and  it  is  like 
fire  to  straw.  It  is  like  the  foolish  satyr  that  made  haste  to  kiss  the 
fire  ;  it  is  like  that  unctuous  matter,  which  the  naturalists  say  that  it 
sucks  and  snatches  the  fire  to  it  with  which  it  is  consumed.  There  was 
a  holy  man  that  rarely  heard  of  other  men's  crimson  sins,  but  he  usually 
bedewed  the  place  with  his  tears,  considering  that  the  seeds  of  those 
very  sins  was  in  his  own  nature.  In  thy  nature  thou  hast  that  that 
would  lead  thee  with  the  pharisees  to  oppose  Christ ;  and  with  Judas, 
to  betray  Christ  ;  and  with  Pilate,  to  condemn  Christ  ;  and  with  the 
soldiers,  to  crucify  Christ,  ^c.  Oh,  what  a  monster,  what  a  devil 
wouldst  thou  prove,  should  God  but  leave  thee  to  act  suitable  to  that 
sinful  and  woful  nature  of  thine  ! 

[4.]  Fourthly,  Dwell  much  upon  the  iTnperfection  that  follows  and 
cleaves  to  thy  best  actions. 

Oh  the  wanderings  !  Oh  the  deadness,  the  dulness,  the  fruitless- 
ness  of  thy  spirit  in  religious  duties !  Man  is  a  creature  apt  to  hug 
himself  in  religious  services,  and  to  pride  himself  in  holy  duties ;  and 
to  stroke  himself  after  duties,  and  to  warm  himself  by  the  sparks  of  his 
own  fire,  his  own  performances,  though  he  does  lie  down  in  sorrow  for 
it,  Isa.  1.  11.  Whenever  thou  comest  off  from  holy  services,  sit  down, 
and  look  over  the  spots,  blots,  and  blemishes  that  cleave  to  your  choicest 
services.  The  fairest  day  has  its  clouds,  the  richest  jewels  their  flaws, 
the  finest  faces  their  spots,  the  fairest  copies  their  blots,  and  so  have  our 
finest  and  fairest  duties. 

Plutarch  tells  of  a  private  soldier  of  Julius  Caesar's,  who  fought  so 
valiantly  in  Britain,  that  by  his  means  he  saved  the  captains,  which 
otherwise  were  in  great  danger  to  be  cast  away,  being  driven  into  a  bog, 
then  marching  with  great  pain  through  the  mire  and  dirt :  in  the  end 
he  got  to  the  other  side,  but  left  his  shield  behind  him.  Csesar,  won- 
dering at  his  noble  courage,  ran  to  him  with  joy  to  embrace  him  ;  but 
the  poor  soldier,  hanging  down  his  head,  the  water  standing  in  his  eyes, 
fell  down  at  Ca:;sar's  feet,  and  besought  him  to  pardon  him,  for  that  he 
had  left  his  shield  behind  him.^  You  know  how  to  apply  it.  He  had 
done  gallantly,  yet  he  falls  down  at  Caesar's  feet,  after  his  brave  ser- 
vice, with  tears  in  his  eyes,  upon  the  sense  of  his  leaving  his  shield 
behind  him.  When  we  have  done  our  best,  we  have  cause  to  fall  down 
at  Jesus's  feet,  and  with  tears  in  our  eyes  sue  out  our  pardon. 

[5.]  Fifthly,  In  the  day  of  thy  prosperity,  forget  not  thy  former 
'poverty. 

In  the  day  of  thy  present  greatness,  forget  not  thy  former  meanness. 
Humble  Jacob,  in  the  day  of  his  prosperity,  remembers  his  former 
poverty  :  '  With  my  staff  I  passed  over  Jordan,  and  now  I  am  become 

'  Given  in  •  Precious  Remedies.'     Cf.  Vol.  I.  p.  20,  and  note. — G. 
*  Plutarch.     [Julius  Ccesar  ;  Britain. — G.] 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  39 

two  bauds,'  Gen.  xxxii.  10.  And  so  David,  in  his  prosperity,  remem- 
bered that  his  sheep-hook  was  changed  into  a  sceptre,  and  his  seat  of 
turf  into  a  royal  throne,  Ps.  Ixxviii.  71,  1  Chron.  xvii.  And  when 
Joseph  was  a  royal  favourite,  he  remembered  that  he  had  been  an  im- 
prisoned slave.  And  when  Gideon  was  raised  to  be  a  saviour  to  Israel, 
he  remembered  how  God  took  him  from  the  threshing-floor,  Judges 
vi.  11,  and  how  God  changed  his  threshing  instrument  of  wood  into 
one  of  iron,  to  thresh  the  mountains,  as  God  himself  phraseth  it, 
Isa.  xli.  15. 

Primislaus,  the  first  king  of  Bohemia,  kept  his  country  shoes  always 
by  him,  to  remember  from  whence  he  was  raised. 

Agathocles,  by  the  furniture  of  his  table,  confessed  that  from  a  potter 
be  was  raised  to  be  a  king  of  Sicily. 

We  live  in  times  wherein  many  a  man  hath  been  raised  from  the 
dunghill  to  sit  with  princes  ;  and  oh  that  such  were  wise  to  remember 
their  former  low  and  contemptible  beings,  and  to  walk  humbly  before 
the  Lord  !  otherwise  who  can  tell  but  that  greater  contempt  shall  be 
poured  forth  upon  them,  than  that  which  they  have  poured  upon 
princes. 

[6.]  Sixthly,  Look  upon  all  that  you  have  received,  and  all  that  you 
shall  hereafter  receive,  as  the  fruit  of  free  grace. 

Look  upon  thy  adoption,  and  write  this  motto,  This  is  the  fruit  of 
free  grace.  Look  upon  thy  justification,  and  write  this  motto.  This  is 
the  fruit  of  free  grace.  Look  upon  all  thy  graces,  and  write.  These 
are  the  fruits  of  free  grace.  Look  upon  thy  experiences,  and  write, 
These  are  the  fruits  of  free  grace.  Look  upon  thy  strength  to  with- 
stand temptations,  and  write.  This  is  the  fruit  of  free  grace.  Look  upon 
divine  power  to  conquer  corruptions,  and  write,  This  is  the  fruit  of  free 
grace.  Look  upon  the  bread  thou  eatest,  the  beer  thou  drinkest,  the 
clothes  thou  wearest,  &c.,  and  write,  These  are  the  fruits  of  free  grace. 
1  Cor.  iv.  7,  '  Who  maketh  thee  to  differ  from  another  ?  and  what  hast 
thou  that  thou  hast  not  received  ?  and  if  thou  hast  received  it,  why 
dost  thou  glory  as  though  thou  hadst  not  received  it  ?'  Who  maketh 
thee  to  differ  ?  Episcopius,  a  great  insolent  Arminian,  answered,  Ego 
me  ipsuni  discerno,  I  make  myself  to  differ,  to  wit,  by  the  improve- 
ment of  nature. 

This  age  is  full  of  such  proud  monsters,  ;  but  an  humble  soul  sees 
free  grace  to  be  the  spring  and  fountain  of  all  his  mercies  and  com- 
forts ;  he  writes  free  grace  upon  all  his  temporals,  and  upon  all  his 
spirituals,  &c. 

[7.]  The  seventh  direction  is.  Meditate  much  upon  these  two  things : 

First,  The  great  mischief  that  sin  hath  done  in  the  world. 

It  cast  angels  out  of  heaven,  and  Adam  out  of  paradise.  It  hath 
lain  the  first  corner-stone  in  hell,  and  ushered  in  all  the  evils  and 
miseries  that  be  in  the  world.  It  hath  threw  down  Abraham,  the  best 
believer  in  the  world;  and  Noah,  the  most  righteous  man  in  the  world; 
and  Job,  the  uprightest  man  in  the  world;  and  Moses,  the  meekest  man 
in  the  world ;  and  Paul,  the  greatest  apostle  in  the  world.  Oh, 
the  diseases,  the  crosses,  the  losses,  the  miseries,  the  deaths,  the  hells, 
that  sin  hath  brought  upon  the  world  ! 

Basil  wept  when  he  saw  the  rose,  because  it  brought  to  his  mind  the 


40  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

first  sin,  from  whence  it  had  the  prickles,  which  it  had  not  while  man 
continued  in  innoccncy,  as  he  thought!  Oh,  when  he  saw  the  prickles 
his  soul  wept ;  so  when  we  see,  hear,  or  read  of  the  blood,  misery,  wars, 
and  ruins  that  sin  has  brought  upon  us,  let  us  weep  and  lie  humble 
before  the  Lord. 

Secondly,  Meditate  much  on  this,  that  many  vncked  men  take 
more  pahis  to  damn  ihe'ir  souls  and  go  to  hell,  than  thou  dost  to  save 
thy  soul  and  to  get  to  heaven,  Mat.  xxii.  15. 

Oh,  what  pains  do  wicked  men  take  to  damn  their  souls  and  go  to 
hell  !  Lactantius  saith  of  Lucian,  that  he  spared  neither  God  nor  man. 
He  took  pains  to  make  himself  twice  told  a  child  of  wrath.' 

It  is  said  of  Marcellus,  the  Roman  general,  that  he  could  not  be  quiet, 
nee  victor,  nee  victus,  neither  conquered  nor  conqueror.  Such  restless 
wretches  are  wicked  men.  The  drunkard  rises  up  in  the  morning,  and 
continues  till  midnight,  till  wine  inflame  him,  Isa.  v.  11.  The  unclean 
person  wastes  his  time,  and  strength,  and  estate,  and  all  to  ruin  his 
own  soul. 

Theotimus,  being  told  by  his  physician,  that  if  he  did  not  leave  his 
lewd  courses,  he  would  lose  his  sight,  answered.  Vale  lumen  amicum, 
then  farewell,  sweet  light.''  What  a  deal  of  pains  does  the  worldling 
take  !  He  rises  up  early,  and  goes  to  bed  late,  and  leaves  no  stone 
unturned,  and  all  to  make  himself  but  the  more  miserable  in  the 
close. 

Pambus,  in  the  Ecclesiastical  History,  wept  when  he  saw  a  harlot 
dressed  with  much  care  and  cost,  partly  to  see  one  take  so  much 
pains  to  go  to  hell,  and  partly  because  he  had  not  been  so  careful  to 
please  God  as  she  had  been  to  please  a  wanton  lover.^  Oh,  sirs  !  what 
reason  have  you  to  spend  your  days  in  weeping  ?  When  you  look 
abroad,  see  what  pains  most  men  take  to  damn  their  souls  and  go  to 
hell,  and  then  consider  what  little  pains  you  take  to  escape  hell,  to  save 
your  souls,  and  go  to  heaven. 

[8.]  Eighthly,  Get  more  internal  and  expenmental  knowledge  and 
acquaintance  luith  God. 

If  ever  you  would  keep  humble,  no  knowledges  humbles  and  abases 
like  that  which  is  inward  and  experimental.  We  hve  in  days  wherein 
there  is  abundance  of  notional  light.  Many  professors  know  much  of 
God  notionally,  but  know  nothing  of  God  experimentally  ;  they  know 
God  in  the  history,  but  know  nothing  of  God  in  the  mystery.  They  know 
much  of  God  in  the  letter,  but  little  or  nothing  of  God  in  the  Spirit ; 
and  tlierefore  it  is  that  they  are  so  proud  and  high  in  their  own  con- 
ceits, whenas  he  that  experimentally  knows  the  Lord  is  a  worm  and  no 
man  in  his  own  eyes.  As  the  sun  is  necessary  to  the  world,  the  eye  to 
the  body,  the  pilot  to  the  ship,  the  general  to  the  army,  so  is  experi- 
mental knowledge  to  the  humbling  of  a  soul.  Who  more  experimental 
in  their  knowledge  than  David,  Job,  Isaiah,  and  Paul  ?  And  wiio  are 
more  humble  than  these  worthies  ?* 

'  Such  a  mad  devil  was  Catiline.  *  Ambrose,  as  before. — G. 

*  Socrates,  Eccl.  Hist.,  lib.  iv.  cap.  28. 

♦  It  is  a  sad  tiling  to  be  often  eating  of  the  tree  of  knowledge,  but  never  to  taste  of  the 
tree  of  life.  [The  '  History'  and  '  Mystery'  is  a  favourite  distinction  of  the  Puritan 
divines,  and  is  elaborately  carried  out  by  Roberts  in  his  extraordinary  and  exceedingly 
rare  folio,  entitled,  '  The  Mystery  and  Marrow  of  the  Bible,'  (1057) ;  and  also  by  Ness  in 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  41 

Seneca  observed  of  the  philosophers,  that  when  they  grewmore  learned, 
they  were  less  moral,^  so  a  growth  in  notions  will  bring  a  great  decay  in 
humility  and  zeal,  as  it  is  too  evident  in  these  days.  Well,  remember 
this,  a  drop  of  experimental  knowledge  will  more  humble  a  man  than  a 
sea  of  notional  knowledge. 

[9.]  Ninthly,  Look  wp  to  a  crucified  Christ  for  special  potuer  and 
strength  against  the  pride  of  your  hearts.  It  is  satl  in  these  knowing 
times  to  think  how  few  there  are  that  know  the  right  way  of  bringing 
under  the  power  of  any  sin.  Most  men  scarce  look  so  high  as  a  cruci- 
fied Christ  for  power  against  their  powerful  sins.  One  soul  sits  down 
and  complains.  Such  a  lust  haunts  me,  I  will  pray  it  down ;  another 
saith,  Such  a  sin  follows  me,  and  I  will  hear  it  down,  or  watch  it  down, 
or  resolve  it  down  :  and  so  a  crucified  Christ  is  not  in  all  their  thoughts. 
Not  but  that  you  are  to  hear,  pray,  watch,  and  resolve  against  your 
sins  ;  but  above  all,  you  should  look  to  the  acting  of  faith  upon  a  cruci- 
fied Christ.^  As  he  said  of  the  sword  of  Goliath,  '  None  like  to  that,' 
so  I  say,  None  like  to  this  for  the  bringing  under  the  pride  of  men's 
hearts.  The  weaker  the  house  of  Saul  grew,  the  stronger  the  house  of 
David  grew.  The  weakening  of  3'our  pride  will  be  the  increase  and 
strengthening  of  your  humility,  and  therefore  what  the  king  of  Syria  said 
unto  his  fifty  captains,  'Fight  neither  with  small  nor  great,  but  with  the 
king  of  Israel,'  so  say  I,  If  you  would  keep  humble,  if  you  will  lie  low,  draw 
forth  your  artillery,  place  your  greatest  strength  against  the  pride  of 
your  souls.  The  death  of  pride  will  be  the  resurrection  of  humility. 
And  that  this  may  stick  upon  you,  I  shall  lay  down  several  proposi- 
tioDS  concerning  pride  ;  and  I  am  so  much  the  more  willing  to  fall  upon 
this  work,  and  to  make  it  the  subject  of  our  discourse  at  this  time, 
because  this  horrid  sin  doth  appear  so  boldly  and  impudently,  and  that 
not  only  among  profane  persons,  but  professors  also.  There  are  ten  pro- 
positions that  I  shall  lay  down  concerning  pride. 

[1.]  And  the  first  is  this.  Of  all  sins  pride  is  most  dangerous  to  the 
souls  of  men. 

Pride  is  a  sin  that  will  put  the  soul  upon  the  worst  of  sins.     Pride 

is  a  gilded  misery,  a  secret  poison,  a  hidden  plague.     It  is  the  engineer 

of  deceit,  the  mother  of  hypocrisy,  the  parent  of  envy,  the  moth  of 

holiness,  the  blinder  of  hearts,  the  turner  of  medicines  into  maladies, 

and  remedies  into  diseases.     It  is  the  original  and  root  of  most  of  those 

notorious  vices  that  be  to  be  found  among  the  children  of  men.     It  was 

pride  that  put  Herod  upon  seeking  the  blood  of  Christ.     It  was  pride 

that  put  the  Pharisees  upon  the  persecuting  of  Christ.     It  was  pride 

that  made  Athaliah  destroy  all  the  seed-royal  of  the  house  of  Judah, 

that  he  might  reign,  2  Chron.  xxi.  10.     It  was  pride  that  put  Joab  upon 

murdering  perfidiously,  under  colour   of  friendship,   Abner,   2  Sam. 

iii.  27,  and  Amasa,  2  Sam.  xx.  9,  10.     Zimri,  out  of  ambition  to  reign, 

murdered  Elah  his  lord,  1  Kings  xvi.  8-10.     Omri,  out  of  pride  and 

ambition  to  reign,  rose   up   against  Zimri,  and  enforced  him  to  burn 

his  not  less  remarkable  and  equally  rare  work,  '  History  and  Mystery'  of  the  Bible,  4 
vols,  folio,  1696.— G.] 

'  De  Constantia  Hapientis  ei  Epistolce. — G. 

*  Ps.  X.  4.  It  was  the  blood  of  the  sacrifice  and  the  oil  that  cleansed  the  leper  in  the 
law,  and  that  by  them  was  meant  the  blood  of  Christ  and  the  grace  of  his  Spirit,  is 
agreed  by  all. 


42  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

himself  in  the  king's  palace,  1  Kings  xvi.  18.  It  is  pride  that  hath 
ushered  in  all  the  contentions  that  be  in  towns,  cities,  countries, 
families,  and  pulpits  tliroughout  the  world.  It  was  pride  and  ambition 
to  reign  that  put  Absalom  upon  pursuing  his  father's  life,  from  whom 
he  had  received  life.^ 

It  is  very  remarkable,  that  the  pride  and  ambition  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar did  usher  in  the  destruction  of  the  Assyrian  monarchy  ;  and  the 
ambition  and  pride  of  Cyrus  that  did  usher  in  the  overthrow  of  the 
Babylonian  monarchy  ;  and  tlie  ambition  and  pride  of  Alexander  was 
the  cause  of  the  annihilation  of  the  Persian  monarchy,  and  it  was  the 
pride  and  ambition  of  the  Roman  commanders  that  was  the  cause  of 
the  utter  subversion  of  the  Grecian  monarchy.  There  is  no  tongue  that 
can  express,  nor  heart  that  can  conceive,  the  horrid  sins  and  miseries 
that  pride  hath  ushered  in  among  the  children  of  men.  All  sin  will 
down  with  a  proud  heart  that  is  resolved  to  rise.  Great  sins  are  no  sins 
with  such  a  soul ;  he  makes  nothing  of  those  very  sins  that  would  make 
the  very  heathen  to  blush. 

[2.]  The  second  proposition  that  I  shall  lay  down  concerning  pride 
is  this, 

Where  "pride  hath  possessed  itself  thoroughly  of  the  soul,  it  turns 
tJie  heart  into  steel,  yea,  into  a  rock. 

As  you  may  see  in  Pharaoh.  Pride  turned  his  heart  into  steel,  yea, 
into  a  very  rock.  God  strikes  again  and  again  ;  he  sends  plague  upon 
plague  ;  and  yet  the  more  he  is  plagued,  the  more  he  is  hardened. 
His  pride  turned  his  soul  into  a  rock :  he  is  no  more  sensible  of  the 
frowns  of  God,  the  threatenings  of  God,  the  plagues,  the  strokes  of  God, 
than  a  rock.  Pride  had  hardened  his  heart ;  he  stirs  not,  he  yields 
not.2 

It  was  the  pride  of  Saul  that  turned  his  heart  into  steel :  '  I  have 
sinned,'  saith  he,  '  yet  honour  me  before  the  people,'  1  Sam.  xv.  30. 
God  gave  him  many  a  blow,  many  a  knock,  and  many  a  check,  and 
yet,  after  all,  '  Honour  me  before  the  people.'  Oh  how  desperately  was 
his  heart  hardened  in  pride !  In  Dan.  v.  1 8,  Nebuchadnezzar's  mind, 
saith  the  text,  '  was  hardened  in  pride.'  He  saw  the  vengeance  of  the 
Almighty  upon  his  predecessors,  and  God  took  him  up,  and  lashed  him 
till  the  blood  came,  and  yet  he  made  nothing  of  it,  because  his  heart 
was  hardened  in  pride.  Pride  sets  a  man  in  opposition  against  God. 
Other  sins  are  aversions  from  God,  but  this  sin  is  a  coming  against  God. 
In  other  sins  a  man  flies  from  God,  but  in  this  sin  a  man  Hies  upon 
God :  James  iv.  6,  *  God  resisteth  the  proud.'  A  man  doth  not  resist 
another  till  he  is  set  upon  ;  the  traveller  doth  not  resist  until  such  time 
as  the  thief  sets  upon  him.  Saith  the  text,  'God  resisteth  the  proud.' 
It  intimates  thus  much  to  us,  that  the  proud  heart  sets  upon  God  him- 
self, and  therefore  God  resists  him.  The  Greek  word  is  dvrirdeeirai ; 
he  places  himself  in  battle  array  against  the  proud.  God  brings  forth 
his  battalia  against  the  proud,  and  they  bring  forth  their  battalia 
against  God.    A  proud  heart  resists,  and  is  resisted;  this  is  duro  durum, 

'  A  world  of  instances  out  of  liistories  miglit  be  given,  if  it  were  needful,  further  to 
evidence  this  truth. 

'  Proud  souls  are  of  his  mind  that  said,  Non  pertuadebis,  etiam  si  persiiaseris,  though 
you  do  convince  me,  yet  will  1  not  be  convinced. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  43 

flint  to  flint,  fire  to  fire;  yet  in  the  day  of  God's  wrath  the  proud  shall 
be  burnt  up  as  stubble,  both  branch  and  root,  Mai.  iv.  1. 
[3.]  The  third  proposition  concerning  pride  is  this. 
Pride  is  a  sin  that  shales  forth  and  shews  itself  not  one  way,  but 
many  ways. 
For  instance, 

Fii'st,  Sometimes  it  shews  itself  in  the  looks,  Prov.  vi.  17:  he  tells 
you  of  seven  things  that  the  Lord  hates,  and  one  is  a  proud  look.  The 
Hebrew  word  there  is,  '  The  haughty  eye.'  The  haughty  eye  God  hates. 
Men's  hearts  usually  shew  themselves  in  their  eyes  :  Ps.  cxxxi.  1,  '  Mine 
heart  is  not  haughty,  nor  mine  eye  lofty.'  There  be  such  who  shew 
pride  in  their  very  looks,  but  the  Lord  looks  aloof  at  them,  Ps. 
cxxxviii.  Q} 

Secondli/,  Sometimes  pride  shews  itself  in  words  :  Dan.  iv.  80,  '  Is  not 
this  great  Babylon  that  I  have  built,  for  the  house  of  the  kingdom,  by 
the  might  of  my  power,  and  for  the  honour  of  my  majesty?'  and  in 
chap.  iii.  15,  '  Who  is  that  God  that  shall  deliver  you  out  of  my  hands?' 
It  was  a  very  proud  saying  of  one.  Caelum  gratis  nan  acci^iam,  I  will 
not  have  heaven  but  at  a  rate  ;  and  of  another,  '  We  have  not  so  lived 
and  deserved  of  God  that  the  enemy  should  vanquish  us.'  These  were 
the  proud  ones,  that  spake  loftily,  and  that  set  their  mouths  against  the 
heavens,  as  the  psalmist  speaks,  Ps.  Ixxiii.  6,  8,  9,  compared.  And 
such  a  one  was  Henry  the  Second.  Hearing  that  his  city  Mentz  was 
taken,  he  used  this  proud  blasphemous  speech,  *  I  shall  never  love  God 
any  more,  that  suffered  a  city  so  dear  to  me  to  be  taken  away  from  me.' 
Such  a  proud  wretch,  both  in  words  and  actions,  was  Sennacherib,  as 
you  may  see  in  Isa.  xxxvii.,  from  ver.  8  to  18. 

Thirdly,  Sometimes  pride  shews  itself  in  the  habit  of  the  body ;  so 
Herod's  pride  appeared :  Acts  xii.  21,  Herod  was  '  arrayed  in  royal  ap- 
parel.' In  cloth  of  silver,  saith  Josephus,^  which,  being  beaten  upon  by 
the  sunbeams,  dazzled  the  people's  eyes,  and  drew  from  them  that  blas- 
phemous acclamation,  '  It  is  the  voice  of  God,  and  not  of  man.'  The 
people  being  most  commonly  like  the  Bohemian  curs,  that  used  to  fawn 
upon  a  good  suit ;  so  the  rich  man,  Luke  xvi.  19,  was  clothed  in  purple, 
xai  jSuecov,  and  in  silk.  He  was  commonly  so  clothed  ;  it  was  his  every- 
day's  wear,  as  the  Greek  word  svididUzsro  implieth. 

Quest.  But  here  a  question  may  be  asked.  May  not  persons  habit 
themselves  according  to  their  dignities,  ranks,  and  places  that  God  hath 
put  them  in  in  the  world  ? 

Ans.  I  answer,  They  may,  and  ought  so  to  do.  If  God  hath  lifted 
them  up  in  the  world  above  others,  they  may  wear  better  apparel  than 
others,  Gen.  xh.  42,  Esther  vi.  8,  Ps.  xlv.  18,  14,  2  Sam.  xiii.  18,  Lam. 
iv.  5,  Mat.  xi.  8,  Gen.  xxvii.  15,  Isa.  Iii.  1,  Hosea  ii.  13,  Exod.  xxviii,  40. 
I  cite  these  scriptures  so  much  the  rather,  because  some,  through  weak- 
ness and  peevishness,  stumble  and  are  not  satisfied  herein.  There  is 
nothing  in  the  law  of  God  or  nature  against  it. 

Quest.  But  you  may  say.  May  not  persons  sin  in  their  apparel  ? 

Ans.  I  answer,  Yes,  and  that  in  four  cases. 

[1.]  When  it  is  not  modest,  but  carries  with  it  provocation  to  lust 

'  Profecto  oculis  animus  inhabitat. — Pliny.   [Cf.  Nat.  Hist.,  lib  xi.  cap.  54,  et  alibi. — G.] 
8  Antiq.,  xix.  8,  2.— G. 


44;  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

aud  wantonness :  Prov.  vii.  10,  '  There  met  the  young  man  a  woman 
in  the  attire  of  an  harlot.'  The  Hebrew  word  signifies  a  habit  or  or- 
nament finely  set"  and  fitted  to  the  body ;  and  saith  the  text,  '  She 
was  subtle  of  heart,'  or  trussed  up  about  the  breasts,  with  her  upper 
parts  naked  ;  so  Levi- Ben- Gersom  reads  the  words,  'She  met  him  with 
her  naked  breasts,'  at  this  day  too  commonly  used  by  such  as  would 
not  be  held  harlots.  Oh  what  a  horrid  shame  and  reproach  is  it  to 
religion,  the  ways  of  God,  and  the  people  of  God,  that  professors  should 
go  so  !  One  saith  '  that  superfluous  apparel  is  worse  than  whoredom, 
because  whoredom  only  corrupts  chastity,  but  this  corrupts  nature.' 
Another  saith,  '  If  women  adorn  themselves  so  as  to  provoke  men  to 
lust  after  them,  though  no  ill  follow  upon  it,  yet  those  women  shall 
suffer  eternal  damnation,  because  they  offered  poison  to  others,  though 
none  should  drink  of  it.'' 

[2.]  Persons  sin  in  their  apparel  whenas  they  exceed  their  degree 
and  rank  in  costly  apparel,  which  is  that  which  is  condemned  by  the 
apostle,  1  Tim.  ii.  9,  1  Pet.  iii.  3.  The  apostle  doth  not  simply  condemn 
the  wearing  of  gold,  but  he  condemns  it  in  those  that  go  above  their 
degree  and  rank.  The  words  are  rather  an  admonition  than  a  pro- 
hibition. 

[3.]  It  is  sinful  when  it  is  so  expensive  as  that  it  hinders  works  of 
mercy  and  charity.  Oh  how  many  proud  souls  be  there  in  these  days 
that  lay  so  much  upon  their  backs,  that  they  can  spare  nothing  to  fill 
the  poor's  bellies.  '  Silk  doth  quench  the  fire  of  the  kitchen,'  saith  the 
French  proverb.  The  meaning  is,  that  it  doth  hinder  works  of  charity 
and  mercy.  Surely  those  that  put  on  such  costly  ornaments  upon  their 
backs  as  close  up  the  hand  of  charity,  will  at  last  share  with  Dives  in 
his  misery. 

[4.]  When  persons  habit  themselves  in  strange  and  foreign  fashions, 
which  is  the  sin,  shame,  and  reproach  of  many  among  us  in  these  days. 
Now  that  is  strange  apparel  which  is  not  peculiar  to  the  nations  where 
men  live.  The  Lord  threatens  to  punish  such,  Zeph.  i.  8,  that  are 
clothed  with  strange  apparel.  There  are  too  many  women  and  men  in 
our  days  that  are  like  the  Egyptian  temples,  very  gypsies,  painted  with- 
out and  spotted  within;  varnish  without  and  vermin  within. 

Mercury  being  to  make  a  garment  for  the  moon,  as  one  saith,  could 
never  fit  her,  but  either  the  garment  would  be  too  big  or  too  little,  by 
reason  she  was  always  increasing  or  decreasing.  May  not  this  be  ap- 
plied to  the  vain  curiosity  of  too  too  many  professors  in  these  days, 
whose  curiosity  about  their  clothes  can  never  be  satisfied  ? 

I  shall  conclude  this  head  with  this  counsel :  Clothe  yourselves  with 
the  silk  of  piety,  with  the  satin  of  sanctity,  and  with  the  purple  of  mo- 
desty, and  God  himself  will  be  a  suitor  to  you.  Let  not  the  ornaments 
upon  your  backs  speak  out  the  vanity  of  your  hearts. 

Fourthly,  Sometimes  pride  shews  itself  by  the  gesture  and  carriage 
of  the  body,  Isa.  iii.  16,  The  daughters  of  Sion  'were  haughty,  and 
walked  with  stretched  out  necks  and  wanton  eyes,  walking  and  mincing 
as  they  go,  making  a  tinkling  with  their  feet.'  Oh  earth  !  earth  !  dost 
thou  not  groan  to  bear  such  monsters  as  these? 

'  These  and  even  more  vehement  rebukes  will  be  found  in  Thomas  Hall's  '  Loathe- 
Bomeness  of  Long  Hair,'  &c.     1654. — G. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  45 

Fifthly,  And  sometimes  pride  shews  itself  in  contemptuous  challenges 
of  God ;  as  Pharoah,  '  Who  is  the  God  of  the  Hebrews,  that  I  should 
obey  him?' 

Sixthly,  Sometimes  pride  shews  itself  by  bragging  promises,  '  I  will 
arise,  I  will  pursue,  I  will  overtake,  I  will  divide  the  spoil,  and  my  lusts 
shall  be  satisfied,'  Exod.  xv.  9. 

[4. 1  The  fourth  proposition  that  I  shall  lay  down  is  this  : 

Pride  is  a  sin  that  of  all  sins  makes  a  man  or  woman  most  like 
to  Satan. 

Pride  is  morbus  Satanicus,  Satan's  disease.  Pride  is  so  base  a  dis- 
ease, that  God  had  rather  see  his  dearest  children  to  be  buffeted  by 
Satan,  than  that  in  pride  they  should  be  like  to  Satan.  When  Paul, 
2  Cor.  xii.  7,  under  the  abundance  of  revelations,  was  in  danger  of  being 
puffed  up,  the  Lord,  rather  than  he  would  have  him  proud  like  to  Satan, 
suffers  him  to  be  buffeted  by  Satan.  Humility  makes  a  man  like  to 
angels,  and  pride  makes  an  angel  a  devil.  Pride  is  worse  than  the  devil, 
for  the  devil  cannot  hurt  thee  till  pride  hath  possessed  thee.  If  thou 
would  see  the  devil  limned  to  the  life,  look  upon  a  proud  soul ;  for  as 
face  answers  to  face,  so  doth  a  proud  soul  answer  to  Satan.  Proud  souls 
are  Satan's  apes,  and  none  imitate  him  to  the  life  like  these.  And  oh 
that  they  were  sensible  of  it,  before  it  be  too  late,  before  the  door  of 
darkness  be  shut  upon  them  ! 

[5.]  A  fifth  proposition  is  this  : 

Pride  cannot  climb  so  high,  but  justice  will  sit  above  her. 

One  asked  a  philosopher  what  God  was  a-doing  ?  He  answered.  That 
his  whole  work  was  to  exalt  the  humble  and  pull  down  the  proud.  It 
was  pride  that  turned  angels  into  devils  ;  they  would  be  above  others  in 
heaven,  and  therefore  God  cast  them  down  to  hell.  Pride,  saith  Hugo, 
was  born  in  heaven,  but  forgetting  by  what  way  she  fell  from  thence, 
she  could  never  find  the  way  thither  again.  The  first  man  would  know 
as  God,  and  the  Babel-builders  would  dwell  as  God,  but  justice  set  above 
them  all.  This  truth  you  see  verified  in  the  justice  of  God  upon  Pharaoh, 
Haman,  Herod,  Belshazzar,  and  Nebuchadnezzar ;  all  these  would  be 
very  high,  but  justice  takes  the  right  hand  of  them  all,  and  brings  them 
down  to  the  dust.  Yea,  pride  cannot  climb  so  high  in  the  hearts  of 
saints,  but  divine  justice  will  be  above  it.  Uzziah  his  heart  was  lifted 
up,  2  Chron.  xxvi.  16,  but  justice  smites  him  with  a  leprosy,  and  so  he 
died,  out  of  grief  and  sorrow,  saith  Josephus.'  David  glories  in  his  own 
gi-eatness,  2  Sam.  xxiv.  1,  seq.,  and  for  this  seventy  thousand  fall  by  the 
hand  of  justice.  Hezekiah's  heart  was  lifted  up,  but  wrath  was  upon 
him,  and  upon  all  Judah  and  Jerusalem  for  it,  2  Chron.  xxxii.  25,  seq. 
Pride  sets  itself  against  the  honour,  being,  and  sovereignty  of  God,  and 
therefore  justice  will  in  spite  of  all  sit  above  her.  Other  sins  strike  at 
the  word  of  God,  the  people  of  God,  and  the  creatures  of  God,  but  pride 
strikes  directly  at  the  very  being  of  God,  and  therefore  justice  will  be 
above  her. 

Nebuchadnezzar  was  proud,  and  God  smites  his  reason,  and  turns  him 
into  a  beast.  Oh  !  how  many  young  professors  are  there  in  our  days, 
who  have  been  proud  of  their  notions,  and  proud  of  their  parts  and  gifts, 
and  justice  hath  so  smitten  them,  that  they  have  lost  that  life,  that 

'  Antiq.,  ix.  10,  sec-  4. — G. 


46  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

sweetness,  that  spi ritual ness,  that  quickness  that  once  they  had,  and  are 
dried  and  shrivelled  up  by  a  hand  of  justice. '  They  are  like  the  apples 
of  Sodom,  glorious  without,  but  rotten  and  worthless  within.  8ome 
there  are  that  have  been  very  shining,  yet  by  reason  of  pride  have  fallen 
from  a  seeming  excellency  to  be  naught,  and  from  naught  to  be  very 
naught,  and  from  very  naught  to  be  stark  naught.  Isa.  xxiii.  9,  '  The 
Lord  of  hosts  hath  purposed  it,  to  stain  tlie  pride  of  all  glory,  and  to 
bring  into  contempt'  (or  to  make  light)  '  all  the  honourable  of  the  earth.' 
The  Hebrew  word  that  is  here  rendered  'purposed,  signifies  to  consult, 
or  take  counsel."  It  is  consulted  and  agreed  upon  in  counsel,  that 
he  will  stain  the  pride  of  all  glory,  and  bring  into  contempt  the  honour- 
able of  the  earth  ;  and  the  counsel  of  the  Lord  shall  stand,  Ps.  xxxiii. 
11  ;  Isa.  ii.  li,  12,  'The  lofty  looks  of  man  shall  be  humbled,  and  the 
haughtiness  of  man  shall  be  bowed  down,  and  the  Lord  alone  shall  be 
exalted  in  that  day.  For  the  day  of  the  Lord  of  hosts  shall  be  upon 
every  one  that  is  proud  and  lofty,  and  upon  every  one  that  is  lifted  up, 
and  he  shall  be  brought  low.' 

Divine  justice  will  take  the  right  hand  of  all  proud  ones  on  the  earth. 
God  bears,  as  I  may  say,  a  special  spleen  against  pride.  His  heart  hates 
it,  Prov.  vi.  10,  17;  his  mouth  curses  it,  Ps.  cxix.  21;  and  his  hand 
plagueth  it,  as  you  have  seen  in  the  former  instances,  and  as  you  may 
see  further  in  these  following  instances  : 

The  king  of  Egypt,  that  Jeremiah  prophesied  against,  in  his  forty- 
fourth  chapter,  was  so  puffed  up  with  pride,  that  he  boasted  his  kingdom 
was  so  surely  settled,  that  it  could  not  be  taken  from  him  either  by  God 
or  man  ;  not  long  after  he  was  taken  in  battle  by  Amasis,  one  of  his  own 
subjects,  and  hanged  up.^ 

Dionysius  the  tyrant  said  in  the  pride  of  his  heart,  that  his  kingdom 
was  bound  to  him  with  chains  of  adamant ;  but  time  soon  confuted 
him,  for  he  was  driven  out,  and  forced  to  teach  a  school  at  Corinth  for 
a  poor  living.  * 

Cares,  a  soldier,  being  proud  of  his  valour,  because  he  had  given  Cyrus 
a  great  wound,  shortly  after  he  ran  mad.  In  all  ages  there  are  notable 
instances  to  prove  that  pride  has  not  got  so  high,  but  justice  has  set 
above  her. 

[6.]  The  sixth  proposition  is  this. 

Of  all  sins  spiritual  pride  is  most  dangerous,  and  must  be  most 
resisted. 

Spiritual  pride  is  the  lifting  up  of  the  mind  against  God ;  it  is  a 
tumor  and  swelling  in  the  mind,  and  lies  in  contemning  and  slighting 
of  God,  his  word,  promises,  and  ordinances,  and  in  the  lifting  up  of  a 
man's  self,  by  reason  of  birth,  breeding,  wealth,  honour,  place,  relation, 
gifts  or  graces,  and  in  despising  of  others.  Of  this  spiritual  pride  Ha- 
bakkuk  speaks,  chap.  ii.  4,  *  His  heart,  that  is  lifted  up  in  him,  is  not 
upright.'     Prov.  xvi.  5,  '  Every  one  that  is  proud  in  heart,  is  an  aborai- 

'  Staupicius  was  proud  of  his  memory,  and  justice  smote  it. 

*  nvy\  d(jlibeiately  to  consult  and  agree  upon  a  thing. 

'  Phuriioh-hoplira  (Jer.  xliv.  30,  <ts  abuvc),  called  by  Herodotus  Apries,  and  by  him 
designated  '  proud'  (b.  ii.  1C9,  et  alibi)  ;  but  in  contradiction  of  Amasis  liaving  '  hung' 
him,  is  the  text  and  Ezek.  xxix.  19,  and  xxxi.  11,  15,  18  ;  wlience  Josephus  (Antiq.,  b.  x. 
c.  11),  and  Jerome  (iu  Jerem.  Thren.,  c.  4),  make  Nebuchadnezzar  to  have  been  the 
slayer  of  him. — (i.  *  Plutarch  :  Dionysius,  7. — G. 


I 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  47 

nation  to  the  Lord  ;'  or,  that  'lifts  up  his  heart  against  God/  or  his 
decrees ;  as  Lewis  the  Eleventh  did,  in  that  proud  speech  of  his, 
Si  salvabor,  salvahor ;  si  vero  davmabor,  damnahor.  '  If  I  shall 
be  saved,  I  shall  be  saved  ;  and  if  I  shall  be  damned,  I  shall  be 
damned ;  and  there  is  all  the  care  that  I  shall  take."  Like  to  this,  was 
that  proud  and  wretched  speech  of  one  Rufus,  who  painted  God  on  the 
one  side  of  his  shield,  and  the  devil  on  the  other,  with  this  mad  motto: 

*  If  thou  wilt  not  have  me,  here  is  one  will.'  Spiritual  pride  is  a  white 
devil,  as  one  calls  it,^  a  gilded  poison,  by  which  God  is  robbed  of  his 
honour,  a  man's  own  soul  of  his  comfort  and  peace,  and  others  of  that 
benefit  and  fruit  which  otherwise  they  might  receive  from  us.  Satan 
is  subtle  ;  he  will  make  a  man  proud  of  his  very  graces  ;  he  will  make 
him  proud  that  he  is  not  proud.  Pride  grows  with  the  decrease  of  other 
sins,  and  thri\'es  by  their  decay.  Other  sins  are  nourished  by  poison- 
ous roots,  as  adultery  is  nourished  by  idleness,  and  gluttony  and  mur- 
der by  malice  and  envy ;  but  this  white  devil,  spiritual  pride,  sprino-s 
from  good  duties  and  good  actions  towards  God  and  man.  Spiritual 
pride  is  a  very  great  enemy  to  the  good  and  salvation  of  man.  Pride 
is  like  a  very  great  swelling,  which  unfits  men  for  any  service. 

Again,  spiritual  pride  is  a  very  great  enemy  to  the  good  and  salvation 
of  men.  The  Greek  word  signifies  siuelleth,  for  pride  is  like  a  crreat 
swelling  in  the  body,  which  unfits  it  for  any  good  service.     John  v.  40, 

*  You  will  not  come  to  me,  that  you  may  have  life  ;'  and  ver.  44,  '  How 
can  ye  believe  in  me,  which  seek  honour  one  of  another?'  Christ  blesses 
his  Father,  Mat.  xi.  25,  that  he  had  'hid  those  things  from  the  wise  and 
prudent,  and  had  revealed  them  unto  babes  and  sucklings.'  it  is  the 
pride  of  men's  hearts  that  makes  them  throw  off  ordinances,  as  poor 
and  low  things,  when,  alas!  in  their  practices  they  live  below  the  power, 
beauty,  glory,  and  holiness  of  the  least  and  lowest  ordinance.  There's 
more  holiness,  purity,  and  glory  manifested  in  the  lowest  administra- 
tions of  Christ,  than  is  held  forth  by  them,  m  their  highest  practices. 

[7.]  The  seventh  proposition  is  this, 

Pride  un-mans  a  man  ;  it  snakes  Jiim  do  acts  that  are  below  a 
'man. 

As  you  may  see  in  Pharaoh,  Haman,  Herod,  Nebuchadnezzar,  &c. 
It  makes  men  bedlams,  to  say  they  know  not  what,  and  to  do  they 
care  not  what.  It  was  pride  that  made  Hildebrand  to  cause  Henry  the 
Fourth  to  stand  three  days  at  his  gate,  with  his  wife  and  his  child, 
barefooted.  It  was  pride  that  made  Adonibezek  cause  thi-ee-score  and 
ten  kings,  with  their  thumbs  and  great  toes  cut  off.  Judges  i.  5-7,  to 
gather  their  meat  under  his  table.  Oh  !  what  wretched  unmanly  acts 
hath  the  pride  of  many  persons  put  them  upon. 

[8.]  The  eighth  proposition  is  this. 

The  poorest  are  oftentimes  the  proudest. 

Pretty  is  the  parable  of  Jothara  :  the  best  trees  refused  to  be  kin^-, 
but  the  bramble  affected  it  ;  and  did  sperare  et  aspirare,  hope  and 
aspire  it.  Judges  ix.  J 5.  So  in  2  Kings  xiv.  9,  'The  thistle  that  was 
in  Lebanon  sent  to  the  cedar  that  was  in  Lebanon,  saying,  Give  thy 
daughter  to  my  son  to  wife.'     Hagar  the  kitchen-maid  will  be  proud, 

'  Thomas  Adams,  whose  '  "White  Devil'  is  one  of  his  most  remarkable  sermons.  See 
Works,  vol.  ii.  pp.  221,  el  seq. — G. 


48  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

and  insult  over  her  mistress  Sarah,  Gen.  xxi.  Tlie  poor  sons  of  Zebedee 
would  sit  at  Christ's  right  hanil  and  left,  Mat.  xx.  20,  21.  And  those 
that  Job  disdains  to  set  with  the  dogs  of  his  flock,  yet  contemn  him 
in  the  day  of  his  sorrow,  Job  xxx.  1.  The  foot  strives  to  be  equal  with 
tile  head,  the  servant  as  the  master,  the  cobbler  as  the  councillor,  and 
the  peasant  as  tlie  prince,  &c. 

[9.]  The  ninth  proposition  is  this, 

FrUle  is  a  sure  fore-runner  of  a  fall. 

'  Pride  goes  before  destruction,  and  a  haughty  mind  before  a  fall,' 
Prov.  xvi.  18,  xviii.  12.  Herod  fell  from  a  throne  of  gold  to  a  bed  of 
dust.  Nebuchadnezzar  fell  from  the  state  of  amighty  king,  to  bea  beast. 
Adam  fell  from  innocency  to  mortality.  The  angels  fell  from  heaven 
to  hell,  from  felicity  to  misery. 

[10.]  The  tenth  and  last  proposition  is  this  : 

God  will  by  an  invincible  power  cany  the  day  against  proud  souls. 

You  that  it  escape,'  and  ruffle  it  out,  and  carry  it  with  a  high  hand, 
remember  this,  God  will  by  an  invisible  power  carry  the  day  against 
you  ;  wlien  you  think  not  of  it,  he  will  eat  you  like  a  moth.  Isa.  xlvii. 
10,  n,  'For  thou  hast  trusted  in  thy  wickedness,  thou  hast  said,  None 
seeth  me.  Tiiy  wisdom  and  thy  knowledge  hath  perverted  thee.  And 
thou  hast  said  in  thine  heart,  I  am,  and  none  else  besides  me.  There- 
fore shall  evil  come  upon  thee,  thou  shalt  know  not  from  whence  it 
risetli ;  and  mischief  shall  fall  upon  thee,  and  thou  shalt  not  be  able  to 
put  it  off.  And  desolation  shall  come  upon  thee  suddenly,  which  thou 
shalt  not  know.'  Impunity  oftentimes  causeth  impudency,  but  quod 
differtur  non  aufertur,  forbearance  is  no  acquittance.  The  longer  the 
hand  is  lifted  up,  the  heavier  will  be  the  blow  at  last.  Of  all  metals, 
lead  is  the  coldest,  but  being  melted,  it  becomes  the  hottest.  Humble 
souls  know  how  to  apply  this,  and  proud  souls  shall  sooner  or  later 
experience  this.^ 

II.  I  shall  now  proceed  to  a  second  observation, 

Namely, 

That  all  saints  are  not  of  an  equal  size  and  growth  in  grace  and 
holiness. 

Some  are  higher,  and  some  are  lower  ;  some  are  stronger  and  some 
are  weaker,  in  spiritual  graces  and  heavenly  excellencies.  '  Unto  me 
who  am  less  than  the  least,'  &c. 

Among  true  believers,  some  may  be  found  to  be  but  weak  believers. 
This  point  flows  as  natural  from  the  words  as  the  stream  does  from  the 
fountain,  and  no  point  more  clear  in  all  the  Scripture  than  this. 

In  Rom.  xiv.  1,  you  read  of  some  that  are  weak  in  the  faith ;  '  Them 
that  are  Aveak  in  the  faith  receive,'  saith  the  apostle.  None  are  to  be 
rejected  in  whom  aliquid  Christi,  anything  of  Christ,  is  to  be  found. 
And  so  Mat.  xiv.  81,  there  is  mention  made  of '  little  faith.'  1  Cor.  ix. 
22,  '  To  the  weak  became  I  as  weak,  that  I  might  gain  the  weak.'  You 
read  of  babes  in  grace  :  1  Pet.  ii.  2,  3,  '  As  new-born  babes,  desire  the 

'  Qu.  '  You  that  think  to  escape'? — G. 

'  I'ojje  Innocent  tlie  Fourth,  as  he  was  walking  securely  in  his  palace,  heard  that  sor- 
rowful and  dreadful  summons,  Veni  miser  in  judicium,  come,  thou  wretch,  receive  thy 
judgment ;  and  soon  after  he  was  found  dead.    Eccles.  viii.  11. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  KICHES  OF  CHRIST.  49 

sincere  milk  of  the  word,  that  you  may  grow  thereby,  if  so  be  that  ye 
have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious.'  1  John  ii.  12-14,  there  is  men- 
tion made  of  '  Httle  children,  of  young  men,  and  of  fathers.'  All  are 
not  fathers  in  grace,  nor  all  are  not  young  men  in  grace  ;  there  are  some 
children  in  grace.  A  Christian  in  this  life  hath  his  degrees  of  growth  ; 
he  is  first  a  child  in  grace,  and  then  a  young  man  in  grace,  and  then  a 
father  in  grace.' 

For  the  further  opening  of  this  point,  I  shall  endeavour  these  four 
things. 

I.  I  shall  endeavour  to  decipher  to  you  souls  weak  in  grace. 

II.  I  shall  endeavour  to  lay  down  those  things  that  may  encourage, 
support,  and  comfort  souls  that  are  weak  in  grace. 

III.  I  shall  speak  to  the  duties  that  lie  upon  those  that  are  weak  in 
grace. 

IV.  The  duties  that  lie  upon  those  that  are  strong  in  grace,  towards 
those  that  are  weak  in  grace. 

Of  these  four  we  shall  sjDeak,  as  the  Lord  shall  assist. 

I.  I  shall  begin  with  the  first.  To  decvpher  souls  weak  in  grace. 

The  first  thing  by  which  I  shall  decipher  souls  weak  in  grace  is  this  : 

[1.]   Weak  Christians  are  usually  carried  much  out  after  the  poor 
loiu  things  of  this  ivorld. 

They  are  much  in  carking  and  caring  for  them,  and  in  pursuing  and 
hunting  greedily  after  them.  That  is  a  clear  text  for  this:  Mat.  vi.  24, 
to  the  end.  Christ  labours  by  several  weighty  arguments  to  fence 
and  fortify  his  disciples  against  those  diffident,  doubtful,  carking  cares, 
that  divide,  distract,  distemper,  torture,  and  tear  the  heart  in  a  thou- 
sand pieces.  And  yet  neither  these  arguments,  nor  yet  the  presence  of 
him  who  was  the  great  landlord  of  heaven  and  eai-th,  and  whose  love 
and  bowels  were  still  yearning  towards  them,  and  whose  special  eye  of 
pi'ovidence  was  still  over  them,  could  rid  their  heads  and  hearts  of 
these  worldly  cares  that  do  but  vex  and  perplex  the  souls  of  men.  And 
it  is  very  observable,  that  after  this  smart  lecture  that  Christ  had  read 
them,  they  did  strive  three  several  times  who  should  be  greatest  and 
highest  in  worldly  enjoyments.  Their  hearts  should  have  been  only 
in  heaven,  and  yet  they  strive  for  earth,  as  if  there  were  no  heaven, 
or  as  if  earth  were  better  than  heaven.  All  which  does*  clearly  evi- 
dence, that  their  graces  were  very  weak,  and  their  corruptions  very 
strong.  Men  that  have  little  of  the  upper  springs  within,  are  carried 
out  much  after  the  springs  below.  Baruch  was  good,  but  weak  in 
grace  ;  he  had  but  some  sips  and  tastes  of  the  glory  of  that  other 
world,  and  that  made  him,  when  God  was  a-pulling  down  all  worldly 
glory,  to  seek  for  earth  as  if  there  were  no  heaven,  Jei\  xlv.  1-5. 
Certainly  there  is  but  little  of  Christ  and  grace  within,  where  the 
heart  is  so  strongly  carried  out  after  these  things  without.  Where 
there  is  such  strong  love  and  workings  of  heart  after  these  poor 
things,  it  speaks  our  soul's  enjoyment  of  God  to  be  but  poor  and 
low. 

1  It  is  ■with  Christians  as  it  is  with  planets :  the  moon  goes  her  course  in  a  month,  the 
sun  in  a  year,  the  rest  not  in  many  years  ;  yet  at  length  they  iinish. 
VOL.  III.  D 


50  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

In  the  Old  Testament,  the  Jews,  being  babes  and  infants  in  grace 
and  holiness,  had  a  world  of  temporal  promises,  and  very  few  spiritual 
promisf^s.  Bat  now  in  the  days  of  the  gospel,  the  Lord  is  pleased 
1.0  double  and  treble  his  Spirit  upon  his  people,  and  now  you  meet  with 
very  few  temporal  promises  in  the  gospel,  but  the  gospel  is  filled  with 
spiritual  promises.  The  gospel  drops  nothing  but  marrow  and  fatness, 
love  and  sweetness  ;  and  therefore  God  looks  in  these  days  that  men 
should  grow  up  to  a  gi'cater  height  of  holiness,  heavenliness,  and  spirit- 
ualness,  than  what  they  attained  to  in  those  dark  days,  wherein  the 
sun  sinned  but  dimly.  Men  rich  and  strong  in  grace  look  upon  the 
world  with  a  holy  scorn  and  disdain,  as  Themistocles,  when  he  saw  in 
the  dark  a  thing  like  a  pearl,  he  scorned  to  stoop  for  it  himself,  saying 
to  another,  '  Stoop  thee,  for  thou  art  not  Themistocles/'  Abraham,  a 
man  strong  in  grace,  looked  with  a  holy  scorn  and  with  an  eye  of  dis- 
dain upon  these  poor  things.  When  Melchisedec  from  God  had  made 
him  heir  of  all  things,  he  refused  the  riches  that  the  king  of  Sodom 
offered  him,  because  God  was  his  shield  and  his  exceeding  great  reward, 
Gen.  xiv.  21,  xv.  L  The  greatest  bargain  that  a  soul  rich  in  grace 
will  make  with  God  for  himself  is  this,  '  Give  me  but  bread  to  eat  and 
clothes  to  wear,  and  thou  shalt  be  my  God.'  So  it  was  with  that  brave 
soul,  Gen.  xxviii.  21,  he  desires  but  food  and  raiment.  Mark,  he  asks 
food,  not  junkets  f  raiment,  not  ornaments.  A  little  will  serve  a  man 
that  is  strong  in  grace,  much  will  not  serve  a  man  that  is  weak  in  grace, 
nothing  will  serve  a  man  that  is  void  of  grace.  Souls  w^eak  in  grace, 
have  their  hearts  much  working  after  these  poor  low  things ;  as  you 
may  see.  Mat.  xviii.  1,  'Who  shall  be  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven?'  The  question  is  stated  by  the  disciples,  that  one  would  have 
thought  should  have  had  their  hearts  and  thoughts  in  heaven  ;  but  they 
dreamed  of  an  earthly  kingdom,  where  honours  and  offices  should  be 
distributed,  as  in  the  days  of  David  and  Solomon.  And  it  is  observable 
in  Mark  ix.  33,  34,  they  are  at  it  again  :  '  And  he  came  to  Capernaum ; 
and  being  in  the  house,  he  asked  them.  What  was  it  that  ye  disputed 
among  5^ourselves  by  the  way?  But  they  held  their  peace'  (they  Avere 
ashamed  to  tell  him) ;  '  for  by  the  way  they  had  disputed  among  them- 
selves who  should  be  greatest.'  Saith  one,  I'll  have  this,  and  saith  an- 
other, I'll  have  that,  &c. ;  or  as  it  is  in  the  Greek,  '  they  disputed  who 
was  greatest ;'  so  in  Luke  ix.  46.  Says  one,  I  am  greater  than  thou  ; 
No,  says  another,  I  am  greatest :  rig  ful^m,  who  was  greatest.  It  is  an 
argument  of  a  childish  disposition  to  be  taken  more  with  rattles  and 
baubles  than  with  jewels  and  pearls.  That  Christian  hath  little  of  the 
power  of  grace  within  him,  whose  heart  is  so  strongly  carried  out  to  these 
vanities  below.  Men  that  are  grown  up  to  years  of  understanding  prefer 
one  piece  of  gold  above  a  thousand  new  counters.  A  soul  that  is  strong 
in  grace,  that  is  high  in  its  spiritual  enjoyments,  prefers  one  good  word 
from  God,  one  good  look  from  Christ,  above  all  the  glory  of  this  world. 
'  Lord,'  saith  he,  '  lift  thou  up  the  light  of  thy  countenance  upon  me.' 
Warm  my  heart  with  the  beams  of  tliy  love,  and  then  a  little  of  these 
things  will  suffice.  You  see  Moses  and  all  those  worthies  in  the  11th 
of  the  Hebrews,  who  were  men  strong  in  grace,  how  bravely  they  trample 
upon  all  things  below  God.  They  left  their  families  and  their  countries, 
'  riutarch,  as  before.— G.  *  '  Dainties.'— Q. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  5 1 

where  they  lived  like  princes,  to  wander  in  a  wilderness,  upon  the  bare 
command  of  God.'  So  Luther,  a  man  strong  in  grace,  when  he  had  a 
gown  and  money  given  him  by  the  elector,  he  turned  himself  about, 
and  said,  '  I  protest  God  shall  not  put  me  off  with  these  poor  low  things.' 
Souls  that  know  by  experience  what  the  bosom  of  Christ  is,  what  spiri- 
tual communion  is,  what  the  glory  of  heaven  is,  will  not  be  put  off  by 
God  nor  man  with  things  that  are  mixed,  mutable,  and  momentary. 
And  to  shame  many  professors  in  these  days,  I  might  bring  in  a  cloud  of 
witnesses  ;  even  from  among  the  very  heathen,  who  never  heard  of  a 
crucified  Christ,  and  yet  were  more  crucified  to  things  below  Christ  than 
many  of  them  that  pretend  much  to  Christ.  But  I  shall  forbear,  only 
desiring  that  those  that  think  and  speak  so  scornfully  and  contemp- 
tuously of  heathens  may  not  at  last  be  found  worse  than  heathens ;  yea, 
be  judged  and  condemned  by  heathens  in  the  great  and  terrible  day  of 
the  Lord. 

Secondly,  In  order  to  a  further  deciphering  of  weak  Christians,  I  shall 
lay  down  this  : 

[2.]  That  lueak  saints  do  usually  overfear  troubles  before  they  come; 
yea,  those  future  evils  that,  forty  to  one,  may  never  fall  out. 

The  very  empty  thoughts  and  conceit  of  trouble  is  very  terrible  and 
perplexing  to  a  weak  saint.  When  it  was  told  the  house  of  David,  say- 
ing, '  Syria  is  confederate  with  Ephraim,'  his  heart  was  moved,  and  the 
heart  of  his  people,  as  the  trees  of  the  wood  are  moved  with  the  wind,  Isa. 
vii.  2.  Their  heart  quaked  and  quivered,  as  we  say,  like  an  aspen  leaf. 
It  is  an  elegant  expression,  shewing,  in  their  extremity,  the  baseness  of 
their  fears,  arguing  no  courage  or  spirit  at  all  in  them.  The  very  news 
and  conceit  of  trouble  or  calamities,  oh  how  doth  it  pei-plex,  and  vex, 
and  grieve,  and  overwhelm  weak  Christians  !^  The  very  hearing  of 
trouble  at  a  distance  makes  them  to  stagger  and  reel,  and  ready  to  say, 
'  Will  God  now  save  ?  Will  he  now  deliver  V  It  puts  them  into  those 
shaking  fits,  that  they  know  not  what  to  do  with  themselves,  nor  how 
to  perform  the  service  they  owe  to  God  or  man.  Now  tell  me,  can  you 
call  that  a  stout  spirit,  a  strong  spirit,  that  is  daunted  with  the  very 
report  and  thoughts  of  calamity  ?  Or  that  does  torment  men  with  im- 
moderate fear  of  a  thousand  things  that  happily  shall  never  fall  out;  as 
fears  of  foreign  invasions,  or  fears  of  home-bred  confusions,  fears  of  change 
of  religion,  or  being  surprised  with  such  or  such  diseases,  or  being  ruined 
in  their  outward  estate  by  such  and  such  devices  or  disadvantages,  or 
by  falling  under  the  frowns  of  such  a  great  man,  or  under  the  anger 
and  revenge  of  such  and  such  a  man,  and  a  thousand  such  like  things. 
Now,  this  speaks  out  much  weakness  in  grace.  Souls  strong  in  grace 
are  carried  above  these  fears;  yea,  with  the  leviathan  in  Job,  they  can 
laugh  at  the  shaking  of  a  spear,  chap.  xli.  29.     They  can  say  with  David, 

*  The  philosopher  preferred  the  king's  countenance  before  his  coin.  [Said  of  Socrates 
in  Plato,  as  before.  —  G.] 

2  The  chameleon,  saith  Pliny,  is  the  most  fearful  of  all  creatures,  and  doth  therefore 

turn  into  all  colours  to  save  itself ;  and  so  it  is  often  with  weak  Christians Pray 

for  me,  said  Latimer  in  his  letter  to  Ridley  ;  for  I  am  sometimes  so  fearful,  that  I  would 
creep  into  a  mouse-hole. —  [Foxe]  Acts  et  Man.  1665.  [Rather,  '  A  Conference  had  be- 
twixt Master  Ridley  and  Master  Latimer  in  Prison,'  &c.  Foxe,  by  Townsend,  vii.  423. 
The  words  are  touchingly  humble  :  '  Pardon  me,  and  pray  for  me  ;  pray  for  me,  I  say  ; 
pray  for  me,  1  say.  For  I  am  sometimes  so  fearful,  that  I  would  creep  into  a  mouse-, 
hole.' — G. 


52  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

'  Though  we  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  we  will 
fear  no  evil ;  for  thou  art  with  us,  thy  rod  and  thy  staff  do  comfort  us,' 
Ps.  xxiii.  4.  But  weak  souls  are  afraid  of  their  own  shadow.  The  very 
shadow  of  trouble  will  exceedingly  trouble  such  souls,  and  oftentimes 
make  their  lives  a  very  hell.' 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Fainting  in  the  day  of  adversity  speaks  of  a  soul  to 
be  but  iue(ck  in  ijrace. 

Weak  Christians  are  overcome  with  little  crosses.  The  least  cross 
doth  not  only  startle  them,  but  it  sinks  them,  and  makes  them  ready 
to  sit  down  and  to  cry  out  with  the  church,  '  Behold  you  that  pass  by, 
see  Avhether  there  be  any  sorrow  like  my  sorrow,'  Lam.  i.  12.  Before 
trouble  comes,  weak  Christians  are  apt  to  think  that  they  can  bear  much 
and  endure  much  ;  but,  alas!  when  the  day  of  trial  comes  upon  them, 
when  they  are  put  to  it,  they  prove  but  men  of  poor  and  impotent  spirits, 
and  then  they  roar,  and  complain,  and  lie  down  in  the  dust,  suftering 
crosses  and  losses  to  bind  them  hand  and  foot,  and  to  spoil  them  of  all 
their  comforts.  And  now  though  they  have  many  comforts  for  one 
cross,  yet  one  cross  doth  so  damp  and  daunt  their  hearts,  that  joy  and 
comfort  flies  away  from  them,  and  they  sit  down  overwhelmed.  Cer- 
tainly this  speaks  out  little  -of  Christ  within.  All  Rachel's  comforts 
Avere  no  comforts,  because  her  children  were  not.  This  speaks  out  much 
weakness  within. 

Prov.  xxiv.  10,  'If  thou  faintest  in  the  day  of  adversity,  thy  strength 
is  small ;'  if  thou  shrinkest,  if  thou  abatest  and  slackest,  in  the  day  of 
adversity,  thy  strength  is  small.  Man  hath  no  trial  of  his  strength  till 
he  be  in  trouble  ;  faintness  then  discovers  weakness.  Afflictions  try 
what  sap  we  have,  as  hard  weather  tries  what  health  we  have.  A  weak 
Christian  sinks  under  a  little  burden ;  every  frown,  every  sour  word,  every 
puff  of  wind  blows  him  down,  and  makes  him  sink  under  his  burden. 
But  now  a  soul  strong  in  grace  bears  up  bravely  against  all  winds  and 
weather.  That  is  a  brave  text,  and  worthy  to  be  written  in  letters  of 
gold,  that  you  have  in  Gen.  xlix.  23,  24,  '  Joseph's  bow  abode  in  strength, 
though  the  archers  sorely  grieved  him,  shot  at  him,  and  hated  him.  And 
the  arms  of  his  hands  were  made  strong,  by  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob.' 
The  archers  that  sorely  grieved  him  were  his  barbarous  brethren  that 
sold  him;  his  adulterous  mistress  that, harlot-like,  hunted  for  his  precious 
life ;  his  injurious  master,  that  without  any  desert  of  his,  imprisoned  liim ; 
the  tumultuating  Egyptians, that  were  pined  with  himger,  perhaps  spake 
of  stoning  him ;  and  the  envious  courtiers  and  enchanters  spake  evilly  of 
him  before  Pharaoh,  to  bring  him  out  of  favour.  All  these  ^hot  sorely  at 
him.  The  word  that  is  rendered  archers  in  the  Hebrew,  ^ya^  is  arrow- 
masters,  which  term  implieth  cunning  and  skilful ness  in  shooting.  They 
were  cunning  and  skilful  to  hit  the  mark,  and  they  shot  at  him,  as  at  a 
mark  ;  but  yet  '  his  bow  abode  in  strength.'  When  God  in  the  midst  of 
weakness  makes  a  soul  strong,  that  soul  will  not  only  face  enemies  and 
difficulties,  but  triumph  over  them.  Those  that  are  strong  in  grace  seldom 
want  courage  or  counsel  when  they  are  at  the  worst.  They  always  find 
their  hope  to  be  an  anclior  at  sea,  and  their  faith  a  shield  upon  land  ; 
and  therefore  they  triumph  in  all  storms  and  dangers.     They  stand  firm 

'  Buccjilialue  was  not  afraid  of  liis  burden  ;  the  ?])ado\s'  only  frighted  him.  So  weak 
Christians  are  afraid  of  the  shadow  of  the  cross. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  KICHES  OF  CHRIST.  53 

when  they  are  under  the  greatest  pressures  :  2.  Cor.  xi.  23)  '  In  labours 
more  abundant,  in  stnpes  above  measure,  in  prisons  more  frequent,  in 
deaths  often,'  &c.  And  yet  he  triumphs  in  2  Cor.  i.  12,  'Our  rejoicing 
is  this,  the  testimony  of  our  conscience,  that  in  singleness  and  godly 
sincerity,  not  with  fleshly  wisdom,  but  by  the  grace  of  God,  we  have  had 
our  conversation  in  the  world,  and  more  abundantly  to  you-wards.' 
Strong  Paul  rejoiced  in  his  sufferings  for  Christ,  and  therefore  often 
sings  it  out :  '  I,  Paul,  a  prisoner  of  Jesus  Christ ;'  not  '  I  Paul,  rapt 
up  in  the  third  heaven.'  He  preferred  his  crown  of  thorns  before  a 
crown  of  gold,  his  prison  rags  above  all  royal  robes.^ 

[4.]  Fourthly,  A  weak  Christian  thinks  that  little  to  he  much  thai 
lie  suffers  for  Christ. 

In  Mat.  xix.  27,  then  '  answered  Peter,  and  said  unto  him,  Behold, 
we  have  forsaken  all,  and  followed  thee  ;  what  shall  we  have  V  Their 
worldly  case  in  following  Christ,  was  little  worse  than  when  they  only 
traded  in  fishing;  and  yet,  'we  have  forsaken  all,  and  followed  thee; 
what  shall  we  have  V  This  their  all  was  not  worth  a  speaking  of,  and 
yet,  for  this  they  look  for  some  great  worldly  reward  and  recompence. 
'  We  have  forsaken  all'  A  great  all  sure  !  a  few  broken  boats,  and  a 
few  tattered  and  torn  nets,  and  a  little  old  household  stuff,  and  Christ 
maintained  them  too,  upon  liis  own  cost  and  charge  ;  and  yet  say  thej'-, 
'  We  have  forsaken  all,  and  followed  thee.'  Neither  is  it  without  an 
emphasis,  that  they  begin  with  a  Behold  ;  '  Behold  we  have  forsaken  all' 
as  if  Christ  were  greatly  beholding  to  them.  Let  their  wills  be  but 
crossed  a  little,  by  servants,  children,  friends,  &c,  or  let  them  but  suffer 
a  little  in  their  names  or  estates,  &c.,  and  presently  you  shall  have  them 
a-sighing  it  out, '  No  sorrow  like  our  sorrow,'  no  loss  to  our  loss,  no  cross 
to  our  cross,  &c.^  Whereas  souls  strong  in  grace  suffer  much,  and  j^et 
count  that  much  but  little.  A  soul  strong  in  grace  can  suffer  much, 
and  yet  make  nothmg  of  it.  I  am  heartily  angry,  saith  Luther,  who 
suffered  very  much,  with  those  that  speak  of  my  sufferings,  which  if  com- 
pared with  that  which  Christ  suffered  for  me,  are  not  once  to  be  men- 
tioned in  the  same  day,  &c.* 

[5.]  Fifthly,  Those  that  are  iveak  in  grace  dwell  more  upon  what 
may  discourage  them  in  the  ways  of  grace  and  holiness,  than  they  do 
upon  what  may  encourage  them,. 

They  dwell  more  upon  their  sins  than  upon  a  Saviour ;  more  upon 
their  misery,  than  upon  free  grace  and  mercy  ;  more  upon  that  which 
may  feed  their  fears,  than  upon  that  that  may  strengthen  their  faith  ; 
more  upon  the  cross,  than  upon  the  crown  ;  more  upon  those  that  are 
against  them,  than  those  that  are  for  them  :  Isa.  li.  12,  13,  '  I,  even  1, 
am  he  that  comforteth  you  :  who  art  thou,  that  thou  shouldest  be  afraid 
of  a  man  that  shall  die,  and  of  the  son  of  man  which  shall  be  made  as 
grass ;  and  forgettest  the  Lord  thy  maker,  that  hath  stretched  forth  the 
heavens,  and  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth  ;  and  hast  feared  con- 
tinually every  day,  because  of  the  fury  of  the  oppressor,  as  if  he  were 
ready  to  destroy  ?  and  where  is  the  fury  of  the  oppressor  V  The  same 
is  intimated  Rom.  iv.  19,  20,  'Abraham,  being  not  weak  in  ftiith,  he 

• 

1  If  we  perish,  Christ  perisheth  with  us,  said  Luther.    ['  Table  Talk,'  as  before.— G.] 

2  Weak  Christians  are  like  children  ;  they  look  for  a  great  reward  for  a  little  work. 
^  '  Table  Talk,'  as  before.  — G. 


54  THE  UNSEARCHA15LE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

considered  not  his  own  body  beinf?  dead,  nor  yet  tlie  deadness  of  Sarah's 
womb.'  Mark,  '  being  not  weak  in  faitl).'  Souls  weak  in  faith  are  very 
apt  to  dwell  upon  discouragements,  but  strong  Christians  look  above 
all  discouragements. 

'  He  considered  not.'  The  Greek  is  oO  y-anvorirti  he  cared  not  for  his 
own  bod\',  he  did  not  mind  that ;  but  in  the  20th  verse,  '  he  considered 
him  that  had  promised.'  Souls  strong  in  grace  dwell  more  iipon  their 
encouragements  to  holiness  and  believing,  than  upon  their  discourage- 
ments. '  He  considered  him  that  had  promised.'  He  had  an  eye  fixed 
upon  the  faithfulness  of  God,  and  the  sufiiciency  and  almightiness  of 
God,  and  tliis  bore  up  his  heart  above  all  discouragements.  So  in  2 
Cor.  iv.  16-18,  'Our  light  affliction,  Avhich  is  but  for  a  moment,  worketh 
for  us  a  far  more  exceeding,  and  eternal  weight  of  glory  ;  while  we  look 
not  (mark,  they  are  not  doatingupon  their  discouragements)  upon  things 
that  are  seen,  but  upon  things  that  are  not  seen  :  the  tilings  which  are 
seen  are  temporal,  but  the  things  that  are  not  seen  are  eternal.'  An  eye 
fixed  upon  encouragements  makes  heavy  afflictions  light,  long  afflictions 
short,  and  bitter  afflictions  sweet.  Those  blessed  martyrs  found  it  so, 
that  were  cast  out  all  night,  in  a  cold  frosty  night,  naked,  and  were  to 
be  burnt  the  nextday,  who  thus  comforted  themselves.  The  winteris  sharp, 
but  paradise  is  sweet ;  here  we  shiver  for  cold,  but  the  bosom  of  Abra- 
ham will  make  amends  for  all.  Weak  Christians  have  eyes  to  behold 
their  discouragements,  but  none  to  see  their  encouragements  ;  they  look 
more  upon  their  corruption  than  upon  their  sanctification  ;  upon  their 
disobedience  than  their  obedience  ;  upon  their  distnist  than  upon  their 
faith  ;  upon  the  old  man  than  upon  the  new  ;  and  this  keeps  them  low 
and  Aveak  in  spirituals,  it  causes  a  leanness  in  their  souls. 

[0.]  Sixthly,  TJie  seal  of  iveak  Christians  usually  outstnps  their 
vj'isdom  and  knovjledge. 

Weak  Christians  are  very  zealous,  but  not  according  to  knowledge  : 
Rom.  X.  2,  '  For  I  bear  them  record,  that  they  have  a  zeal  of  God,  but  not 
according  to  knowledge.'     They  were  very  zealous,  but  not  true  zealots, 
they  are  very  peevish  and  pettish  and  censorious  ;  but  they  want  wis- 
dom and  knowledge  to  manage   their  zeal,  to  God's  glory  and  their 
brethren's   good.      Such   zeal   had  those   two   rabbins  that   set  upon 
Charles   the  Fifth,  to  persuade   him  to   turn  Jew,  as  judging   their 
religion  to  be  the  only  religion  in  the  Avorld,  and  for  which  they  Avere 
put  to  a  cruel  death,  in  the  year  1530.'     A  great  zeal  they  had  to  the 
winning  over  of  him  to  Judaism,  but  this  zeal  was  their  ruin.     Zeal 
without  knowledge  is  as  wild-fire  in  a  fool's  hand  ;  it  is  like  the  devil 
in  the  demoniac,  that  sometimes  cast  him  into  the  fire,  and  sometimes 
into  the  water.     So  the  disciples  of  Christ  were  weak  in  their  light, 
and  furious  in  their  zeal :  Luke  ix.  54,  *  Let  fire  come  down  from  heaven, 
and  consume  them,'  say  they.     But  mark  what  Christ  saith,  ver.  55  : 
'  Ye  know  not  what  manner  of  spirits  ye  are  of;'  that  is,  ye  know  not 
what  spirit  acts  you.     You  think  that  you  are  acted  by  such  a  spirit  as 
Elijah  of  old  was  acted  by,  but  you  err,  saith  Christ ;  •'  you  have  a  zeal, 
but  not  according  to  knowledge,'  therefore  it  is  a  human  affection  and 
not  a  divine  motion.     Zeal  is  like  fire  :  in  the  chimney  it  is  one  of  the 
best  servants,  but  out  of  the  chimney  it  is  one  of  the  worst  masters. 
'  David  Eubenita,  trnd  Shiloineh  Molcha.     Alsted,  Ghr.  426. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  55 

Zeal  kept  by  knowledge  and  wisdom,  in  its  proper  place,  is  a  choice 
servant  to  Christ  and  saints  ;  but  zeal  not  bounded  by  wisdom  and 
knowledge,  is  the  high  way  to  undo  all,  and  to  make  a  hell  for  many  at 
once.' 

Weak  Christians  are  usually  most  zealous  about  circumstances  and 
things  that  have  least  of  God  and  Christ  and  the  power  of  holiness  in 
them  ;  and  most  cold  about  substances,  as  woful  experience  doth  evi- 
dence in  these  days.  Zeal  ordered  by  wisdom,  feeds  upon  the  faults  of 
offenders,  not  on  their  persons.  It  spends  itself  and  its  greatest  heat 
principally  upon  those  things  that  concern  a  man's  self  It  is  most  ex- 
ercised about  substantiaLs  :  Tit.  ii.  14,  but  that  which  is  rash,  is  most 
exercised  about  circumstantials  ;  Gal.  i.  14,  Paul  was,  in  the  days  of  his 
ignorance,  very  zealous  for  the  traditions  of  his  fathers,  &c. 

[7.]  Seventhly,  Among  all  saints,  the  weakest  saints  act  most  like 
carnal  sinners. 

No  saint  so  like  a  sinner  as  a  weak  saint :  1  Cor.  iii.  1-5,  'And  I, 
brethren,  could  not  speak  unto  you  as  unto  spiritual,  but  as  unto  carnal, 
even  as  unto  babes  in  Clirist.  I  have  fed  you  with  milk,  and  not  with 
meat  :  for  hitherto  ye  were  not  able  to  bear  it,  neither  yet  now  are  ye 
able.  For  are  ye  not  yet  carnal  :  for  whereas  there  is  among  you  envy- 
ing, and  strife,  and  divisions,  are  ye  not  carnal,  and  walk  as  men  ?  For 
while  one  saith,  I  am  of  Paul,  and  another  I  am  of  Apollos  ;  are  ye  not 
carnal  V  They  were  advanced  but  very  little  above  the  imperfections 
and  passions  and  sins  of  mere  men,  of  such  which  had  notliing  of  the 
Spirit  in  them,  &c.  Do  wicked  men  quarrel  with  their  teachers,  as 
shallow  trivial  teachers,  when  themselves  are  in  fault,  as  being  not  cap- 
able of  more  mysterious  matter  ?  So  did  these  babes  here.  Do  wicked 
men  impute  their  not  profiting  to  the  minister,  as  he  that,  having  a 
thorn  in  his  foot,  complains  of  the  roughness  of  the  way  as  the  cause  of 
his  limping,  wlienas  it  was  the  thorn  and  not  thoroughness  of  the  way 
that  hurt  him.  Or  as  she,  that,  being  struck  with  a  sudden  blindness, 
bid  open  the  window,  whenas  it  was  not  the  want  of  light,  but  want 
of  sight,  that  troubled  her.  So  did  these  babes  in  the  text  lay  the 
fault  of  their  non-proficiency  upon  their  teachers,  when  the  fault  was 
wholly  in  themselves.^ 

Now  he  calls  them  carnal,  partly  because  the  flesh  was  strong  in 
them,  and  partly  because  they  followed  and  relished  the  things  of  the 
flesh,  and  partly  because  they  did  in  their  actions  resemble  carnal  men. 
Do  carnal  and  wicked  men  cry  up  one  good  man,  and  cry  down  another  ? 
Do  they  lift  up  one,  and  abase  another  ?  So  did  they.  Are  wicked 
men  full  of  envy,  strife,  and  divisions  ?  So  were  they.  And  these  over- 
flowings of  the  gall  and  spleen,  come  from  a  fulness  of  bad  humours,  from 
that  abundance  of  carnality  that  was  in  them.  But  now  souls  strong 
in  grace  are  higher  than  carnal  men,  as  Saul  was  higher  than  the  people 
by  head  and  shoulders.  Souls  strong  in  grace  have  their  feet  where 
carnal  men's  heads  are  :  Pro  v.  xv,  24,  '  The  way  of  life  is  above  to  the 

'  Josephus,  in  the  11th  and  12th  chapters  of  his  book,  tells  you  of  some  tliat  imposed 
the  name  of  Zelote  iipon  themselves,  as  if  tliey  were  zealous  for  the  honour  and  service 
of  God,  and  under  this  pretence  committed  all  riots  and  imaginable  wickedness.  It  were 
well  if  we  had  no  such  monsters  among  us  in  these  days.  [Zealots  ;  Antiq.,  b.iv.  10,  seq, 
et  alibi. — G.] 

'  In  many  things,  weak  Christians  are  carnal  men's  apes. 


5G  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

wise,  that  lie  may  depart  from  hell  beneath.'  Souls  that  are  strong  in 
grace,  do  act  rather  like  angels  than  like  carnal  men  ;  they  do  as  much 
resemble  the  Father  of  spirits,  as  carnal  men  do  the  Father  of  lies. 

[8.]  Eigldldy,  Souls  weak  in  grace  are  easily  drawn  aside  out  of 
the  ways  of  holiness. 

You  know  a  man  that  hath  but  a  little  bodily  strength,  is  easily 
thrust  out  of  the  way ;  so  it  is  with  souls  Aveak  in  grace :  1  John  iii.  7, 
'  Little  children,  let  no  man  deceive  you  ;  he  that  doth  righteousness 
is  righteous,  even  as  he  is  righteous.'  Saith  the  apostle,  'Little  children, 
let  no  man  deceive  you.'  Many  in  these  days,  under  pretences  of  high 
and  glorious  enjoyments  of  God,  neglect  and  despise  righteousness  and 
holiness,  crying  up  visions  and  manifestations,  when  their  visions  are 
only  the  visions  of  their  own  hearts  and  their  manifestations  are  plain 
delusions.  Ah  !  but  says  the  apostle,  '  Little  children,  let  none  of  these 
deceive  you.'  I  tell  you  he,  and  only  he,  that  doth  righteousness,  is 
righteous,  as  God  is  righteous.  Children,  you  know,  may  be  easily 
cozened,  and  made  to  take  counters  for  gold,  because  they  are  broader 
and  brighter.  Children  in  grace  are  soon  deceived,  hence  is  it  that 
they  are  so  cozened.  '  Little  children,  keep  yourselves  from  idols,' 
1  John  V.  2L'  So  in  Heb.  xii.  12,  13,  'Wherefore  lift  up  the  hands 
which  hang  down,  and  the  feeble  knees.'  Some  think  that  the  apostle 
alludes  to  those  combats  of  the  heathens,  wherein  it  was  a  token  of 
yielding,  when  a  man  hung  down  his  hands.  You  are  weak,  saith  the 
apostle,  and  by  reason  of  trials  you  are  apt  to  hang  down  your  hands, 
and  to  give  up  all  as  lost;  therefore,  says  he,  lift  up  your  hands  to  fight, 
and  your  feet  to  run,  take  heart  and  courage,  faint  not,  give  not  over, 
turn  not  aside  because  of  the  sharpness  of  afflictions.  But  souls  strong 
in  grace  will  hold  on  in  the  ways  of  grace  and  holiness,  in  the  face  of 
all  dangers  and  deaths,  Ps.  xliv. 

[9.]  Ninthly,  Weak  Christians  are  apt  to  make  sense  and  feeling 
the  judge  of  their  spiritual  estates  and  conditions. 

And,  therefore,  upon  every  turn  they  are  apt  to  judge  themselves 
miserable,  and  to  conclude  that  they  have  no  grace,  because  they  can- 
not feel  it,  nor  discern  it,  nor  believe  it ;  and  so  making  sense,  feeling, 
and  reason,  the  judge  of  their  estates,  the}'  wrong,  and  perplex,  and  vex 
their  precious  souls,  and  make  their  lives  a  very  hell:  as  if  it  were  not 
one  thing  to  be  the  Lord's,  and  another  thing  for  a  man  to  know  that 
he  is  the  Lord's  ;  as  if  it  were  not  one  thing  for  a  man  to  have  grace, 
and  another  thing  to  know  that  he  hath  grace. 

The  Canaauite  woman  had  strong  faith,  but  no  assurance  that  we 
read  of.  Mat.  xv.  22,  seq.  Gal.  iv.  G,  '  And  because  ye  are  sons,  God 
hath  sent  forth  the  Spirit  of  his  Son  into  your  hearts,  crying,  Abba, 
Father.'  Mark,  they  are  first  the  sons  of  God,  and  then  the  Spirit 
cries,  Abba,  Father.  1  John  v.  13,  'These  things  have  I  written  unto 
you  that  believe  on  the  name  of  the  Son  of  God,  that  ye  may  know  that 
ye  have  eternal  life.'  Mark,  they  did  believe,  and  they  had  eternal  life, 
in  respect  of  Christ  their  head,  who,  as  a  public  person,  was  gone  to 
heaven,  to  represent  all  his  saints.     And  they  had  eternal  life  in  respect 

*  The  idols  that  are  here  mentioned  are  surely  those  that  the  Gnostics  used  to  wor- 
phip,  viz ,  the  images  and  pictures  of  iSiinou  Magus  and  Helena,  as  might  bo  made 
evident  out  of  Eusebius. 


EpH,  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  57 

of  the  promises,  and  they  had  eternal  life  in  respect  of  the  beginnings 
of  it ;  and  yet  they  did  not  know  it,  they  did  not  believe  it.  There- 
fore '  these  thiogs  write  I  unto  you  that  believe  on  the  name  of  the  Son 
of  God,'  saith  he,  '  that  ye  may  know  that  ye  have  eternal  life,  and 
that  this  life  is  in  his  Son.'  Ponder  on  Micah  vii.  7-9.  Much  of  this 
you  may  read  in  my  treatise  called  Heaven  on  Earth,  or  a  tvell- 
grounded  Assurance  of  Men's  everlasting  Happiness  and  Blessedness 
in  this  World,  and  to  that  I  refer  you.^ 

The  word  shall  judge  us  at  last,  John  xii.  48  ;  and  therefore  strong 
saints  make  only  the  word  of  God  the  judge  of  their  spiritual  condition 
now,  as  Constantine  made  it  the  judge  and  decider  of  all  opinions. 

[10.]  Tenthly,  Their  thoughts  and  hearts  are  more  taken  with  the 
love-tokens,  and  the  good  things  they  have  by  Christ,  than  with  the 
'person  of  Christ. 

Oh  their  graces,  their  comforts,  their  enlargements,  their  meltings, 
and  their  warminos,  &c.,  are  the  thins^s  that  most  take  them.  Their, 
thoughts  and  hearts  are  so  exercised  and  carried  out  about  these,  that 
the  person  of  Christ  is  much  neglected  by  them.  The  child  is  so  taken 
with  babies^  and  rattles,  &c.,  that  the  mother  is  not  minded.  And 
such  is  the  carriage  of  weak  Christians  towards  Christ.  But  now  souls 
strong  in  grace  are  more  taken  with  the  person  of  Christ  than  they 
are  with  the  love-tokens  of  Christ.  The}'-  bless  Christ  indeed  for  every 
dram  of  grace,  and  for  every  good  word  from  heaven,  and  for  every 
good  look  from  heaven;  ay,  but  yet  the  person  of  Christ,  that  is  more  to 
them  than  all  these.*  This  is  remarkable  in  the  church,  Cant.  v.  9,  10, 
'  What  is  thy  beloved  more  than  another  beloved,  0  thou  fairest  among 
women  ?  &c.  My  beloved  is  white  and  ruddy,  the  chiefest  among  ten 
thousand,'  &c.  She  doth  not  say,  My  beloved  is  one  that  I  have  got 
so  many  thousands  by,  and  heaven  by,  and  pardon  of  sin  by,  and  peace 
of  conscience  by.  Oh  no  !  but  he  is  white  and  ruddy.  Her  soul  was 
taken  most  with  the  person  of  Christ.  Not  but  that  every  one  is  to 
mind  the  graces  of  Christ,  and  to  be  thankful  for  them  ;  ay,  but  it  is  an 
argument  of  weakness  of  grace,  when  the  heart  is  more  exercised  about 
the  bracelets,  and  the  kisses,  and  the  love-tokens  of  Christ,  than  it  is 
about  the  person  of  Christ.*  But  now  saith  one  strong  in  grace.  My 
bracelets  are  precious,  but  Christ  is  more  precious  ;  the  streams  of  grace 
are  sweet,  but  the  fountain  of  grace  is  most  sweet ;  the  beams  of  the 
sun  are  glorious,  but  the  sun  itself  is  most  glorious.  A  naked  Christ, 
a  despised  Christ,  a  persecuted  Christ,  is  more  valued  by  a  strong 
Christian,  than  heaven  and  earth  is  by  a  weak  Christian.^ 

[11.]  Eleventhly,  Souls  weak  in  giuce  are  easily  stopped  and  taken 
off  from  acting  graciously  and  holily,  when  discouragements  face 
them. 

This  you  may  see  in  that  remarkable  instance  concerning  Peter,  in 
that  26th  of  Matthew,  from  the  69th  to  the  end.  A  silly  wench  out- 
faces him;  she  daunts  and  dis-spirits  this  self-confident  champion  ;  she 
easily  stops  and  turns  him  by  saying,  '  Thou  wast  with  Jesus  of  Galilee/ 

'  See  Vol.  II.  p.  301,  seq.—G.  2  '  Dolls.'— G. 

'  Christ  is  the  most  sparkling  diamond  in  the  ring  of  glory,  &c. 

*  That  wife  is  but  weak  in  her  love  that  is  more  taken  with  her  husband's  presents 
than  with  his  person. 

»  Christ's  person,  to  a  strong  Christian,  is  the  greatest  cordial  in  all  the  world. 


58  THE' UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

V.  70.  '  But  lie  denied  it  before  them  all,  saying,  I  know  not  what  thou 
sayest'  He  makes  as  if  he  did  neither  understand  her  words  or  her 
meaning;  and  this  false  dissembling  was  a  true  denying  of  Christ.  Now 
Mark  saith,  chap.  xiv.  G8,  that  upon  the  very  first  denial  of  Christ,  the 
cock  crew,  and  yet  this  fair  warning  could  not  secure  him,  but  when 
another  maid  saw  him,  and  said,  'This  fellow  was  with  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,'  vcr.  72,  he  denied  it  with  an  oath,  saying,  '  I  do  not  know 
the  man.'^  This  was  fearful  and  dreadful,  and  the  worse  because  his 
Master,  whom  he  forsware,  was  now  upon  his  trial,  and  might  say  with 
wounded  Coesar,  y-ai  av  tskvov,  What!  and  thou  my  son  Brutus!'*  Is 
this  thy  kindness  to  thy  friend,  to  him  that  has  loved  thee,  and  saved 
thee,  and  owned  thee  ?  &c.  Then  ver.  73,  '  Surely  thou  art  one  of  them, 
i'or  thy  speech  betrayeth  thee.'  And  ver.  74.  '  He  began  to  curse  and 
to  swear,  I  know  not  the  man. 

The  Greek  word  that  is  rendered  curse,  imports  a  cursing  and  a 
damning  of  himself,  an  imprecation  of  God's  wrath,  and  a  separation 
from  the  presence  and  glory  of  God,  if  he  knew  the  man.*  Some 
writers  say,  that  he  cursed  Christ.  '  I  know  not  the  man,'  saith  he. 
Though  it  were  ten  tliousand  times  better  to  bear  than  to  swear,  and 
to  die  than  to  lie,  yet  when  discouragement  faces  him,  he  is  so  amazed 
and  daunted,  that  he  tells  the  most  incredible  lie  that  almost  could  be 
uttered  by  the  mouth  of  man.  For  there  was  scarce  any  Jew,  saith 
Grotius,  that  knew  not  Christ  by  sight,  being  famous  for  those  abund- 
ance of  miracles  that  he  wrought  before  their  eyes.  Neither  could 
Peter  allege  any  cause  why  he  came  thither,  if  he  had  not  known 
Christ.  But,  ver.  7o,  '  He  went  out,  and  wept  bitterly.'  One  sweet  look 
of  love  breaks  his  heart  in  pieces,  he  melts  under  the  beamings  forth  of 
divine  favour  upon  him.  Once  he  leapt  into  a  sea  of  Avaters  to  come 
to  Christ,  and  now  he  leaps  into  a  sea  of  tears  for  that  he  had  so  shame- 
fully denied  Christ.  Clement  notes,  that  Peter  so  repented,  that  all  his 
life-time  after,  every  night  when  he  heard  the  cock  crow,  he  would  fall 
upon  his  knees  and  weep  bitterly,  begging  pardon  for  this  dreadful  sin.* 

Others  say,  that  after  his  lying,  cursing,  and  denying  of  Christ,  he 
was  ever  and  anon  weeping,  and  that  his  face  was  furrowed  with  con- 
tinual tears.  He  had  no  sooner  taken  in  poison,  but  he  vomits  it  up 
again,  before  it  got  to  the  vitals.  He  had  no  sooner  handled  a  serpent, 
but  he  turns  it  into  a  rod  to  scourge  his  soul  with  remorse.  This  truth 
is  furtiier  confirmed  by  the  speech  g,nd  carriage  of  the  disciples  :  Luke 
xxiv.  21,  seq.,  '  We  trusted,'  say  they,  '  that  it  had  been  he  which  should 
have  redeemed  Israel,  but  now  we  cannot  tell  what  to  say  to  it.'  Here 
their  hope  hangs  the  wing  extremely.  Weak  souls  find  it  as  hard  to 
wait  for  God,  as  it  is  to  bear  evil.^  This  weakness  Christ  checks,  ver. 
25,  'O  fools,  and  slow  of  heart  to  believe  all  that  the  prophets  have 
spoken,'  &c.     And  John  xvi.  5,  the  first  news  Christ  tells  them,  is  of 

'  Cavchis  autcm,  si  pavebis.  *  Plutarch,  &c.,  as  before. — G. 

'  xaTccvahua-ri't^iiv.  Vide  Calvin  on  tho  text  in  Koin.  vi.  19.  Tht-ro  are  three  (os  in 
the  expression  of  tlie  service  of  sin  :  to  uncleanuess,  to  iniquity,  anil  vnto  iniquity  ;  but 
in  tho  .'Service  of  God  there  are  only  two  los :  to  righteousness,  and  unto  holiness  ;  to 
note  that  we  are  more  prone  to  sin  before  conversion,  than  we  are  to  grace  and  holiness 
after  conversion,  *  In  loco  :  Epist. — G. 

*  Invalidnm  omne  naturd  qiieridum,  weak  spirits  are  ever  quarrelling  and  contending. 
[Seneca  :  Di  Animi  Tranqnillitalt:.  — G.] 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST;  59 

their  sufferings  and  of  his  leaving  of  them;  and  upon  the  thoughts 
hereof  their  hearts  were  so  filled  with  sorrow,  that  they  could  not  so 
much  as  say,  'Master,  whither  goest  thoul'  ver.  6.  But  now,  souls 
strong  in  grace  will  hold  on  in  holy  and  gracious  actings  in  the  very 
face  of  the  greatest  discouragements,  as  those  in  Ps.  xliv.  19,  '  Though 
thou  hast  sore  broken  us  in  the  place  of  dragons,  and  covered  us  with 
the  shadow  of  death,  yet  our  heart  is  not  turned  back,  neither  have 
our  steps  dechned  from  thy  ways.'  And  so  the  three  children,  they 
hold  up  in  the  face  of  all  discouragements.  And  so  those  brave  worthies, 
of  whom  this  world  was  not  worthy,  Heb.  xi.,  their  hearts  were  carried 
out  exceedingly,  notwithstanding  all  discouragements,  to  hold  on  in 
ways  of  holiness,  and  in  their  actings  of  faith  upon  God,  in  the  face  of 
all  dangers  and  deaths  that  did  attend  them.^ 

When  Henry  the  Eighth  had  spoken  and  written  bitterly  against 
Luther,  saith  Luther,  Tell  the  Henries,  the  bishops,  the  Turks,  and  the 
devil  himself,  do  what  they  can,  we  are  children  of  the  kingdom,  wor- 
shij^ping  of  the  true  God,  whom  they,  and  such  as  they,  spit  upon  and 
crucified.^  And  of  the  same  spirit  and  metal  were  many  martyrs. 
Basil  affirms  of  the  primitive  saints,  that  they  had  so  much  courage 
and  confidence  in  their  sufferings,  that  many  of  the  heathens,  seeing 
their  heroic  zeal  and  constancy,  turned  Christians. 

[12.]  Twelfthly,  Weak  saints  'mind  their  wages  and  veils  more  than 
their  work. 

Their  Avages,  their  veils,'  is  joy,  peace,  comfort,  and  assurance,  &c. ; 
and  their  work  is  waiting  on  God,  believing  in  God,  walking  with  God, 
acting  for  God,  &c.  Now,  weak  saints'  minds  are  more  carried  out,  and 
taken  up  about  their  wages,  about  their  veils,  than  they  are  about  their 
work,  as  experience  doth  abundantly  evidence.*  Ah!  Christians,  if  you 
don't  mind  your  wages  more  than  your  work,  what  means  the  bleating 
of  the  sheep,  and  the  lowing  of  the  oxen?  1  Sam.  xv.  14.  What 
means  those  earnest  and  vehement  cryings  out  and  wrestlings  for  joy, 
peace,  comfort,  and  assurance,  when  the  great  work  of  believing,  of 
waiting,  and  of  walking  with  God,  is  so  much  neglected  and  disregarded? 
But  now  strong  saints  are  more  mindful  of  their  work  than  they  are  of 
their  wages.  Lord !  saith  a  strong  saint,  do  but  uphold  me  in  a  way  of 
believing,  in  a  way  of  working,  in  a  way  of  holy  walking,  &c.,  and  it 
shall  be  enough,  though  I  should  never  have  assurance,  comfort,  peace, 
or  joy,  till  my  dying  day.  If  thou  wilt  carry  me  forth  so  as  thou 
mayest  have  honour,  though  I  have  no  comfort ;  so  thou  mayest  have 
glory,  though  I  have  no  peace,  I  will  bless  thee,  Rom.  iv.  18-20.  I 
know,  says  such  a  soul,  though  a  life  of  comfort  be  most  pleasing  to 
me,  yet  a  life  of  believing,  abstracted  from  comfort,  is  most  honourable 
to  thee,  and  therefore  I  will  be  silent  before  thee.  Lord  !  do  but  help 
me  in  my  work,  and  take  thine  own  time  to  give  me  my  wages,  to  give 
me  comfort,  joy,  peace,  assurance.  They  are  none  of  the  best  servants 
that  mind  their  wages  more  than  their  work,  nor  they  are  none  of  the 

'  Such  a  spirit  shined  in  Clirysostom  when  he  bid  them  tell  the  enraged  empress 
Eudoxiii,  Nil  nisi peccatum  iimeo,  I  fear  iiotliing  but  sin. 

-  'Table  Talk,'  as  before,  with  reference  to  Henry  8th's  '  Assertio  Sacramentorum 
adversus  Lutherum,'  1521,  which  won  for  him  from  the  pope  his  title  of  '  Defender  of 
the  Faith.'— G.  3  '  Presents.'— G. 

*  Children  mind  more  play-days  than  they  do  working-days,  or  school-days. 


60  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

best  Christians  that  mind  their  comforts  and  their  in-comes'  more  than 
that  homage  and  duty  that  they  owe  to  God. 

Before  1  come  to  the  second  thing  premised,  give  me  leave  to  give 
you  this  hint ;  viz.,  that  there  is  no  such  way  to  joy,  peace,  and  assur- 
ance, as  this,  to  mind  your  work  more  than  your  wages.  Ah  !  had  many 
mourning,  complaining  Christians  done  thus,  their  mourning  before  this 
had  been  turned  into  rejoicing,  and  their  complaining  into  singings. 
Christians,  the  high  way  to  comfort  is  to  mind  comfort  less,  and  duty 
more  ;  it  is  to  mind  more  what  thou  shouldst  do,  than  what  thou 
wouldst  have,  as  you  may  see  in  Eph.  i.  13,  '  In  whom  ye  also  trusteil, 
after  that  ye  heard  the  word  of  faith,  the  gospel  of  your  salvation  :  in 
whom  also,  after  that  ye  believed,  ye  were  sealed  witli  that  Holy  Spirit 
of  promise.' 

The  original  runs  thus,  ^v  (I  xal  iriarsvffavnc,  in  whom  believing,  ye  were 
sealed.  While  faith  is  busied  and  exercised  about  Christ,  and  those 
varieties  of  glories  and  excellencies  that  are  in  him,  the  Lord  comes, 
and  by  his  Spirit  seals  up  the  life,  and  love,  and  glory  of  them. 

Thus  by  divine  assistance  I  have  despatched  the  first  thing,  viz.,  the 
deciphering  of  weak  Christians. 

II.  The  second  thing  that  I  propounded  for  the  further  opening  and 
clearing  of  this  point  was,  to  hold  forth  to  you  those  things  that  tend  to 
support,  comfort,  and  uphold  weak  Christians.  And  truly  I  must 
needs  say,  that  if  ever  there  were  a  time  wherein  weak  Christians  had 
need  of  support,  I  verily  believe  this  is  the  time  wherein  we  live,  for 
by  the  horrid  profaneness  of  men  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  abominable, 
loose,  and  rotten  principles  of  others  on  the  other  hand,  the  hearts  of 
many  weak  Christians  especially  are  sadded,  that  God  would  not  have 
sadded,  and  their  sj)irits  wounded  and  grieved,  that  God  would  have 
comforted  and  healed  ;  and  therefore  I  shall  dwell  the  longer  upon  this 
second  thing. 

And  the  Jirst  thing  that  I  shall  lay  down  by  way  of  support  is  this. 
Support  1.  Tltat  the  weakest  Christians  have  as  much  interest  and 
2wopritty  in  Cltrist,  and  all  tJte  fundamental  good  that  comes  hy 
Christ,  as  the  strongest  saints  in  the  ivorld  have} 

Weak  saints  are  as  much  united  to  Christ,  as  much  justified  by  Christ, 
as  much  reconciled  by  Christ,  and  as  much  pardoned  by  Christ,  as  the 
strongest  saints.  It  is  true,  weak  Christians  cannot  make  so  much  im- 
provement and  advantage  of  their  interest  in  Christ,  as  strong  saints 
can  ;  they  have  not  that  power,  that  wisdom,  that  spiritual  skill  to 
make  that  advantage  of  their  interest  and  propriety  in  Christ  as  strong 
saints  have  ;  yet  have  they  as  much  interest  and  propriety  in  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  all  the  fundamental  good  that  comes  by  him,  as  the  strongest 
saint  that  breathes.  The  sucking  child  hath  as  much  interest  and  pro- 
priety in  the  father,  and  in  what  is  the  father,^  as  the  child  that  is  grown 
up  to  age,  though  the  young  child  has  not  that  skill,  nor  that  power, 
nor  wisdom  to  improve  that  interest  to  his  advantage,  as  he  that  is 
grown  up  in  years  hath.     It  is  just  so  here;  a  soul  weak  in  grace  hath 

'  =  '  Incomings'  of  tlio  Spirit  of  graces. — G. 

*  He  that  looked  npoii  tlio  brazon  serpent,  tliough  witli  a  weak  sight,  was  healed  as 
thoroughly  as  ho  that  looked  ujion  it  with  a  stronger  siglit.  A  weak  faith  is  a  joint  pos- 
sessor, though  no  faith  can  be  a  joint  purchaser  of  Christ.  *  Qu.  '  father's  "? — Ed. 


EpH.  hi.  8]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  6! 

as  much  interest  in  the  Lord  as  the  strongest  saint  hatli,  though  he 
liath  not  that  skill  to  improve  that  interest.  And  is  not  this  a  singular 
comfort  and  support  ?  Verily,  were  there  no  more  to  bear  up  a  poor 
weak  saint  from  fainting  under  all  their  sins,  and  sorrows,  and  suffer- 
ings, yet  this  alone  might  do  it,  &c. 

The  second  support  and  comfort  to  weak  saints  is  this  : 

Siippo7't  2.  That  God  doth  v)ith  an  eye  of  love  reflect  upon  the  least 
good  that  is  in  them,  or  done  by  them} 

And  is  not  this  a  glorious  comfort  and  support,  that  the  Lord  looks 
with  an  eye  of  love  upon  the  least  good  that  is  in  you,  or  done  by  you? 
You  cannot  have  a  good  thought,  but  God  looks  upon  that  thought 
with  an  eye  of  love  :  Ps.  xxxii.  5,  '  I  said  I  would  confess  my  sin,  and 
thou  forgavest  mine  iniquity.'  I  said  it  in  my  thoughts,  that  I  would 
confess  my  sin,  and  thou  presently  meeting  me  with  pardoning  mercy, 
forgavest  mine  iniquity.  So  in  Mai.  iii.  16,  'And  there  was  a  book  of 
remembrance  written  for  them  that  feared  the  Lord,  and  that  thought 
upon  his  name.'  They  had  but  some  thoughts  of  God,  and  God  re- 
flects upon  those  thoughts  with  an  eye  of  love  :  Isa.  xxxviii.  5,  '  I  have 
heard  thy  prayers,  I  have  seen  thy  tears.'  Tears  we  look  upon  but  as 
poor  things,  and  yet  God  looks  upon  them  as  pearls,  and  therefore  he 
puts  them  into  his  bottle,  as  the  psalmist  speaks.^  There  is  not  a  bit 
of  bread,  not  a  drop  of  drink  thou  givest,  but  God  casts  an  eye  of  love 
upon  it,  Mat.  xxv.  35,  86. 

There  is  not  a  desire  that  arises  in  thy  soul,  but  the  Lord  takes 
notice-of  it :  Prov.  x.  17,  'Thou  hast  heard  the  desire  of  the  humble.' 
Weak  saints  are  full  of  desires,  their  whole  life  is  a  life  of  desires,  they 
are  still  a-breathing  out  holy  desires :  Lord,  pardon  such  a  sin,  and 
give  me  power  against  such  a  sin,  and  strength,  Lord,  to  withstand  such 
a  temptation,  and  grace.  Lord,  to  uphold  me  under  such  an  affliction, 
&c.;  and  the  Lord  hears  aad  answers  such  gracious  breathings  and 
longings. 

It  was  holy  Jewel's  desire,  that  he  might  die  preaching ;  and  God 
looked  with  an  eye  of  love  upon  his  desire,  and  he  had  it. 

It  was  Latimer's  desire,  that  he  might  shed  his  heart's  blood  for 
Christ ;  and  God  looked  with  an  eye  of  love  upon  the  breathings  of  his 
heart,  and  he  had  it. 

The  Israelites  did  but  groan,  and  God  looked  upon  their  groans  with 
an  eye  of  love  ;  he  comes  down,  he  makes  his  arm  bare,  he  tramples 
upon  their  proud  enemies,  and  by  miracles  he  saved  them.  O  weak 
Christian  !  is  not  this  a  singular  comfort,  that  the  Lord  reflects  with  an 
eye  of  love  upon  your  thoughts,  upon  your  desires,  upon  your  tears,  and 
upon  your  groanings,  &c.  What  though  others  slight  you  !  what 
though  others  take  no  notice  of  you  !  j^et  the  Lord  casts  an  eye  of  love 
upon  you. 

Some  think  it  very  strange  that  God  should  set  down  in  Scripture 
the  story  of  Jacob,  a  poor  countryman.  Gen.  xxxi.,  that  he  had  a  few 
ewes  and  lambs,  streaked   and  spotted,  and  yet  take  no  notice  of  the 

'  The  least  star  gives  light ;  the  least  drop  moistens. 

-  So  in  Ps.  vi.  8,  one  observes  that  there  are  two  strong  things  in  tears  :  [1.]  Deor- 
sum  flaunt,  et  caelum  petunt,  they  drop  downward,  and  fall  to  the  earth  ;  yet  tliey  ruach  up- 
wards, and  pierce  the  heavens.  [2.]  Mutx  sunt  et  loquuntv.r,  they  hold  their  peace,  yet 
cry  very  loud. 


62  TIIK  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPII.  111.  8. 

great  emperors  and  kings  of  tlie  earth,  nor  of  their  great  actions  and 
warlike  designs  in  the  world.  But  this  is  to  shew  that  tender  love  and 
respect  that  God  bears  to  his  children,  above  what  lie  does  to  tlie  great 
ones  of  tiiis  world.  God  is  more  taken  with  Lazarus's  patched  coat  than 
with  Dives's  silken  robe,  &c. 

A  third  thing  that  I  shall  propound  for  the  support  and  comfort  of 
weak  saints  is  this  : 

Support  3.  Consider,  the  Lord  looks  more  upon  your  graces  than 
he  doth  upon  your  weaknesses. 

Or  thus, 

The  Lord  will  not  cast  atuay  iveak  saints,  by  reason  of  the  iveak- 
nesses  that  cleaves  to  their  jiersons  or  services. 

In  2  Chron.  xxx.  18-20,  there  came  a  multitude  of  people  to  eat  the 
passover,  but  they  were  not  prepared  according  to  the  preparation  of 
the  sanctuary ;  therefore  Hezekiah  puts  up  a  prayer  for  them,  and  tlie 
text  saith,  that  the  '  Lord  hearkened  to  Hezekiah,  and  healed  the  peo- 
ple.' The  Lord  looked  upon  their  uprightness,  and  so  passed  over  all 
their  other  weaknesses.  He  did  not  cast  off  Peter  for  his  horrid  sins, 
but  rather  looks  upon  him  with  an  eye  of  love  and  pity  :  Mark  xvi.  7, 
'  But  go  your  way,  tell  his  disciples  and  Peter,  that  he  goeth  before  you 
into  Galilee  ;  there  shall  ye  see  him,  as  he  said  unto  you.'  0  admirable 
love  !  0  matchless  mercy  !  where  sin  abounds,  grace  does  superabound. 
This  is  the  glory  of  Christ,  that  he  carries  it  sweetly  towards  his  people, 
when  they  carry  themselves  unworthily  towards  him.  Christ  looks 
more  upon  Peter's  sorrow  than  upon  his  sin,  upon  his  tears  than  upon 
his  oaths,  &c.  The  Lord  will  not  cast  away  weak  saints  for  their  great 
unbelief,  because  there  is  a  little  faith  in  them.  He  will  not  throw 
them  away  for  that  hypocrisy  that  is  in  them,  because  of  that  little 
sincerity  that  is  in  them.  He  will  not  cast  away  weak  saints  for  that 
pride  that  is  in  them,  because  of  those  rays  of  humility  that  shine  in 
them.  He  will  not  despise  his  people  for  their  passions,  because  of 
those  grains  of  meekness  that  are  in  them.  We  will  not  throw  away  a 
little  gold  because  of  a  great  deal  of  dross  that  cleaves  to  it,  nor  a  little 
wheat  because  mixed  with  much  chatf,  and  will  God  ?  will  God  ? 

We  wuU  not  cast  away  our  garments  because  of  some  spots,  nor  our 
books  because  of  some  blots,  nor  our  jewels  because  of  some  flaws,  and 
do  we  think  that  the  Lord  will  cast  away  his  dearest  ones,  because  of 
their  spots,  and  blots,  and  flaws  ?  Surely  no.  God  looks  more  upon  the 
bright  side  of  the  cloud  than  the  dark  :  James  v.  11,  '  Remember  the 
patience  of  Job.'  It  is  not,  remember  the  murmuring  of  Job,  the 
cursing  of  Job,  the  complainings  of  Job,  the  impatience  of  Job  ;  but, 
*  Remember  the  patience  of  Job.'  God  looks  upon  the  pearl,  and  not 
upon  the  spot  that  is  in  it.  So  in  Heb.  xi.  30,  31,  there  is  mention 
made  of  Rahab's  faith,  love,  and  peaceable  behaviour  towards  the  spies, 
but  no  mention  made  of  her  lie.  The  Lord  overlooks  her  weakness, 
and  keeps  his  eye  upon  her  virtues.  Where  God  sees  but  a  little  grace, 
he  doth  as  it  were  hide  his  eyes  from  those  circumstances  that  might 
seem  to  deface  the  glory  of  it.  So  in  1  Pet.  iii.  6,  '  Even  as  Sarah 
obeyed  Abraham,  calling  him  lord.'  Mark  there  was  but  one  good 
word  in  Sarah's  speech  to  Abraham,  she  called  her  husband  lord;  the 
speech  otherwise  was  a  speech  of  unbelief,  yet  the  Holy  Ghost  speaking 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  63 

of  her  in  reference  to  that  speech,  conceals  all  the  evil  in  it,  and  men- 
tions only  the  reverent  title  she  gave  to  her  husband,  commending  her 
for  it. 

He  that  drew  Alexander,  whilst  he  had  a  scar  upon  his  face,  drew 
him  with  his  finger  upon  the  scar.  So  when  the  Lord  comes  to  look 
upon  a  poor  soul,  he  lays  his  finger  upon  the  scar,  upon  the  infirmity, 
that  he  may  see  nothing  but  grace,  which  is  the  beauty  and  the  glory 
of  the  soul.  Ah  !  but  weak  Christians  are  more  apt  to  look  upon  their 
infirmities  than  on  their  graces,  and  because  their  little  gold  is  mixed 
with  a  great  deal  of  dross,  they  are  ready  to  throw  away  all  as  dross. 
Well,  remember  this,  the  Lord  Jesus  hath  as  great  and  as  large  an 
interest  in  the  weake.st  saints,  as  he  hath  in  the  strongest.  He  hath  the 
interest  of  a  friend,  and  the  interest  of  a  father,  and  the  interest  of  a 
head,  and  the  interest  of  a  husband  ;  and,  therefore,  though  saints  be 
Aveak,  yea,  though  they  be  very  weak,  yet  having  as  great  and  as  large 
an  interest  in  them  as  in  the  strongest  saints,  he  cannot  but  overlook 
their  weakness,  and  keep  a  fixed  eye  upon  their  graces. 

A  fourth  support  is  this  : 

Swpport  4.  That  the  Lord  will  graciously  preserve  and  strengthen 
those  weak  graces  that  are  in  you} 

Though  your  graces  be  as  a  spark  of  fire  in  the  midst  of  an  ocean  of 
corruption,  yet  the  Lord  will  preserve  and  blow  up  that  spark  of  fire 
into  a  flame.  It  was  the  priest's  ofliice  in  the  time  of  the  law,  to  keep 
the  fire  in  the  sanctuary  from  going  out  ;  and  it  is  the  ofiice  of  our 
Lord  Jesus,  as  he  is  our  high  priest,  our  head,  our  husband,  our  media- 
tor, for  to  blow  up  that  heavenly  fire  that  he  hath  kindled  in  any  of  our 
souls.  His  honour,  his  faithfulness,  and  his  goodness  is  engaged  in  it, 
and  therefore  he  cannot  but  do  it,  else  he  would  lose  much  love  and 
many  prayers  and  praises,  did  he  not  cherish,  preserve,  and  streno-then 
his  own  work  in  his  own  people.  The  faith  of  the  disciples  was  gene- 
rally weak,  as  I  have  formerly  shewed  you,  and  yet  how  sweetly  doth 
the  Lord  Jesus  carry  it  towards  them  !  John  xvi.,  Acts  ii.  He  was 
still  a-breathing  out  light,  life,  and  love  upon  them  ;  he  was  still  a- 
turning  their  water  into  wine,  their  bitter  into  sweet,  and  their  discour- 
agements into  encouragements,  and  all  to  raise  and  keep  up  their 
spirits.  His  heart  was  much  in  this  thing,  therefore  says  he,  '  It  is 
necessary  that  I  leave  you,  that  I  may  send  the  Comforter  to  be  a  com- 
fort and  guide  unto  you."  I  will  pour  out  my  Spirit  upon  you,  that  a 
little  one  may  become  a  thousand,  and  a  small  one  a  strono-  nation, 
and  that  the  feeble  may  be  as  David,  and  the  house  of  David  as  God, 
as  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  Zech.  xii.  8.  That  is  a  sweet  text,  Isa.  Ixv.  8, 
*  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  As  the  new  wine  is  found  in  the  clusters,  and  one 
saith,  Destroy  it  not,  for  a  blessing  is  in  it,  so  will  I  do  for  my  servants' 
sake,'  &c.  Oh,  saith  Christ  to  the  Father,  here  are  a  company  of  weak 
saints  that  have  some  buddings  of  grace,  oh  do  not  destroy  it.  Father  ! 
there  is  a  blessing  in  it,  though  it  be  but  weak.  The  genuine  sense  of 
the  similitude,  I  think,  is  this  :  when  a  vine  being  blasted  or  otherwise 
decayed  is  grown  so  bad  and  so  barren,  that  scarce  any  good  clusters  of 
grapes  can  be  discerned  on  it,  whereby  it  may  be  deemed  to  have  any  life, 
or  of  ever  becoming  fruitful  again,  and  the  husbandman  is  about  to  grub 
'  The  tallest  oak  was  once  an  acorn,  and  the  deepest  doctor  was  once  in  his  horn-book. 


64  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

it  up  or  cut  it  down  to  the  ground,  one  standing  by  sees  here  a  duster, 
and  there  a  little  cluster,  and  cries  out,  Oh  do  not  grub  up  the  vine, 
do  not  cut  down  the  vine,  it  hath  a  little  life,  and  by  good  husbandry 
it  may  be  made  fruitful.  We  may  look  upon  the  Lord  Jesus  as  thus 
pleading  with  his  Father's  justice  :  Father,  I  know  thou  seest  that  these 
souls  are  dry  and  barren,  and  tliat  there  is  little  or  no  good  in  them, 
and  therefore  thou  mightest  justly  cut  them  down.  But,  O  my  Father  ! 
I  sec  here  a  bunch  and  there  a  bunch,  here  a  little  grace  and  there  a 
little  grace,  surely  there  is  a  blessing  it.  Oh  spare  it,  let  it  not  be 
stubbed  up,  let  it  not  be  destroyed. 

Mat,  xii.  27,  *  A  bruised  reed  shall  he  not  break,  nor  smoking  flax 
shall  he  not  quench,  till  he  send  forth  judgment  unto  victory.'' 

'  A  bruised  reed  shall  he  not  break.'  The  Jewish  commentators 
carry  it  thus  :  he  shall  not  tyrannise  over,  but  nourish  and  cherish  the 
poor,  weak,  feeble  ones,  that  are  wont  to  be  oppressed  l)y  great  ones. 
But  men  more  spiritual  carry  it  thus :  Christ  will  not  carry  it  roughly  and 
rio-orously  towards  poor  weak  tender  souls,  whose  graces  are  as  a  bruised 
reed  and  as  smoking  flax.  A  reed  is  a  contemptible  thing,  a  tender 
thinf,  it  will  break  sometimes  before  a  man  is  aware ;  a  bruised  reed 
is  more  tender,  it  will  be  broken  with  a  touch,  yet  Christ  will  not  break 
such  a  bruised  reed,  i.e.  a  soul  weak  in  grace. 

'  Nor  quench  the  smoking  flax.'  The  Avick  of  a  candle  is  little  worth, 
and  yet  less  when  it  smokes,  as  yielding  neither  light  nor  heat,  but 
rather  smokes,  and  offends  with  an  ill  smell,  which  men  cannot  bear, 
but  will  tread  it  out.  But  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will  not  do  so.  Souls 
whose  knowledge,  love,  faith,  and  zeal  do  as  but  smoke  out,  the  Lord 
Jesus  will  not  trample  under  foot ;  nay,  he  will  cherish,  nourish,  and 
stren^Tthen  such  to  life  eternal.  Look,  Avhat  tallow  is  to  the  wick,  or 
oil  is°  to  the  lamp,  that  will  the  Lord  Jesus  be  to  the  graces  of  weak 
Christians. 

'  Till  he  shall  bring  forth  judgment  unto  victory.'  That  is,  until  the 
sanctified  frame  of  grace  begun  in  their  hearts  Jbe  brought  to  that  per- 
fection that  it  prevaileth  over  all  opposite  corruption. 

Thus  you  see  how  sweetly  the  Lord  Jesus  carries  it  to  souls  weak 
in  orace  ;  therefore  let  not  those  that  bring  forth  a  hundredfold  despise 
those  that  bring  forth  but  thirty,  nor  those  that  have  five  talents  despise 
those  that  have  but  two. 
The  fifth  support  is  this  : 

Support  5.  That  iveak  saints  may  he  very  useful  to  the  strong,  and 
sometimes  may  do  more  than  strong  saints  can. 

As  you  may  see  in  ]  Cor.  xii.  14  to  28.'^  The  apostle  in  this  Scrip- 
ture discovers  the  singular  use  of  the  weakest  saint  in  the  body  of 
Christ  by  the  usefulness  of  the  weakest  and  meanest  member  in  the 
natural  body  to  the  strongest :  ver.  21,  '  The  eye  cannot  say  to  the  hand, 

*  tx/SaXXw :  (0  bring  forth.  It  is  the  custom  of  all  writers,  and  very  frequent  in  tlie  sacred 
dialect,  to  use  phrases  whereby  they  understand  mucli  more  than  they  do  express  :  an 
example  whereof  you  have  in  this  verse,  where  Clirist's  not  breaking  the  bruised  reed 
signiiies  his  great  mercy  and  kindness  in  repairing,  and  restoring,  and  curing  the  bruised 
weakling.  And  so  liis  not  quenching  the  smoking  flax  is  his  enlivening,  quickening, 
and  inflaming  that  fire  or  spark  of  grace  or  goodness  wliich  was  almost  quenched,  &c. 

-'  Others  understand  the  words  of  Christ  setting  np  the  profession  of  the  gospel  in  the 
world  among  the  heathens,  if  the  Jews  will  not  receive  it. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  65 

I  have  no  need  of  thee ;  nor  again  the  head  to  the  foot,  I  have  no  need 
of  thee.'  By  the  head  and  by  the  eye  he  means  such  saints  as  were 
eminent  in  gifts  and  graces,  that  were  adorned  more  richly  and  that 
shined  more  gloriously  in  grace  and  gracious  abilities  than  others.  Oh 
these  should  not  despise  those  that  were  not  so  eminent  and  excellent 
as  themselves ;  for  God  hath  so  tempered  the  inequality  of  the  members 
in  the  natural  body,  that  the  more  excellent  and  beautiful  members  can 
in  no  wise  lack  the  more  abject  and  weak  members ;  therefore  slight 
not  the  weakest  saints,  for  certainly,  at  first  or  last,  the  weakest  will  be 
serviceable  to  the  strongest.  A  dwarf  may  be  useful  to  a  giant,  a  child 
to  a  man ;  sometimes  a  little  finger  shall  do  that  that  a  limb  in  the 
body  cannot  do ;  it  is  so  often  in  Christ's  spiritual  body.'  I  will  give  you 
a  very  famous  instance  for  this. 

At  the  council  of  Nice  there  was  318  bishops,  and  by  the  subtlety  of 
a  philosopher  disputing  against  the  marriage  of  ministers,  they  gene- 
rally voted  against  it,  that  those  that  were  single  should  not  marry. 
At  length  up  starts  Paphnutius,  a  plain  Christian,  and  in  the  name  of 
Christ,  with  the  naked  word  of  God,  he  pleaded  against  them  all  in  that 
case;  and  God  so  wrought  by  his  arguments,  that  he  convinced  the  318 
bishops,  and  carried  the  cause  against  them  ;  yea,  and  so  convinced  the 
philosopher  of  his  error,  that  before  all  he  freely  confessed  it:  *As  long,' 
saith  he,  '  as  men's  words  were  only  pressed,  I  could  repel  words  with 
words  ;  but  what  is  weak  man  to  withstand  the  word  of  God  ?  I  yield; 
I  am  conquered.'^ 

Weak  Christians  may  be  of  singular  use  to  the  strongest ;  those  that 
know  most  may  learn  more  even  from  the  weakest  saints.^ 

Junius  was  converted  by  discoursing  with  a  ploughman ;  *  and,  Acts 
xviii.  24  to  27,  Apollos,  though  he  was  an  eloquent  man  and  mighty 
in  the  Scriptures  as  the  text  speaks,  yet  was  he  furthered  and  bettered 
in  the  knowledge  of  Christ's  kingdom  by  Aquila  and  Priscilla.  A  poor 
tent-maker  and  his  wife  were  instrumental  to  acquaint  him  with  those 
things  that  he  knew  but  weakly.  He  had  not  ascended  above  John's 
baptism,  but  they  had,  and  so  communicated  their  light  and  knowledge 
to  him. 

The  sixth  support  is  this: 

Support  6.  Where  there  is  but  a  little  grace,  there  God  expects  less, 
and  will  accept  of  less,  though  it  be  accompanied  with  many  failings. 

Thou  sayest,  Oh !  I  have  but  a  little  grace,  a  little  faith,  a  little  love, 
a  little  zeal.  Oh  know,  where  there  is  but  a  little  grace,  there  God 
expects  less  obedience,  and  will  accept  of  less  service  :  2  Cor.  viii.  12, 
'  For  if  there  be  first  a  willing  mind,  it  is  accepted  according  to  that 
which  a  man  hath,  and  not  according  to  that  which  he  hath  not.'  The 
two  mites  cast  into  the  treasury,  Luke  xxi.  3,  by  the  poor  widow,  her 
heart  being  in  the  action,  were  more  acceptable  than  two  talents  cast  in 
by  others.  Noah's  sacrifice  could  not  be  great,  and  yet  it  was  greatly 
accepted  by  God.     In  the  time  of  the  law,  God  accepted  a  handful  of 

'  It  was  a  saying  of  General  Vere  to  the  king  of  Denmark,  that  kings  cared  not  for 
soldiers,  until  such  time  that  their  crowns  hung  on  the  one  side  of  their  heads.  [See 
Sibbes,  vol.  i.  35. — G.]  ^  Socrates,  Eccles.  Hist. :  [Sub  nomine. — G.] 

3  A  little  star  hath  light  and  influence,  though  not  the  glory  which  is  proper  to  the 
Bun.  ■•  As  before,  page  21. — G. 

VOL.  III.  E 


G6  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

meal  for  a  sacrifice,  and  a  gripe  of  goat's  hair  for  an  oblation  ;  and  cer- 
tainly God  hath  lost  none  of  his  affections  to  poor  souls  in  the  time  of 
the  gospel :  Cant.  ii.  l-i,  '  Let  me  hear  thy  voice,  for  thy  voice  is  sweet, 
and  thy  countenance  is  lovely.'  The  Hebrew  word  ethkolech  signifies 
any  sound  such  as  birds  or  brutes  make.  Their  chattering  is  like  lovely 
songs  in  the  ear  of  God,  their  mite  is  a  sweet  oblation.  Parents,  that 
have  but  some  drops  of  that  love  and  tender  affection  that  is  in  God  to 
his  people,  yet  accept  of  a  very  little  service  from  their  weak  children ; 
and  will  not  God?  In  time  of  strength  God  looks  for  much,  but  in  the 
time  of  weakness  God  will  bear  much,  and  overlook  much,  and  accept 
of  a  little,  yea,  of  a  very  little.' 

One,  writing  of  the  tree  of  knowledge,  saith  that  '  it  bears  many 
leaves,  but  little  fruit.'  Though  weak  saints  have  a  great  many  leaves, 
and  but  little  fruit,  little  grace,  yet  that  little  the  Lord  will  kindly 
accept  of. 

Artaxerxes,  the  Persian  monarch,  was  famous  for  accepting  of  a  little 
Avater  from  the  hand  of  a  loving  subject ;  God  makes  himself  famous, 
and  his  grace  glorious,  by  his  kind  acceptation  of  the  weakest  endea- 
vours of  his  people,  &c. 

The  seventh  support  is  this: 

Support  7.  The  least  measure  of  grace  is  as  true  an  earnest,  and  as 
good  and  sure  a  pledge  of  greater  measures  of  grace  that  the  soul  shall 
have  here,  and  of  glory  that  the  soul  shall  have  hereafter,  as  the  greatest 
measure  of  grace  is.^ 

'  He  that  hath  begun  a  good  work,  he  will  perfect  it  to  the  day  of 
Christ,'  Philip,  i.  6.  Christ  is  called  not  only  the  author,  but  also  the 
finisher  of  our  faith,  Heb.  xii.  2.  In  Mai.  iv.  2,  3,  '  Unto  you  that  fear 
my  name,  shall  the  Sun  of  righteousness  arise,  with  healing  in  his 
wings,  and  he  shall  go  forth  and  grow  up  as  calves  of  tlie  stall.'  And 
so  in  Job  xvii.  9,  '  The  righteous  shall  hold  on  his  way,  and  he  that  hath 
clean  hands  shall  be  stronger  and  stronger. '^  Zech.  xii.  8,  '  In  that  day 
shall  the  Lord  defend  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  and  he  that  is 
feeble  among  them  at  that  day  shall  be  as  David,  and  the  house  of 
David  shall  be  as  God,  as  the  angel  of  the  Lord  before  them.'  So  in 
Hosea  xiv.  5-7,  I  will  be  as  the  dew  to  Israel,  he  shall  grow  as  the  lily, 
and  cast  forth  his  fruits  as  Lebanon  :  his  branches  shall  spread,  and  his 
beauty  shall  be  as  the  olive  tree,  and  his  smell  as  Lebanon.  They  that 
dwell  under  his  shadow  shall  return,  they  shall  revive  as  the  corn,  and 
grow  as  the  vine :  the  scent  thereof  shall  be  as  the  wine  of  Lebanon.' 

The  tree  in  Alcinous's  garden  had  always  blossoms,  buds,  and  ripe 
fruits,  one  under  another.  Such  a  tree  will  God  make  every  Christian 
to  be.  '  The  righteous,'  though  never  so  weak,  '  shall  flourish  like  the 
palm  tree,'  Ps.  xcii.  12-14!.  Now  the  palm  tree  never  loseth  his  leaf  or 
fruit,  saith  Pliny. 

*  It  is  very  observable  that  the  eagle  and  the  lion,  those  brave  creatures,  were  not 
offered  in  sacrifice  unto  God,  but  the  poor  lamb  and  dove  :  to  note  that  your  brave,  high, 
and  lofty  spirits  God  regards  not ;  but  your  poor,  meek,  contemptible  spirits  God  accepts. 

*  Though  men  often  lose  their  earnest,  yet  God  will  never  lose  his.  His  earnest  ia 
very  obliging. 

*  The  Hebrew  word  111,  or  way,  signifies  a  distinct  course  from  others,  as  the  way 
from  one  town  differs  from  the  way  to  another.  Here  in  Job  it  is  taken  for  a  course  in 
plenty. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  67 

An  old  man  being  asked  if  he  grew  in  goodness,  answered,  Yea, 
doubtless  I  believe  I  do,  because  the  Lord  hath  said,  '  They  shall  still 
bring  forth  fruit  in  old  age,  they  shall  be  fat,  and  flourishing;'  or  green, 
as  the  Hebrew  hath  it.* 

In  the  island  of  St  Thomas,  on  the  back  side  of  Africa,  in  the  midst 
of  it  is  a  hill,  and  over  that  a  continual  cloud,  wherewith  the  whole 
island  is  watered.  Such  a  cloud  is  Christ  to  weak  saints.  Though  our 
hearts  naturally  are  like  the  isle  of  Patmos,  which  is  so  barren  of  any 
good  as  that  nothing  will  grow  but  on  earth  that  is  brought  from  other 
places,  yet  Christ  will  make  them  like  '  a  watered  garden,  and  like  a 
spring  of  water,  whose  waters  fail  not,'  Isa.  Iviii.  11. 

The  eighth  support  is  this : 

S-wpport  8.  That  the  least  good  that  is  done  hy  the  weakest  saint 
shall  not  be  despised  by  Christ,  but  highly  esteemed  and  reivarded.^ 

As  you  may  see  in  Mat.  xix.  27,  '  Behold  we  have  forsaken  all,  and 
followed  thee,  and  what  shall  we  have?'  A  great  all!  a  great  catch 
indeed,  as  I  have  formerly  shewed  you  ;  they  left  a  few  old  boats  and 
torn  nets  and  poor  household  stuff,  yet  Christ  carries  it  very  sweetly 
and  lovingly  to  them,  and  tells  them  in  verse  28,  that  they  should  '  sit 
upon  twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.'  Christ  tells 
them  they  shall  sit  as  ambassadors  or  chief  councillors  and  presidents, 
which  have  the  chief  seats  in  the  kingly  assembly,  yea,  they  shall  sit 
as  kings.  They  are  here  but  obscure  kings,  but  kings  elected ;  but  in 
that  day  they  shall  be  kings  crowned,  kings  glorified,  kings  acknow- 
ledged. Then  they  shall  as  far  outshine  the  glory  of  the  sun,  as  the 
sun  now  outshines  a  twinkling  star.  In  that  day  they  shall  be  *  higher 
than  the  kings  of  the  earth/  Ps.  Ixxxix.  27.  So  in  Mat.  x.  42,  '  And  who- 
soever shall  give  to  drink  unto  one  of  these  little  ones,  a  cup  of  cold 
water  only,  in  the  name  of  a  disciple,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  he  shall  in 
no  wise  lose  his  reward,  for  a  cup  of  cold  water.'  Water,  the  common 
element,  and  cold  water,  which  cost  them  not  so  much  as  fire  to  warm 
it ;  for  that,  there  is  a  torrent  and  a  very  sea  of  all  pleasures  provided 
for  thee  to  all  eternity.  God  esteems  men's  deeds  by  their  minds,  and 
not  their  minds  by  their  deeds.  The  least  and  cheapest  courtesy  that 
can  be  shewed  shall  be  rewarded.  There  is  an  emphasis  in  that  deep 
asseveration,  '  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  he  shall  in  no  wise  lose  his  reward,' 
Mercy  is  as  sure  a  grain  as  vanity.^  God  is  not  like  to  break,  neither 
will  he  forget  the  least  good  done  by  the  least  saint.  The  butler  may 
forget  Joseph,  and  Joseph  may  forget  his  father's  house,  but  the  Lord 
will  not  forget  the  least  good  done  by  the  weakest  saint.* 

The  Duke  of  Burgundy,  being  a  wise  and  loving  man,  did  bountifully 
reward  a  poor  gardener,  for  offering  of  him  a  rape-root,  being  the  best  pre- 

'  D''33y"11.    From  hagnan,  green. 

^  A  dying  saint  once  cried  out,  'He  is  come,  be  is  come!'  meaning  the  Lord,  with  a 
great  reward  for  a  little  work. 

3  So  in  all  the  editions.  Qu.  Mercy,  typified  by  'grain'  or  seed,  [Cf.  Ps.  xcvii.  11], 
yields  as  '  sure'  a  harvest  of  'good'  or  blessing,  as  does  '  vanity'  of  '  evil  ?' — G. 

*  Agrippa,  having  suffered  imprisonment  for  wishing  Caius  [Caligula. — G.]  emperor, 
the  first  thing  Caius  did  when  he  came  to  the  empire  was  to  prefer  Agrippa  [grandson  of 
Herod. — G.]  to  a  kingdom.  He  gave  him  also  a  chain  of  gold  as  heavy  as  the  chain  of 
iron  that  was  upon  him  in  prison  [whither  he  had  been  sent  by  Tiberius. — G.].  And 
will  not  Christ  richly  reward  for  all  our  well-wishes  toward  him,  and  for  all  our  gracious 
actings  for  him  ?    Surely  he  will.    He  has  a  king's  heart,  as  well  as  a  king's  purse. 


68  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

.sent  the  poor  man  had ;  and  will  not  our  God,  whose  very  nature  is 
goodness,  kindness,  and  sweetness,  &c.,  do  much  more  ?  Surely  he  will 
reward  the  least  good  done  by  the  weakest  saint.  Therefore  be  not  dis- 
couraged, Avoak  Christians,  though  you  sliould  meet  with  hard  measure 
from  the  world,  though  they  sliould  reward  your  weak  services  with  re- 
])roaches,  &c.,  for  the  Lord  will  reward  you ;  he  '  will  not  despise  the 
day  of  small  things,'  Heb.  vi.  10.  What  though,  O  precious  soul,  thy 
language  be  clipped  and  broken  ?  what  though  thou  canst  but  chatter 
like  a  crane  ?  what  though  thou  canst  not  talk  so  fluently  and  eloquently 
for  Christ  as  others  ?  what  though  thy  hand  be  weak,  that  thou  canst 
not  do  so  mucli  for  Christ  as  others  ?  nor  do  so  well  for  Christ  as  others  ? 
yet  the  Lord,  seeing  thy  heart  sincere,  will  reward  thee.  Thou  shalt 
have  an  everlasting  rest  for  a  little  labour,  and  a  great  reward  for  a 
little  work. 

The  ninth  support  is  this : 

Swpport  9.  TJiat  as  your  graces  are  weaker  than  others,  so  your  temp- 
tations shall  he  feiver,  and  your  afflictions  lighter  than  others. 

God  in  much  wisdom  and  love  will  suit  your  burdens  to  your  backs, 
he  will  suit  all  your  temptations  and  afflictions  to  your  strength.  Your 
burdens  shall  not  be  great,  if  your  strength  be  but  little,  as  you  may 
see,  1  Cor.  x.  13,  '  There  hath  no  temptation  taken  you,  but  such  as  is 
cortimon  to  man  ;  but  God  is  faithful,  who  will  not  suffer  you  to  be 
tempted  above  that  you  are  able,  but  will  with  the  temptation  also  make 
a  way  to  escape,  that  ye  may  be  able  to  bear  it.'  The  Lord,  O  weak 
Christian !  will  suit  thy  burden  to  thy  back,  and  his  strokes  to  thy 
strength.  This  is  most  evident  in  Scripture,  that  the  strongest  in  grace 
have  always  been  most  tempted,  afflicted,  and  distressed.' 

If  Abraham  excel  others  in  faith,  God  will  try  the  strength  of  Abra- 
ham's faith  to  the  uttermost,  and  put  him  to  that  that  he  never  put  man 
to  before,  Gen.  xx.  If  Moses  excel  all  others  in  meekness,  the  Lord  will 
try  the  strength  of  that  grace,  and  Moses  shall  have  to  do  with  as  proud 
and  as  murmuring  a  generation,  as  ever  man  had  to  do  with.  If  Job 
carry  the  day  from  all  others,  in  point  of  patience,  he  shall  be  exer- 
cised with  such  strange  and  unheard  of  afflictions,  as  shall  try  not  only 
tlie  truth,  but  also  the  strength  of  his  patience  to  the  uttermost.  If 
Paul  have  more  glorious  revelations  than  the  rest  of  the  apostles,  Paul 
shall  be  more  buffeted  and  exercised  with  temptations,  than  the  rest  of 
the  apostles.2 

And  thus  you  see  it  clear  by  all  these  instances,  that  the  best  and 
choicest  saints  have  always  met  with  the  worst  and  greatest  temptations 
and  afflictions.  So  when  the  disciples  were  in  the  lowest  form,  when  they 
were  weak  in  grace,  the  Lord  Jesus  exercises  them  but  with  light  afflic- 
tions ;  but  wh(!n  they  had  a  greater  measure  of  the  Spirit  poured  upon 
them,  then  their  troubles  were  increased  and  multiplied,  and  their  for- 
mer troubles,  in  comparison  of  the  latter,  were  but  as  scratches  of  pins 
to  stabs  at  the  heart,  Acts  ii,  1  to  21.  When  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
was  poured  out  upon  them,  then   they  were   afflicted,  opposed,  and 

'  When  Latimer  was  at  tho  stake,  ready  to  be  burned,  lie  breathed  out  tlioso  sweet 
words,  Fidelis  est  Dens,  God  is  faitliful,  &c. — [Z'oxe]  Acts  et  Mon.  fol.  IST'J.  [By  Towu- 
send.  as  before,  vii.  550,  et  alibi. — G.J 

*  Kum.  xii.  3  ;  Exod.  xvi.  7,  8  ;  Num.  xiv.  27,  86,  and  xvi.  11  ;  E.\od.  sv.  24;  James 
V.  11 ;  read  tho  1st,  Cth,  and  7th  chapters  of  Job  ;  2  Cor.  xii.  1-11. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  69 

persecuted  with  a  witness ;  when  they  had  a  greater  measure  of  tlie 
Spirit,  to  enable  them  to  bear  the  hatred,  frowns,  strokes,  and  blows 
of  the  enraged  world,  then  all  of  them  had  the  honour  to  suffer  a  violent 
death  for  Christ,  as  histories  do  evidence. 

That  is  a  very  remarkable  scripture,  Luke  xxiv.  49,  '  And  behold  I 
send  the  promise  of  my  Father  upon  you;  but  tarry  ye  in  the  city  of 
Jerusalem,  until  ye  be  endued  with  power  from  on  high.'  The  Lord 
Jesus  would  not  have  them  go  from  Jerusalem,  till  they  were  endued 
with  power  from  on  high.  By  '  the  promise  of  the  Father,'  is  meant 
the  gifts  and  graces  of  the  Spirit  that  is  promised  in  Isa.  xliv.  3  ;  Joel  ii. 
28  ;  John  xiv.  16,  and  xv.  26.  '  Tarry  ye  here,'  says  Christ,  '  at  Jeru- 
salem, till  ye  be  completely  armed  and  fitted  for  all  encounters,  till  ye 
be  endued  with  power;'  or,  as  the  Greek  carries  it,  'till  ye  be  clothed,' 
hbhariak.  They  were  as  naked  persons ;  they  had  but  a  little  of  the 
Spirit,  so  that  they  were  not  complete  ;  they  were  not  clothed  with  the 
Spirit,  till  after  the  ascension  of  Christ.  Now  saith  Christ, '  Tarry  until 
such  time  as  ye  are  clothed  with  the  Spirit.'  The  Lord  Jesus  knew  well 
enough  that  they  should  meet  with  bitter  opposition,  terrible  afflictions, 
and  dreadful  persecution  for  his  and  the  gospel's  sake ;  therefore  '  Tarry,' 
said  he,  '  until  ye  be  clothed  with  the  Holy  Ghost,'  that  so  nothing  may 
daunt  ye,  nor  sink  ye. 

The  tenth  support  is  this  : 

Support  10.  That  your  persons  stand  not  before  God  in  your  oivri 
righteousness,  but  in  the  i^erfect,  spotless,  and  matchless  righteousness 
of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

Weak  hearts  are  apt  to  sit  down  troubled  and  discouraged,  when  they 
look  upon  that  body  of  sin  that  is  in  them,  and  those  imperfections  that 
attend  their  chiefest  services;  they  are  ready  to  say.  We  shall  one  day 
perish  by  the  strength  of  our  lusts,  or  by  the  defects  of  our  services. 
Oh  but  weak  souls  should  remember  this,  to  strengthen  them  against 
all  discouragements,  that  their  persons  stand  before  God,  clothed  with 
the  righteousness  of  their  Saviour,  and  so  God  owns  them  and  looks 
upon  them  as  persons  wrapped  up  in  his  royal  robe.  Hence  it  is  that 
he  is  called,  Jer.  xxiii.  6,  '  Jehovah  tsidkenu,  the  Lord  our  righteous- 
ness.' And  so  in  I  Cor.  i.  30,  '  He  is  of  God  made  unto  us  wisdom, 
righteousness,  sanctifi cation,  and  redemption.' ' 

Though  weak  saints  have  nothing  of  their  own,  yet  in  Christ  they 
have  all,  for  in  him  is  all  fulness,  Col.  i.  19,  both  repletive  and  diffusive; 
both  of  abundance  and  of  redundance  ;  both  of  plenty  and  of  bounty. 
He  is  made  to  weak  saints  wisdom,  by  his  prophetical  office ;  and  he  is 
made  to  weak  saints  righteousness  and  sanctification,  by  his  priestly 
office ;  and  he  is  made  to  weak  saints  redemption,  by  his  kingly  office. 
So  in  Col.  ii.  ]  0,  '  And  ye  are  complete  in  him,  which  is  the  head  of  all 
principality  and  power.' 

Varro  reports  of  two  hundred  and  eighty-eight  several  opinions  that 
were  among  the  philosophers,  about  the  complete  happiness  of  man; 
but  they  were  out  in  them  all,  one  judging  his  happiness  lay  in  this 
and  another  in   that.     They  caught  at  the  shadow  of  happiness,  but 

'  The  costly  cloak  of  Alcisthenes,  which  Dionysius  sold  to  the  Carthaginians  for  an 
hundred  talents,  was  a  mean  and  beggarly  rag  to  that  embroidered  mantle  that  Cluist 
does  put  upon  the  weakest  saints. 


70  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

could  not  come  at  the  tree  of  life,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  weak 
saints'  complete  happiness.  Rev.  xiv.  5,  'And  in  their  mouths  was 
found  no  guile,  for  they  were  without  fault  before  the  throne  of  God.' 
Though  men  may  accuse  you,  judge  and  condemn  you,  yet  know  for 
your  support,  that  you  are  acquitted  before  the  throne  of  God.  How- 
ever you  may  stand  in  the  eyes  of  men,  as  full  of  nothing  but  faults, 
persons  made  up  of  nothing  but  sin,  yet  are  you  clear  in  the  eyes  of  God. 
So  in  Cant.  iv.  7,  '  Thou  art  all  fair,  my  love,  and  there  is  no  spot  in 
thee.'  Tliere  is  none,  such  as  are  the  spots  of  wicked  men,  nor  no  spot 
in  mine  account.  God  looks  upon  weak  saints  in  the  Son  of  his  love, 
and  sees  them  all  lovely  ;  they  are  as  the  tree  of  Paradise,  Gen.  iii.  6,  '  fair 
to  his  eye,  and  pleasant  to  his  taste.'  Or  as  Absalom,  in  whom  there 
was  no  blemish  from  head  to  foot.  Ah,  poor  souls  !  you  are  apt  to  look 
upon  your  spots  and  blots,  and  to  cry  out  with  the  leper  not  only 
'  Unclean,  unclean  !'  but  '  Undone,  undone  !'  Well,  for  ever  remember 
this,  that  your  persons  stand  before  God  in  the  righteousness  of  Christ; 
upon  which  account  you  always  appear,  before  the  throne  of  God,  with- 
out fault ;  you  are  all  fair,  and  there  is  no  spot  in  you. 

The  eleventh  support  is  this  : 

Support  11.  Your  sins  shall  never  provoke  Christ,  nor  prevail  with 
Christ  so  far,  as  to  give  you  a  bill  of  divorce} 

Oh  there  is  much  in  it,  if  the  Lord  would  set  it  home  upon  your 
hearts.  Your  sins  shall  never  prevail  so  far  with  Christ,  nor  never  so 
far  provoke  him,  as  to  work  him  to  give  you  a  bill  of  divorce.  Your 
sins  may  provoke  Christ  to  frown  upon  you,  they  may  provoke  Christ 
to  chide  with  you,  they  may  provoke  him  greatly  to  correct  you,  but 
they  shall  never  provoke  Christ  to  give  you  a  bill  of  divorce :  Ps.  Ixxxix. 
30-34,  '  If  his  children  forsake  my  law,  and  walk  not  in  my  judgments  ; 
if  they  break  my  statutes,  and  keep  not  my  commandments  ;  then  will 
I  visit  their  transgressions  with  the  rod,  and  their  iniquity  with  stripes. 
Nevertheless  my  loving-kindness  will  I  not  utterly  take  from  him,  nor 
sufier  my  faithfulness  to  fail.'  That  is  a  great  support  to  a  weak  saint, 
that  his  sin  shall  never  separate  him  from  God  nor  Christ.  Thou  art 
many  times  afraid  that  this  deadness,  this  dulness,  this  earthliness,  and 
these  wandering  thoughts,  &c.,  that  do  attend  thee,  will  provoke  the 
Lord  Jesus  to  sue  a  bill  of  divorce  against  thee.  But  remember  this, 
thy  sins  shall  never  so  far  prevail  with  Christ,  as  to  work  him  to  give 
thee  a  bill  of  divorce.     Mark, 

There  is  nothing  can  provoke  Christ  to  give  thee  a  bill  of  divorce 
but  sin  : 

Now  sin  is  slain  ;  ergo, 

I  shall  open  this  to  you  in  three  things : 

[1.]  First,  Sin  is  slain  judicially;  for  it  is  condemned  both  by 
Christ  and  his  people,  and  so  it  is  dead  according  to  law ;  which  is  and 
may  be  a  singular  comfort  and  support  to  weak  saints,  that  their  greatest 
and  worst  enemy,  sin,  is  condenmed  to  die,  and  shall  not  for  ever  vex 
and  torment  their  precious  souls.     It  is  dead  judicially,  it  is  under  the 

'  Read  Jer.  iii.  Out  of  the  most  poisonful  drugs  God  distils  his  glory  and  our  salva- 
tion. Galen  speaks  of  a  maid,  called  Nupella,  that  was  nourished  by  poison.  God  can 
and  will  turn  the  very  sins  of  bis  people,  which  are  the  worst  poison  in  all  the  world, 
into  his  children's  advantage. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  71 

sentence  of  condemnation :  1  Cor.  xv.  55,  56,  '  O  death,  where  is  thy 
sting  ?  O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ?  The  sting  of  death  is  sin,'  &c.' 
The  apostle  here  triumphs  over  it  as  a  thief  condemned  to  death.  Sin 
is  sentenced  now ;  though  not  fully  put  to  death,  it  is  dead  judicially. 
As  when  the  sentence  of  death  is  passed  upon  a  malefactor,  you  say  he 
is  a  dead  man  ;  why  ?  he  is  judicially  dead  ;  so  is  sin,  sin  is  judicially 
dead.  When  a  man  that  hath  robbed  and  Avounded  another  is  taken, 
and  sentenced  judicially,  we  say  he  is  a  dead  man  ;  and  it  is  often  a 
great  refreshing  and  satisfaction  to  a  man  that  he  is  so.  Sin,  O  weak 
soul !  is  sentenced  and  judicially  slain  ;  and  therefore  that  can  never 
work  the  Lord  Jesus  to  give  thee  a  bill  of  divorce.  The  thoughts  of 
which  should  much  refresh  thee  and  support  thee, 

[2.]  Secondly,  Sin  is  dead  or  slain  civilly,  as  well  as  judicially.  It 
is  civilly  dead,  because  the  power  of  it  is  much  abated,  and  its  dominion 
and  tyranny  overpowered.  As  when  a  king  or  tyrant  is  whipped  and 
stripped  of  all  power  to  domineer,  reign,  and  play  the  tyrant,  he  is  civilly 
dead,  even  while  he  lives  ;  so  is  sin  in  this  sense  dead  even  while  it 
lives,  Rom.  vi.  14.  That  text  is  suitable  to  our  purpose  :  Hosea  xiii.  1, 
'  When  Ephraim  spake  trembling,  he  exalted  himself  in  Israel ;  but 
when  he  offended  in  Baal,  he  died.'^ 

What  is  the  meaning  of  these  words  ?  The  meaning  is  this  :  When 
the  king  of  Ephraim  spake,  the  people  even  trembled  at  his  voice,  such 
power  once  he  had  ;  but  when  he  offended  in  Baal,  by  serving  Baal,  by 
giving  himself  up  to  idolatry,  he  died  in  respect  of  obedience  not  yielded 
to  him  as  formerly.  Time  was  that  he  was  terrible,  but  when  he  fell 
to  idolatry,  his  strength  and  glory  came  down,  so  that  now  he  became 
even  like  a  dead  carcase. 

Adam  died  civilly  the  same  day  that  he  sinned.  The  creatures  that 
before  lovingly  obeyed  him,  as  soon  as  he  renounced  obedience  to  his 
God,  they  renounced  all  obedience  to  him  or  his  sovereignty,  so  that  he 
civilly  died  the  very  same  day  that  he  sinned. 

That  is  a  sweet  word  that  you  have,  Rom.  vi,  11,  'Likewise  reckon 
ye  also  yourselves  to  be  dead  indeed  unto  sin.'  Therefore  Christ  will 
never  divorce  you  for  sin.  Oh  what  a  support  may  this  be  to  a  weak 
saint,  that  sin,  that  he  fears  above  all  other  things  in  the  world,  is  slain 
judicially  and  civilly.  The  Lord  hath  v.fhipped  and  stripped  it  of  all  its 
ruling,  reigning,  domineering,  tyrannizing  power.  Oh,  therefore.  Chris- 
tians, look  upon  sin  as  dead,  that  is,  as  not  to  be  obeyed,  as  not  to  be 
acknowledged,  no  more  than  a  tyrant  that  is  stripped  of  all  his  tyran- 
nizing power.  People  that  are  wise,  and  understand  their  liberty,  look 
not  upon  such  a  one  as  fit  to  be  obeyed  and  served,  but  as  one  fit  to  be 
renounced  and  destroyed.  Do  you  so  look  upon  your  sins,  and  deal 
accordingly  with  them.^ 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Sin  is  slain  naturally,  as  well  as  civilly.  Christ  hath 
given  it  its  death's  wound  by  his  death  and  resurrection.  He  hath  given 
sin  such  a  wound,  that  it  cannot  be  long-lived,  though  it  may  linger 

'  Vide  Grotius  and  Vorstius  on  the  words. 

2  It  is  with  sin  in  the  saints  as  it  was  with  those  beasts,  Dan.  vii.  12,  who  had  their 
dominions  taken  away,  though  their  lives  were  prolonged  for  a  season  and  a  time. 

*  Where  sin  sits  in  the  soul,  as  a  king  sits  upon  his  throne,  and  commands  the  heart, 
as  a  king  commands  his  subjects,  there  is  reign  of  sin  ;  but  grace  frees  the  soul  from  this. 


72  TlIK  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

awhile  in  a  saint.  As  a  tree  that  is  cut  at  the  root  with  a  sore  gash  or 
two,  must  die  within  a  year,  perhaps  a  month,  nay,  it  may  be  within  a 
week  ;  though  for  a  time  it  may  fiourisli,  it  may  have  leaves  and  fruit, 
yet  it  secretly  dies,  and  will  very  shortly  wither  and  perish.  The  Lord 
Jesus  hath  given  sin  such  a  mortal  wound,  by  his  death  and  Spirit,  and 
by  the  communication  of  his  favour  and  grace  to  the  soul,  that  sin  shall 
never  recover  its  strength  more,  but  die  a  lingering  death  in  the  souls  of 
the  saints.  Christ  did  not  die  all  at  once  upon  the  cross,  but  by  little  and 
little  ;  to  shew  us,  that  his  death  should  extend  to  the  slaying  of  sin 
gradually  in  the  souls  of  the  saints.  When  our  enemy  hatli  a  mortal 
wound,  we  say  he  is  a  dead  man,  his  wound  is  mortal  ;  so  when  Jesus 
Christ  hath  given  sin  such  a  deadly  wound,  such  a  mortal  blow,  that  it 
shall  never  recover  its  strength  and  power  more,  we  may  truly  say,  it 
is  dead,  it  is  slain.  Therefore  cheer  up,  O  weak  souLs,  for  certainly  sin 
that  is  thus  slain  can  never  provoke  Jesus  Christ  to  give  you  a  bill  of 
divorce.  Ah  !  that  all  weak  Christians  would,  like  the  bee,  abide  upon 
these  sweet  flowers,  and  gather  honey  out  of  them,  &c. 

To  proceed. 

The  twelfth  support  is  this  : 

Swpport  1 2.  Christ  and  you  are  sharers. 

Know  this,  weak  saints,  for  your  support  and  comfort, 

1.  That  Christ  shares  with  you,  and  you  share  with  Christ. 

I  shall  open  this  sweet  truth  to  you  a  little. 

[1.]  Christ  shares  with  you  in  your  natures. 

In  Heb.  ii.  16,  '  For  verily  he  took  not  on  him  the  nature  of  angels, 
but  he  took  on  him  the  seed  of  Abraham.'  And  by  this  he  hath  ad- 
vanced fallen  man  above  the  very  angels.  This  is  the  great  mystery 
spoken  of,  1  Tim.  iii.  16,  'And  without  controversy  great  is  the  mystery 
of  godliness,  God  manifested  in  the  flesh,'  &c. 

[2.]  The  Lord  Jesus  shares  ivith  you  in  your  afflictions. 

In  Isa.  Ixiii.  9,  '  In  all  their  afflictions  he  was  afflicted,  and  the  angel 
of  his  presence  saved  them  :  in  his  love  and  in  his  pity  he  redeemed 
them  ;  and  he  bare  them,  and  carried  them  all  the  days  of  old.'  It  is 
between  Christ  and  his  church  as  between  two  lute  string's,  no  sooner 
one  is  struck  but  the  other  trembles.^ 

[3.]  He  shares  tvith  you  in  all  svfferings  and  persecutions,  as  well 
as  in  all  your  afflictions. 

Acts  ix.  4,  5,  '  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  me  T  There  is  such 
a  near  union  between  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  the  weakest  saints, 
that  a  man  cannot  strike  a  saint  but  he  must  strike  through  the  very 
heart  of  Christ.  Their  sufferings  are  held  his,  Col.  i.  24  ;  and  their 
afflictions  are  his  afflictions,  and  their  reproaches  are  his  reproaches, 

*  Tlie  notion  of  iT/Xa^/3av£Ta/  is  best  expressed  by  Clirysostom  in  these  words  :  'When 
mankind  fled  far  from  (Jlirist,  Christ  pursued  and  caught  hold  of  it ;  and  this  he  did  by 
fastening  on  our  nature  in  his  incarnation,'  &c. 

*  The  ancients  use  to  say  commonly,  that  Alexander  and  Hcphastion  had  but  one  soul 
in  two  distinct  bodies,  because  their  joy  and  sorrow,  glory  and  disgrace,  was  mutual  to 
them  both.  [Cf.  Sibbes,  vol.  i.  p.  1^4,  note  b. — G.]  It  is  so  between  Christ  and  his 
saints.  Their  names,  that  are  written  in  red  letters  of  blood  in  the  church's  calendar,  are 
written  in  golden  letters  in  Christ's  register  in  the  book  of  life,  said  Prudentius.  In  my 
lifetime,  said  a  gracious  soul,  I  have  been  assaulted  with  temptations  from  Satan,  and  he 
hath  cast  my  sins  into  my  teeth  to  drive  me  to  despair ;  yet  the  Lord  gave  me  strength 
to  overcome  all  his  temptations. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  73 

Heb.  xiii.  13  ;  and  their  provocations  are  his  provocations,  Neh.  iv. 
4,  5  ;  God  is  provoked  more  than  Nehemiah.  So  Isa.  viii.  18,  compared 
with  Heb.  ii.  ]  3.  '  Behold  I,  and  the  children  whom  the  Lord  hath 
given  me,  are  for  signs  and  wonders  in  Israel.'  This  tlie  apostle  applies 
to  Christ,  Heb.  ii.  13. 

[•i.]  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  shares  with  you  in  all  your  tempta- 
tations,  Heb.  ii.  17, 18,  and  iv.  15,  16. 

Christ  was  tempted,  and  he  was  afflicted  as  well  as  you,  that  he 
might  be  able  so  succour  you  that  are  tempted.  As  a  poor  man  that 
hath  been  troubled  with  pain  and  grief,  he  will  share  with  others  that 
are  troubled  with  pain  or  grief.  Ah,  friends !  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
hath  lost  none  of  his  affections  by  going  to  heaven ;  he  is  still  full  of 
compassion,  though  free  from  personal  passion.  When  he  was  on  earth, 
oh  !  how  did  he  sympathize  with  his  poor  servants  in  all  their  tempta- 
tions. '  Satan,'  says  Christ  to  Peter,  '  hath  desired  to  winnow  thee,  but 
I  have  prayed  for  thee  that  thy  faith  fail  not,'  Luke  xxii.  32.  Luther, 
in  his  preaching,  met  with  every  man's  temptation,  and  being  once 
asked  how  he  could  do  so  ?  answered,  Mine  own  manifold  temptations 
and  experiences  are  the  cause  thereof  Oh  !  the  manifold  temptations 
that  the  Lord  Jesus  hath  undergone,  makes  him  sensible,  as  I  may  say, 
and  willing  to  share  with  us  in  our  temptations. 

Secondly,  As  Christ  shares  with  weak  saints,  so  iveak  saints  share 
with  Christ.     And  this  I  shall  shew  you  briefly  in  a  few  particulars. 

[1.]  Weak  saints  share  with  Christ  in  his  divine  nature.  2  Peter 
i.  4,  '  Whereby  are  given  to  us  exceeding  great  and  precious  pro- 
mises ;  that  by  these  we  might  be  partakers  of  the  divine  nature.'  Not 
of  the  substance  of  the  Godhead,  as  the  Familists  say,  for  that  is  incom-, 
ijaunicable  ;  but  by  the  divine  nature  we  are  to  understand  those  divine 
qualities,  called  elsewhere,  '  the  image  of  God,'  '  the  life  of  God,'  that 
whereby  we  are  made  like  to  God  in  wisdom  and  holiness,  wherein  the 
image  of  God,  after  which  man  was  at  first  created,  consists,  Eph.  iv.  24, 
Col.  iii.  10.^  Saints  that  do  partake  of  this  divine  nature,  that  is,  of 
those  divine  qualities  before  spoken  of,  they  resemble  God,  not  only  as 
a  picture  doth  a  man,  in  outward  lineaments,  but  as  a  child  doth  his 
father,  in  countenance  and  condition.  And  well  may  grace  be  called 
'  the  divine  nature,'  for  as  God  bringeth  light  out  of  darkness,  comfort 
out  of  sorrow,  riches  out  of  poverty,  and  glory  out  of  shame,  so  does 
grace  bring  day  out  of  night,  and  sweet  out  of  bitter,  and  plenty  out  of 
poverty,  and  glory  out  of  shame.  It  turns  counters  into  gold,  pebbles 
into  pearls,  sickness  into  health,  weakness  into  strength,  and  wants  into 
abundance.  '  Enjoying  nothing,  and  yet  possessing  all  things,'  2  Cor. 
vi.  10,  &c. 

[2.]  Weak  saints  share  with  Christ  in  his  Spirit  and  grace. 

In  Ps.  xlv.  7,  Christ  is  '  anointed  with  the  oil  of  gladness  above  his 
fellows.'  They  have  the  anointings  of  the  Spirit,  as  well  as  he,  though 
not  so  richly  as  he.  They  have  their  measure,  though  not  that  measure 
and  proportion  of  the  Spirit  as  the  Lord  Jesus  hath.  So  in  John  i.  J  6, 
'  Of  his  fulness  have  all  we  received,  grace  for  grace.'  There  is  in 
Christ  not  only  a  fulness  of  abundance,  but  also  a  fulness  of  redundance. 

'  To  be  made  partakers  of  the  divine  nature  notes  two  things:  (1.)  fellowship  with 
God  in  his  holiness  ;  (2.)  a  fellowship  with  God  in  his  blessedness. 


74  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

There  is  au  overflowing  fulness  in  Christ,  as  a  fountain  overflows,  and 
yet  still  remains  full  '  Grace  for  grace,'  or,  '  grace  upon  grace.' 
Abundance  of  grace,  and  the  increases  of  graces,  one  by  another.' 

'  Grace  for  grace,'  that  is,  as  a  child  in  generation  receives  member 
for  member ;  or  as  the  paper  from  the  press  receives  letter  for  letter ; 
or  as  the  wax  from  the  seal  receives  print  for  print ;  or  as  the  glass 
from  the  image  receives  face  for  face,  so  does  the  weakest  saint  receive 
from  Jesus  Christ. 

'  Grace  for  grace,'  that  is,  for  every  grace  that  is  in  Christ,  there  is 
the  same  grace  in  us,  in  some  measure.  There  is  not  the  weakest  saint 
that  breathes,  but  has  in  him  some  wisdom  that  answers  to  the  wisdom 
of  Christ,  and  some  love  that  answers  to  the  love  of  Christ,  and  some 
humility,  meekness,  and  faith,  that  answers  to  the  humility,  meekness, 
and  faith  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  in  truth  and  reality,  though  not  in  degree 
or  quantity,  &c. 

[3.]  Weak  saints  share  with  Christ,  in  the  manifestations  and  dis- 
coveries of  his  Father. 

Tlie  Lord  Jesus,  that  lies  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  hath  the  clearest 
and  the  fullest  manifestations  of  the  Father  that  can  be,  and  he  comes 
and  opens  the  love  and  heart  of  the  Father,  he  unbosoms  and  unbowels 
God  to  the  weakest  saints,  as  in  John  xv.  15,  '  Henceforth  I  call  you  not 
servants  ;  for  the  servant  knoweth  not  what  his  Lord  doth  :  but  I  have 
called  you  friends  ;  for  all  tilings  that  I  have  heard  of  my  Father  I  have 
made  known  unto  you.'     So  in  John  xvii.  6-8.^ 

[4-.]  Weak  saints  share  with  Christ  in  his  honourable  titles. 

In  the  title  of  sons,  1  John  iii.  1,  '  Behold  what  manner  of  love  the 

^Father  hath  bestowed  upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  the  sons  of 

God  ! '     And  in  that  of  heirs,  Rom.  viii.  17.     Yea,  they  are  priests,  and 

prophets,  and  kings,  as  well  as  he,  as  you  may  see  by  comparing  Rev. 

i.  5,  6,  with  1  Peter  ii.  9,  &c.^ 

[5.]  Weak  saints  share  with  Christ  in  his  conquests. 
In  1  Cor.  XV,  55-57,  Rom.  viii.  37,  Christ  hath  triumphed  over  sword, 
famine,  death,  and  devils,  &c.,  and  so  have  they  through  him  also. 
Over  all  these  we  are  more  than  conquerors,  we  are  over  and  above 
conquerors.  Oh  what  a  blessed  thing  is  this  !  that  weak  saints  should 
share  with  Christ  in  his  conquests.  The  poor  weak  soldier  shares  with 
his  general  in  all  his  noble  and  honourable  conquests  ;  so  does  a  poor 
weak  Christian  share  with  his  Christ  in  all  his  noble  and  honourable 
conquests.* 

[().]  Lastly,  They  share  with  Christ  in  his  honour  and  glory. 

And  what  would  they  have  more  ?     John  xii.  26,  '  If  any  man  serve 

me,  let  him  follow  me  ;  and  where  I  am,  there  shall  also  my  servant  be : 

if  any  man  serve  me,  him  will  my  Father  honour.'     1  Peter  v.  1,  Eph. 

ii.  6,  '  And  hath  raised  us  up  together,  and  made  us  sit  together  in 

^   Omne  bonum  in  sumvio  bono,  all  good  is  in  the  chiefest  good. 

^  Plutarch's  reasoning  is  good  :  to,  ruv  ipixZi  Tdvra  xona,  friends  have  all  things  in  com- 
mon ;  but  God  is  our  friend.  Ergo,  .  .  .  This  was  a  rare  speech  from  a  heathen. 
[^Moralia,  sub  voce. — G.] 

3  Tlio  wife  shares  with  her  husband  in  all  his  titles  of  honour ;  so  does  a  Christian 
with  his  Christ. 

«  See  1  Sam.  xviii.  17-29  ;  Col.  ii.  14,  15  ;  Eph.  ii.  13-16  ;  Heb.  ii.  14,  16  ;  Rom.  viii. 
37.     u-rioviKa/itv,  we  do  overcome. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  75 

heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus.'  Believers  are  already  risen  in  Christ 
their  head,  and  they  do  at  this  instant  sit  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ 
Jesus.  Christ,  as  a  public  person,  doth  represent  all  believing  souls, 
and  they  are  set  down  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus.  ^  In  Eom. 
viii.  17,  'If  we  suffer  with  him,  we  shall  also  reign  with  him.'  And  in 
John  xiv.  2,  3,  'I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  And  if  I  go  and  pre- 
pare a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again,  and  receive  you  unto  myself ; 
that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also.'  So  in  Rev.  iii.  21,  'To  him 
that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  me  in  my  throne,  even  as  I 
overcame,  and  am  set  down  with  my  Father  in  his  throne.'  ^  Now,  what 
would  you  have  more,  weak  souls  ?  Christ  shares  with  you,  and  you 
share  with  Christ.  You  are  apt  to  be  discouraged  because  you  do  not 
share  with  Christ  in  such  measures  of  grace,  comfort,  and  holiness,  as 
such  and  such  strong  saints  do.  Oh !  but  remember  in  how  many 
weighty  things  Christ  and  you  are  sharers  ;  and  be  dejected  if  you  can ! 
Ah,  Christians  !  what  though  you  do  not  share  in  the  honours,  profits, 
pleasures,  and  advantages  of  the  world  ;  yet  this  should  be  your  joy  and 
crown,  that  Christ  and  your  souls  are  sharers  in  those  things  that  are 
most  eminent  and  excellent,  most  precious  and  glorious ;  and  the 
serious  remembrance  hereof  should  bear  up  your  heads,  hopes,  and 
hearts,  above  all  the  troubles,  temptations,  and  afflictions  that  come 
upon  you  in  this  world,  &c. 

III.  The  third  thing  propounded,  was  to  shew  you  the  duty  of  weak 
saints.  Who  these  weak  saints  are,  you  have  heard  ;  and  what  their 
supports  and  comforts  are,  you  have  heard ;  and  now  I  shall  shew  you 
their  duty  in  the  following  particulars. 

And  the  Jirst  duty  that  I  shall  press  upon  weak  saints  is  this  : 

1.  To  be  thankful  for  that  little  grace  they  have? 

Wilt  thou  be  thankful,  O  Christian,  for  the  least  courtesy  shewed 
thee  by  men  ?  And  wilt  thou  not  be  thankful  for  that  little  measure 
of  grace  that  is  bestowed  upon  thee  by  God  ?  Dost  thou  remember, 
O  weak  Christian  !  that  the  least  measure  of  grace  is  more  worth  than 
a  thousand  worlds?  that  it  is  more  worth  than  heaven  itself?  Dost 
thou  remember,  O  weak  Christian  !  that  the  greatest  number  of  men 
have  not  the  least  measure  or  dram  of  saving  grace  ?  Doth  free  grace 
knock  at  thy  door,  when  it  passes  by  the  doors  of  thousands  ?  And 
doth  it  cast  a  pearl  of  price  into  thy  bosom,  when  others  are  left 
to  wallow  in  their  blood  for  ever  ?  And  wilt  thou  not  be  thankful  ? 
Oh  do  but  consider,  weak  souls,  how  notoriously  wicked  you  would  have 
been  if  the  Lord  had  not  bestowed  a  little  grace  upon  you !  Thou 
lookest,  0  soul,  one  way,  and  there  thou  hearest  some  a-cursing,  ban- 
ning, and  a-blaspheming  God  to  his  very  face.  Had  not  the  Lord  given 
thee  a  little  grace,  ten  thousand  to  one  but  thou  hadst  been  one  in 
wickedness  among  these  monsters  of  mankind.  And  thou  lookest  an- 
other way,  and  there  thou  seest  persons  dicing,  carding,  drabbing,  and 
drunkenning,  &c, ;  why,  had  not  the  Lord  vouchsafed  to  thee  some 
tastes  and  sips  of  grace,  thou  mightst  have  been  as  vile  as  the  vilest 
among  them.     Ah,  weak  saints  !  you  do  not  think  what  an  awakened 

*  Christ  is  the  believer's  harbinger,  to  prepare  for  them  the  best  mansions,  &c. 
2  The  laws  of  Persia,  Macedonia,  and  Athens,  condemned  the  ungrateful  to  death ;  and 
certainly  unthankfulness  may  well  be  styled  the  epitome  of  all  vices. 


7G  THE  UNSFARCIIABLE  [EPII.  III.  8. 

conscience  would  give  for  a  little  of  that  little  grace  that  the  Lord  has 
given  you.  Were  all  the  world  a  lump  of  gold,  and  in  their  hand  to 
give,  they  woukl  give  it  for  the  least  spark  of  grace,  for  the  least  drop 
of  mercy. 

I  have  read  of  a  man  who,  being  in  a  burning  fever,  professed  that  if 
he  had  all  the  world  at  his  dispose,  he  would  give  it  all  for  one  draught 
of  beer.  So  would  an  awakened  conscience  for  one  dram  of  grace.  Oh ! 
saith  sucli  a  soul,  when  I  look  up  and  see  God  frowning,  when  I  look 
inward  and  feel  conscience  gnawing  and  accusing,  when  I  look  down- 
ward and  see  hell  open  to  receive  me,  and  when  I  look  on  my  right  and 
left  hand,  and  see  devils  standing  ready  to  accuse  me,  oh  !  had  I  a 
thousand  worlds  I  would  give  them  all  for  a  little  drop  of  that  grace 
that  such  and  such  souls  have,  whom  I  have  formerly  slighted  and  de- 
spised. Oh  !  what  would  not  a  damned  soul,  that  hath  been  but  an 
hour  in  hell,  give  for  a  drop  of  that  grace  that  thou  hast  in  thy  heart ! 
Think  seriously  of  this  and  be  thankful* 

Well !  remember  one  thing  more,  and  that  is  this,  viz.,  that  there  is 
no  such  way  to  get  much  grace,  as  to  be  thankful  for  a  little  grace.  He 
who  opens  his  mouth  wide  in  praises,  shall  have  his  heart  filled  with 
graces.  Ingratitude  stops  the  ear  of  God,  and  shuts  the  hand  of  God, 
and  turns  away  the  heart  of  the  God  of  grace,  and  therefore  you  had 
need  be  thankful  for  a  little  grace.  Unthankfulness  is  the  greatest  in- 
justice that  may  be  ;  it  is  a  withholding  from  the  great  landlord  of 
heaven  and  earth  his  due,  his  debt. 

Philip  branded  his  soldier  that  begged  the  land  of  one  that  had 
relieved  him,  and  kindly  entertained  him,  with  ingratus  hospes,  the  un- 
grateful guest.**  O  weak  saints  !  give  not  God  an  occasion  by  your 
ingratitude  to  brand  you,  and  to  write  upon  your  foreheads,  ungrateful 
children.  Had  it  not  been  for  unthankfulness,  Adam  had  been  in  para- 
dise, the  lapsed  angels  in  heaven,  and  the  Jews  in  their  own  land  of 
promise.  The  Jews  have  a  saying,  that  the  world  stands  upon  three 
things,  the  law,  holy  worship,  and  retribution,  and  if  these  things  fall 
the  world  will  fall.     You  know  how  to  apply  it,  Isa.  i.  3,  4. 

But  [that]  I  may  in  good  earnest  stir  up  your  souls  to  thankfulness, 
will  you  take  home  with  you  these  things,  that  haply  have  never  or 
seldom  been  thought  of  by  you  ? 

[1.]  First,  Consider,  that  there  is  more  need  of  "praises  than  there  is 
of  'prayers. 

Two  things  do  with  open  mouth  proclaim  this  truth. 

And  the  first  is  this,  our  mercies  do  out-weigh  our  wants.  This  is 
true  in  temporals,  but  infinitely  more  in  spirituals  and  eternals.  Thou 
wantest  this  and  that  outward  mercy,  and  what  is  thy  want,  O  soul !  of 
this  and  that  single  mercy,  to  the  multitudes  of  mercies  that  thou  dost 
enjoy  ?  And  as  for  spirituals,  there  is  nothing  more  clear  than  this, 
that  thy  spiritual  mercies  do  infinitely  out-weigh  thy  spiritual  wants. 
Thou  wantest  this  and  that  spiritual  mercy,  but  what  are  those  wants 

'  One  of  the  Vm^s  of  England  in  his  straits  cried  out,  '  A  kingdom  for  a  horse !  a 
kingdom  for  a  horse!'  [Richard  III.,  as  hefore. — G.]  So  do  awakened  consciences  cry 
out,  A  kingdom  for  a  Christ !  a  kingdom  for  a  Christ,  or  a  little  grace ! 

^  Lycnrgus,  saith  Mnsculus,  amongst  all  his  laws,  made  none  against  the  ungrateful ; 
because  that  was  thought  a  thing  so  prodigious,  as  not  to  be  committed  by  man. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  77 

to  that  God,  that  Christ,  and  all  those  spiritual  blessings  in  heavenly- 
places,  with  which  thou  art  blest  in  Christ  Jesus,'  Eph.  i.  4. 

Secondly,  Consider  this,  That  all  your  wants  and  miseries  are  de- 
served and  procured  by  your  sins.  Jer.  iv.  18,  '  Thy  way  and  thy 
doings  have  procured  these  things  unto  thee  :  this  is  thy  wickedness, 
because  it  is  bitter,  because  it  reacheth  unto  thy  heart.'  And  chap.  1. 
25,  '  Your  iniquities  have  turned  away  these  things,  and  your  sins  have 
withholden  good  things  from  you.'  But  now  all  your  mercies  are  un- 
merited and  undeserved  ;  they  all  flow  in  upon  you  from  the  free  love 
and  favour  of  God  ;  and  therefore  there  is  more  need  of  praises  than  of 
prayers.  And  oh  !  that  the  high  praises  of  God  were  more  in  your 
mouths,  upon  this  very  account  !  And  oh  that,  with  David,  you  would 
sumYnon  all  the  faculties  of  your  souls  to  praise  the  Lord,  who  hath 
filled  you,  and  followed  you  with  the  riches  of  mercy  all  your  days,-  Ps. 
cxlix.  2,  and  ciii.  1-5.     But, 

[2.]  Secondly,  Consider  this,  Thankfulness  is  a  surer  and  a  better 
evidence  of  our  sincerity,  and  spiritual  ingenuity,  than  praying  or 
hea.ring,  or  such  like  services,  are. 

Thanksgiving  is  a  self-denying  grace  ;  it  is  an  uncrowning  ourselves 
and  the  creatures,  to  set  the  crown  upon  the  head  of  our  Creator  ;  it  is 
the  making  ourselves  a  footstool,  that  God  may  be  lifted  up  upon  his 
throne,  and  ride  in  a  holy  triumph  over  all ;  it  is  a  grace  that  gives 
God  the  supremacy  in  all  our  hearts,  thoughts,  desires,  words,  and  works. 
Self-love,  flesh  and  blood,  and  many  low  and  carnal  considerations,  may 
carry  men  to  pray,  and  hear,  and  talk,  &c.  The  whip  may  work  a  shame^ 
to  beg,  but  thankfulness  is  the  free-will  offering  of  a  child.  There  is 
nothing  that  so  clearly  and  so  fully  speaks  out  your  sincerity  and 
spiritual  ingenuity,  as  thankfulness  doth.  Therefore,  weak  saints,  if 
you  would  have  a  substantial  evidence  of  your  sincerity  and  spiritual 
ingenuity,  be  thankful  for  a  little  grace.  The  little  birds  do  not  sip 
one  drop  of  water,  but  they  look  up,  as  if  they  meant  to  give  thanks, 
to  shew  us  what  we  should  do  for  every  drop  of  grace,  &c.^ 

The  third  and  last  consideration  to  set  this  home  is  this  : 

•  [3.]  A  thankful  soul  holds  consort  with  tlte  music  of  heaven. 

By  thankfulness  thou  boldest  a  correspondency  with  the  angels,  who 
are  still  a-singing  hallelujahs  to  him  that  sits  upon  the  throne,  and  is 
blessed  for  ever.  Rev.  iv.  6-9,  and  v.  12—14.  In  heaven  there  is  no  prayers, 
but  all  praises.  I  am  apt  to  think,  that  there  cannot  be  a  clearer  nor  a 
greater  argument  of  a  man's  right  to  heaven,  and  ripeness  for  heaven,  than 
this,  being  much  in  the  work  of  heaven  here  on  earth.  There  is  no  grace 
but  love,  nor  no  duty  but  thankfulness,  that  goes  with  us  to  heaven.^ 

Ay,  but  weak  saints  may  say.  Sir!  we  judge  that  there  is  weight  in  what 
you  say,  to  provoke  us  to  thankfulness  ;  but  did  we  know  that  we  had 

^  God's  favours  and  mercies  seldom  or  uever  come  single  ;  there  is  a  series  or  concate- 
nation of  them,  and  every  former  draws  on  a  future. 

-  God  and  Christ  are  the  sole  fountain  from  whence  all  these  streams  of  living  waters 
flow.  3  Qu.  '  slave '  ?— Ed. 

*  It  is  much  to  be  feared  that  that  man  is  Christless  and  graceless,  that  is  earnest  in 
craving  mercies,  but  slow  and  dull  in  returning  praises.  It  is  a  sign  that  the  dumb  devil 
hath  possessed  such  a  man. 

5  Epictetus  wished  he  were  a  nightingale,  to  be  ever  singing.  And  what  then  should 
a  saint  wish  ?  &c. 


78  TUE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

true  grace,  though  it  were  never  so  little,  though  it  were  but  as  the 
grain  of  mustard  seed,  we  would  be  thankful.  But  this  is  our  con- 
dition, we  live  between  fears  and  hopes  ;  one  day  hoping  we  shall  to 
heaven,  and  be  happy  for  ever,  another  day  we  are  fearing  that  we  shall  to 
hell,  and  miscarry  for  ever  ;  and  thus  we  are  up  and  down,  backward 
and  forward.  Sometimes  we  believe  we  have  grace,  and  at  other  times 
we  doubt  we  have  none  ;  sometimes  we  have  a  little  light,  and  suddenly 
our  sun  is  clouded  ;  one  day  we  are  ready  to  say  with  David,  '  The  Lord 
is  our  portion/  and  the  next  day  we  are  ready  to  complain  with  Jonah, 
that  we  are  '  cast  out'  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord. 

Methinks  I  hear  a  weak  saint  saying  thus  to  me,  Sir,  I  would  fain 
have  an  end  put  to  this  controversy  that  hath  been  so  long  in  my  soul, 
viz.,  whether  I  have  grace  or  no,  and  if  you  please,  I  will  tell  you  what  I 
find,  and  so  humbly  desire  your  judgment  and  opinion  upon  the  whole. 

Well,  speak  on,  poor  soul,  and  let  me  hear  what  thou  hast  found  in 
thine  own  soul. 

Why,  sir,  then  thus  : 

[1.]  I  find,  first,  a  holy  restlessness  in  my  soul,  till  with  old  Simeon 
I  have  gotten  Christ  in  my  arms,  yea,  till  1  have  gotten  Christ  in  my 
heart,  Luke  ii.  25-33.  I  go  from  duty  to  duty,  and  from  ordinance  to 
ordinance,  and  yet  I  cannot  rest,  because  '  I  cannot  find  him  whom  my 
soul  loves,'  Cant.  v.  10.  I  am  like  Noah's  dove,  that  could  not  rest 
until  he  had  gotten  into  the  ark.  Oh  I  cannot  be  quiet  till  I  know  that 
I  am  housed  in  Christ.  My  soul  is  like  a  ship  in  a  storm,  that  is  tossed 
hither  and  thither,  oh  !  where  shall  I  find  him  ?  Oh  !  how  shall  I 
obtain  him  who  is  the  chiefest  of  ten  thousand  ?  W^hat  Absalom  said 
in  another  case,  I  can  say  in  this,  saith  the  poor  soul ;  in  his  banish- 
ment he  could  say,  '  What  is  all  this  to  me,  so  long  as  I  cannot  see  the 
kino-'s  face  ?'  And  truly  the  language  of  my  soul  is  this,  What  is  honour 
to  me  ?  and  riches  to  me  ?  and  the  favour  of  creatures  to  me  ?  so  long 
as  I  go  mourning  without  my  Christ,  so  long  as  I  see  not  my  interest 
in  my  Christ.^ 

Well,  have  you  anything  else  to  say,  O  weak  Christian  ? 

Yes  sir,  I  have  one  thing  more  to  say. 

What  is  that  ? 

Why,  it  is  this. 

[2.]  I  can  truly  say,  that  the  poorest,  the  most  distressed  and  afflicted 
man  in  the  world,  is  not  fuller  of  desires,  nor  stronger  in  his  desires 
than  I  am.  The  poor  man  desires  bread  to  feed  him,  and  the  wounded 
man  desires  a  plaster  to  heal  him,  and  the  sick  man  desires  cordials  to 
strenothen  him,  &c.  But  these  are  not  fuller  of  desires  after  those 
things  that  are  suitable  to  them,  than  I  am  of  holy  and  heavenly  desires.'' 
Oh  that  I  had  more  of  God  !  oh  that  I  were  filled  with  Christ !  oh  that 
I  had  his  righteousness  to  cover  mc,  his  grace  to  pardon  me,  his  power 
to  support  me,  his  wisdom  to  counsel  me,  his  loving-kindness  to  refresh 
me,  and  his  happiness  to  crown  me,  &c. 

Well,  is  this  all,  O  weak  saint  ? 

No,  sir,  I  have  one  thing  more  to  tell  you. 

What  is  that? 

'  The  child  is  restless  till  it  be  in  the  mother's  arms. 
2   Tuta  vita  boni  Christiani  sanctum  desidcrium  est. 


EpH.  III.  8.J  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  79 

Why,  that  is  this : 

[3.]  Though  I  dare  not  say  that  Christ  is  mine,  yet  I  can  truly  say, 
that  Christ,  his  love,  his  luorks,  his  grace,  his  word,  are  the  main  objects 
of  tny  contemplatio7h  and  meditation.  Oh  I  am  always  best,  when  I 
am  most  a-meditating  and  contemplating  Christ,  his  love,  his  grace,  &c. 
Ps.  cxxxix.  17,  '  How  precious  are  thy  thoughts  unto  me,  0  God  ;  how 
great  is  the  sum  of  them  !'^ 

Well,  is  this  all,  0  weak  saint  ? 

No,  sir,  I  have  one  thing  more  to  say. 

What  is  that  ? 

Why,  it  is  this  : 

[4.]  I  can  truly  say,  That  the  want  of  Christ's  love  is  a  greater  grief 
and  burden  to  my  soul,  than  the  want  of  any  outward  thing  in  this 
tvorld.  I  am  in  a  wanting  condition,  as  to  temporals ;  I  want  health, 
and  strength,  and  trading,  friends,  and  money,  '  that  answereth  all 
things,'  as  Solomon  speaks,  Eccles.  x.  19.  And  yet  all  these  wants  do 
not  so  grieve  me,  and  so  afflict  and  trouble  me,  as  the  want  of  Christ, 
as  the  want  of  grace,  as  the  want  of  the  discoveries  of  that  favour  that 
is  better  than  life,  Ps.  Ixiii.  3,  4. 

Well,  is  this  all,  O  weak  saint  ? 

No^  sir,  there  is  one  thing  more. 

What  is  that  ? 

Why,  that  is  this  : 

[5.]  That  I  would  not  willingly  nor  resolvedly  sin  against  Christ, 
for  a  luorld.  It  is  true,  I  dare  not  say  I  have  an  interest  in  Christ,  yet 
I  dare  say  that  I  would  not  willingly  and  resolvedly  sin  against  Christ 
for  a  world.^  I  can  say,  through  grace,  were  I  this  moment  to  die, 
that  my  greatest  fear  is  of  sinning  against  Christ,  and  my  greatest  care 
is  of  pleasing  Christ.  I  know  there  was  a  time,  when  my  greatest  care 
was  to  please  myself  and  the  creature,  and  my  greatest  fear  was  to 
please'  myself  and  the  creature.  I  can  remember  with  sorrow  and 
sadness  of  heart,  how  often  I  have  displeased  Christ  to  please  myself, 
and  displeased  Christ  to  please  the  creature  ;  but  now  it  is  quite  other- 
wise with  me,  my  greatest  care  is  to  please  Christ,  and  my  greatest 
fear  is  of  offending  Christ.* 

Well,  is  this  all,  O  weak  saint  1 

No,  sir,  I  have  one  thing  more. 

What  is  that  ? 

Why,  that  is  this: 

[6.]  Though  I  dare  not  say  that  Christ  is  mine,  and  that  I  have  an 
interest  in  him,  yet  /  can  truly  say,  I  dearly  love  the  people  of  Christ, 
for  the  image  of  ChHst  that  I  see  stamped  upon  them.  It  is  true,  I 
dare  not  say  Christ  is  mine,  and  heaven  is  mine  ;  I  cannot  say  with 
such  and  such,  '  The  Lord  is  my  portion  ;'  yet  I  can  say  that  I  dearly 
love  those  that  have  the  Lord  for  their  portion.     I  can  truly  say,  that 

1  Some  contemplations  have  generationem  longam,  fruitionem  brevem  ;  but  these  are  not 
the  contemplations  of  the  saints. 

2  I  will  rather  leap  into  a  bonfire  than  wilfully  to  commit  wickedness,  wilfully  to  sin 
against  God.  ^  Qu.  '  displease '  ? — Ed. 

*  And  I,  said  Anselm,  had  rather  go  to  hell  pure  from  sin  than  to  heaven  polluted 
with  that  filth.  The  primitive  Christians  chose  rather  to  be  thrown  to  lions  without,  than 
left  to  lusts  within.    Ad  leonem  magis  quam  leones^  saith  Tertullian. 


80  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

the  poorest  and  the  most  neglected,  and  the  most  despised  saint  in  the 
world,  is  more  precious  in  my  eye,  and  more  dear  to  my  soul,  than  the 
greatest  and  the  richest  sinner  in  the  world,  Ps.  xvi.  3.' 

Well,  is  this  all,  O  weak  saint,  that  thou  hast  to  say  ? 

No,  sir,  I  have  one  thing  more. 

What  is  that  ? 

Why,  that  is  this: 

[7.1  Thout^h  I  dare  not  say  that  I  have  any  interest  in  Christ,  or 
that  I  love  Christ,  yet  I  dare  say,  that  my  soul  weeps  and  mowms  in 
secret  for  the  dishonour  that  is  done  to  Christ,  both  by  myself  and  by 
others  also.  I  can  look  the  Lord  in  the  face,  were  I  now  to  die,  and  say, 
Lord  !  thou  that  knowest  all  thoughts  and  hearts,  thou  dost  know,  that 
'  mine  eyes  run  down  with  rivers  of  tears,  because  men  keep  not  thy 
law,'  Jer.  ix.  1-3 ;  Ps.  cxix.  136. 

Well,  is  this  all  ? 

No,  sir,  I  crave  your  patience  to  hear  me  in  one  thing  more. 

What  is  that,  O  weak  Christian  ? 

W^hy,  that  is  this: 

[8.]  That  I  prize  p^crsons  and  things  according  to  the  spiritualness 
and  holiness  that  is  in  tJiem ;  and  the  more  spiritual  and  holy  any 
TYian  or  thing  is,  the  more  is  that  man  and  thing  prized  by  my  soul. 
I  have  often  thought  of  that  sweet  word,  Ps.  cxix.  104,  'Thy  word  is 
very  pure,  therefore  doth  thy  servant  love  it.'^  Other  men  love  it 
because  of  the  profit  they  get  by  it,  or  because  of  a  name,  or  this,  or 
that ;  but  I  love  it  for  the  purity,  for  the  holiness,  and  the  cleanness  of 
it.  No  preaching,  saith  the  weak  saint,  nor  no  praying,  nor  no  talking, 
nor  no  society  that  likes  me  and  is  sweet  to  me,  but  that  that  is  most 
spiritual,  most  holy.  It  is  not  an  exercise  tricked  and  trimmed  up 
with  wit,  learning,  and  eloquence  ;  it  is  not  the  hanging  of  truth's  ears 
with  counterfeit  pearls,  that  takes  me  ;  but  the  more  plainness,  spiritual- 
ness, and  holiness,  I  see  in  an  exercise,  the  more  is  my  heart  raised  to 
prize  it  and  love  it.  And  therefore,  saith  the  weak  saint,  because  Christ 
is  perfectly  and  infinitely  holy  above  all  other,  I  prize  Christ  above  all. 
Ordinances  are  sweet,  but  Christ  is  more  sweet  to  my  soul.  Saints  are 
precious,  but  Christ  is  far  more  precious.  Heaven  is  glorious,  but  Christ 
is  infinitely  more  glorious.  The  first  thing  that  I  Avould  ask,  if  I  might 
have  it,  saith  the  weak  saint,  is  Christ.  And  the  next  thing  that  I  would 
ask,  if  I  might  have  it,  is  more  of  Christ.  And  the  last  thing  that  I 
would  ask,  if  I  might  have  it,  is  that  I  might  be  satiated  and  filled  Avith 
the  fulness  of  Christ.  Let  the  ambitious  man  take  the  honours  of  the 
world,  so  I  may  but  have  Christ.  Let  the  voluptuous  man  swim  in  all 
the  pleasures  of  the  world,  so  I  may  have  Christ.  And  let  the  covetous 
man  tumble  up  and  down  in  all  the  gold  and  silver  of  the  world,  so  I 
may  have  Christ,  and  it  shall  be  enough  to  my  soul.^ 

'  It  is  reported  of  Bucer  and  Calvin,  that  they  loved  all  them  in  whom  tliey  could  esjiy 
aliquid  Chrisli,  anything  of  Christ.  It  is  just  so  with  these  poor  hearts  that  question  their 
present  condition. 

2  Much  in  the  word  is  wrapped  up  in  a  little  ;  it  is  more  to  be  admired  than  to  liave 
Homer's  Iliads  comprised  in  a  nutshell.  The  word  is  like  the  stone,  garamantides,  that 
liath  golden  drops  within  itself,  enriching  of  the  gracious  soul. 

3  Nouo  but  Christ,  none  but  Christ,  said  the  martyr.  [Sanders  and  Hudson,  as  before. 
-O.] 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  81 

Well,  is  this  all,  O  weak  saint  ? 

No,  sir ;  I  have  one  thing  more  to  say. 

What  is  that  ? 

Why,  it  is  this  : 

[9.]  I  find  the  same  conflict  in  ray  soul  that  Paul  found  in  his  soul, 
after  he  was  converted  near  u^pon  fourteen  years,  after  he  was  taken  up 
into  as  clear  and  choice  enjoyments  of  God,  as  any  soul  that  ever  I  read 
of.  The  conflict  that  is  mentioned,  Rom.  vii.  6,  I  find  in  my  soul. 
The  whole  frame  of  my  soul,  understanding,  will,  and  affecticms,  are 
set  against  sin.  I  find  that  '  I  hate  the  evil  that  I  do,  and  I  find  that 
the  good  that  I  would  do,  I  do  not,  and  the  evil  that  I  would  not  do, 
that  do  I.  I  find  a  law  in  my  members,  rebelling  against  the  law  of 
my  mind,  and  leading  of  me  captive  into  the  law  of  sin,'  and  this  makes 
me  often  to  cry  out  with  Paul,  '  O  wretched  man  that  I  am,  who  shall 
deliver  me  from  this  body  of  death?  Therefore  I  sometime  hope,  that 
those  sins  that  are  now  my  burden,  shall  never  hereafter  be  my  bane.^ 

Well,  and  is  this  all,  0  weak  saint  ? 

No,  sir ;  I  have  one  thing  more  to  say. 

What  is  that  ? 

Why  that  is  this  : 

[10.]  I  can  truly  say,  when  the  Lord  gives  me  any  strength  against 
sin,  and  any  poiver  to  serve  him,  and  walk  close  with  him  in  his 
ivays,  it  is  a  greater  joy  and  comfort  to  my  soul,  than  all  the  blessings 
of  this  life.  Though  I  have  not  yet  seen,  he  hath  'set  me  as  a  seal 
upon  his  heart,  as  a  seal  upon  his  arm  ;'  though  I  have  not  yet  the 
clear  assurance  of  his  love ;  though  his  spirit  hath  not  yet  set  up  such  a 
light  in  my  soul,  whereby  I  might  run  and  read  my  right  and  title  to 
himself  and  heaven;  yet  when  he  doth  give  me  but  a  little  light  through 
a  crevice,  when  he  does  but  beginto  cause  his  love  to  dawn  upon  me,  when 
he  gives  me  but  a  little  strength  against  sin,  and  a  little  power  to  walk 
close  with  himself,  &c. ;  oh,  this  doth  administer  more  abiding  joy,  and 
more  sweet  peace,  and  more  solid  comfort  to  my  soul,  than  all  the  riches, 
honours,  friends,  and  favours  of  this  world.^ 

Well,  is  this  all,  O  weak  saint  ? 

No,  sir ;  T  have  one  thing  more  to  say. 

What  is  that  ? 

Why,  that  is  this  : 

[ll.j  Though  my  interest  in  Christ  he  not  clear  to  me,  yet  I  can  truly 
say  I  would  not  change  my  condition  with  the  men  of  this  vjorld,  for 
a  thousand  worlds,  Ps.  ci.  3;  cxxxix.  21,  22;  cxx.  6.  It  is  true,  I 
cannot  say  that  I  have  'the  seal  and  witness  of  the  Spirit,'  that  many 
talk  and  boast  of,  though  I  fear  but  a  few  enjoy;  yet  I  can  truly  say, 
that  I  would  not  change  my  estate  with  men  merely  civil,  nor  with  the 
profane  men  of  this  world,  for  ten  thousand  worlds,  &c. 

Well,  is  this  all,  O  soul ! 

^  The  best  saints  in  this  world  are  like  the  tribe  of  Manasseh,  half  on  tliis  side  Jordan, 
in  the  land  of  the  Araorites,  and  half  on  that  side,  in  the  Holy  Land.  And  though  to 
be  kept  from  sin  brings  most  comfort  to  a  poor  soul,  yet  for  a  poor  soul  to  oppose  sin,  and 
God  to  pardon  sin,  that  brings  most  glory  to  God,  2  Cor.  xii.  7-9. 

2  Sozomen  relates  of  one  who  was  as  circumspect  to  be  seen  as  to  be.  A  gracious  soul 
is  as  careful  that  he  does  not  endanger  another  by  a  bad  life,  as  he  is  careful  to  save  his 
own  life. 

VOL.  IIL  ¥ 


82  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPII.  111.  8. 

No,  sir  ;  I  have  but  one  thing  more,  and  then  I  have  done. 

Well,  what  is  that  ? 

Why,  that  is  this. 

[12.]  I  find  my  so}d  carried  forth  to  a  secret  restiiig,  7'elylng,  lean- 
ing, titnyhuj,  aad  hanging  upon  Christ  for  life  and  happiness. 
Though  1  know  not  how  it  shall  go  with  me,  yet  I  have  thrown  myself 
into  his  arms  ;  I  lean  upon  him;  there  I  will  hang,  and  there  I  will 
rest  and  stay  :  '  if  I  must  perish,  I  will  perish  there,'  Job  xiii.  1 5  ; 
2  Kings  vii.  3-5  ;  Esther  iv.  J  6. 

And  thus,  sir,  I  have  opened  my  state  and  condition  to  you  ;  and 
now  I  do  earnestly  desire  your  judgment  upon  the  whole. 

Well,  then,  this  I  shall  say,  as  '  I  must  answer  it  in  the  day  of  my 
appearing  before  God,'  that  had  I  as  many  souls  as  I  have  hairs  on  my 
head,  or  as  there  be  stars  in  heaven,  I  could  freely  adventure  the  loss 
of  them  all,  if  these  things  do  not  undeniably  speak  out,  not  only  the 
truth,  but  also  the  strength  of  grace,  &c.  Nay,  let  me  tell  you,  that  he 
that  finds  but  any  of  these  tilings  really  in  his  soul,  though  the  Lord 
hath  not  given  him  a  clear  and  full  manifestation  of  his  love  and  favour, 
&c.,  yet,  w'hile  breath  is  in  his  body,  he  hath  eminent  cause  to  bless 
God,  and  to  walk  thankfully  and  humbly  before  him. 

The  second  duty  is  this, 

2.  Live  uj)  to  that  little  grace  you  have. 

Thou  sayest,  O  weak  Christian,  thou  hast  but  a  little  light,  a  little 
love,  a  little  zeal,  a  little  fiiith,  &c.  Well,  grant  it,  but  know  that  it  is 
thy  duty  to  live  up  to  those  measures  of  grace  thou  hast.  And  this  is 
the  second  head  that  I  shall  press  upon  you,  live  up  and  live  out  that 
grace  you  have.^  And  if  ever  there  were  a  season  to  press  this  point 
home  upon  souls,  this  is  the  season  in  which  we  live.  And  considering 
that  it  is  not  a  flood  of  words,  but  weight  of  arjjument,  that  carries  it 
with  ingenuous  spirits,  I  shall  therefore  propound  these  following  tmngs 
to  their  serious  consideration. 

[1.]  First,  Consider  this,  living  up  to  your  graces  carries  loith  it  the 
greatest  evidence  of  the  truth  of  grace. 

That  man  that  lives  not  up  to  his  grace,  let  him  be  strong  or  weak, 
wants  one  of  the  best  and  strongest  demonstrations  that  can  be  to 
evidence  the  truth  of  his  grace.  If  you  would  have  a  clear  evidence 
that  that  little  love,  that  little  faith,  that  little  zeal  you  have  is  true, 
then  live  up  to  that  love,  live  up  to  that  faith,  live  up  to  that  zeal  that 
you  have,  and  this  will  evidence  it  beyond  all  contradiction,  &c.* 

[2.]  Secondly,  Consider  this,  God  and  your  own  soids  luill  be  very 
great  losers,  if  you  live  not  up  to  those  measures  of  grace  you  have. 

God  will  lose  many  prayers  and  many  praises ;  he  will  lose  much 
honour,  and  glory,  and  service,  which  otherwise  he  might  have ;  and 
you  will  lose  much  peace,  much  comfort,  much  rest,  quietness,  and  con- 
tent that  otherwise  your  souls  might  enjoy,  &c.^ 

'  To  speak  well,  saith  Isiodore  Pelusiota,  is  to  sound  like  a  cymbal ;  but  to  do  well,  is 
to  act  like  an  angel,  &c. 

*  If  Seneca  said  of  his  wise  man,  Majore  parte  illic  est,  unde  descendit,  he  is  more  in 
heaven  than  in  earth  ;  may  not  I  say  this  is  much  more  true  of  the  godly  ?&c.  [De  Con- 
ttantia  Sapientis  el  E/iistoloe. — G.] 

'  Of  all  l().s8f'8,  spiritual  losses  are  the  saddest  and  greatest,  and  fetched  up  with  the 
greatest  difficulty. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  8S 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Consider  this,  your  not  living  up  to  that  little  light 
and  grace  you  have,  will  open  the  mouths  of  graceless  souls  against 
your  gracious  God,  and  against  his  gracious  ones,  and  against  his 
gracious  ways} 

You  think,  because  of  the  weakness  of  your  grace,  you  must  be  borne 
with  in  this,  and  that,  and  what  not.  But  remember,  it  is  your  duty 
to  live  up  to  the  light  and  grace  you  have;  and  nothing  below  this  will 
effectually  stop  the  mouths  of  graceless  wretches  from  barking  against 
the  ways  of  God,  the  truths  of  God,  and  the  people  of  God.  Vain  men 
will  be  often  a-reasoning  thus  :  though  such  and  such  men  and  women 
have  not  such  great  knowledge,  such  clear  light,  such  strong  love,  and 
such  burning  zeal  as  David,  Paul,  and  other  worthies,  yet  they  have 
so  much  light  and  knowledge  as  tells  them  that  they  should  not  carry 
themselves  thus  and  thus  as  they  do.  Their  light  and  knowledge  tells 
them  that  they  should  be  just  and  righteous  in  their  dealings,  and  in 
all  their  ways  and  designs,  &c.  Though  they  have  not  such  great  mea- 
sures of  spiritual  enjoyments  as  such  and  such,  yet  that  little  grace  they 
have  should  lead  them  by  the  hand  to  do  things  worthy  of  that  Christ 
and  the  gospel  they  profess,  &c. 

Let  me  a  little  expostulate  the  point  with  you,  weak  saints ;  you  know 
that  you  should  not  be  stirred  and  heated  by  every  straw  that  is  in 
your  way.  Why  do  not  you  in  this,  then,  live  up  to  your  light  ?  You 
know  that  you  should  not  '  be  overcome  of  evil,  but  overcome  evil  with 
good,'  Kom.  xii.  21.  And  why  do  not  you  in  this  live  up  to  your  light  ? 
You  know  that  you  should  '  do  good  to  those  that  do  hurt  to  you,'  Mat. 
V.  44-48,  Why  do  not  you  in  this  live  up  to  your  light  ?  You  know 
that  you  should  do  your  duties  to  others,  though  they  neglect  their 
duties  to  you.  It  is  not  the  neglect  of  a  husband's  duty  that  frees  the 
wife  from  the  discharge  of  hers,  nor  the  neglect  of  a  wife's  duty  that  frees 
the  husband  from  the  discharge  of  his.  You  know  this,  don't  you  ?  Yes. 
Why  don't  you  then  live  up  to  your  light  ?  Why  do  you  by  your  contrary 
actings  open  the  mouths  of  others  against  God  and  his  ways  ?  You 
know  that  you  should  be  exemplary  in  your  relations,  in  your  genera- 
ations,  and  in  your  conversations ;  you  know  that  you  should  be  ex- 
amples of  holiness,  meekness,  sweetness,  patience,  and  contentedness, 
and  why  then  don't  you  live  up  to  your  knowledge  in  these  things  ? 
You  know  that  you  should  do  to  others  as  you  would  have  others  to  do 
to  you  ;  and  why  in  this  don't  you  live  up  to  your  knowledge  ?  Ah  ! 
that  you  that  are  weak  did  not  cause  the  mouths  of  wicked  men  to  be 
opened  against  God,  his  truths  and  ways,  by  your  living  below  that  light 
and  knowledge  that  God  hath  given  you  !  I  beseech  you,  as  you  tender 
the  honour  of  God,  and  as  you  would  stop  the  mouths  of  vain  men,  live 
up  to  those  measures  of  grace  that  the  Lord  hath  given  you.  No  way 
to  comfort  like  this,  no  way  to  the  crown  like  this.  He  will  not  be  long 
a  babe  in  grace,  who  lives  out  that  little  grace  he  hath. 

[4.]  Fourthly,  Living  up  to  your  light  is  the  readiest  and  the  only 
way  to  fetch  up  and  to  recover  all  that  hath  been  lost  by  your  living 
below  your  light. 

'  1  Peter  ii.  15,  ye  may  put  to  silence.  The  Greek  word  (pif/,ovv  signifies  to  muzzle,  to 
halter  up,  or  button  up  their  mouths,  as  we  say.  Oh  !  there  is  nothing  that  will  so 
muzzle  and  button  up  the  mouths  of  vain  men  as  Christians  living  up  to  that  light  and 
grace  they  have.     [Cf.  Glossary  under  '  button  '  for  other  references. — G.] 


84  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

By  your  living  below  your  light,  God,  your  own  souls,  and  the  gospel 
have  lost  much,  yea,  and  others  also  have  lost  much  light,  comfort, 
strength,  and  quickness,  &;c.,  that  they  might  have  had,  had  you  but 
lived  up  to  that  little  grace  you  had.  Now,  there  is  no  way  on  earth  to  re- 
cover and  to  fetch  up  these  losses,  but  by  living  up  to  that  grace  3'ou  have. 
Ah,  Christians  !  it  is  not  your  running  from  sermon  to  sermon, — not  that 
I  speak  against  frequent  hearing  of  the  word, — nor  your  crying  up  this 
man  and  that  man,  or  this  notion  and  that,  or  this  way  or  that,  that 
will  recover  and  fetch  up  the  honour  that  God  liath  lost  by  your  living 
below  your  graces.'  It  is  only  your  living  up  to  your  graces  that  will 
make  up  all  the  breaches  that  have  been  made  upon  his  honour  and  the 
go.spel,  and  upon  the  comfort  and  peace  of  your  own  souls  and  others'. 
Well,  remember  tiiis,  all  the  honour  that  God  hath  from  you  in  this 
life,  is  from  your  living  up  to  that  light,  knowh^dge,  love,  fear,  and  faith 
that  he  hath  given  you.  There  is  nothing  that  will  make  up  all  losses 
but  this;  therefore  I  beg  of  you,  upon  the  knees  of  my  soul,  that  you 
would  take  this  one  thing homewith  you,  and  go  into  your  closets,and  lay 
your  hands  upon  your  hearts,  and  say,  Well,  the  Lord  hath  lost  much, 
and  my  own  soul  hath  lost  much,  and  others  have  lost  much,  by  my 
living  below  that  little  grace  I  have ;  and  therefore  I  will  now  make  it  my 
business,  by  assisting  grace,  to  live  up  to  those  measures  of  gi-ace  that 
I  have  received,  more  than  yet  I  have  done  all  my  days.  I  will,  by  the 
strength  of  Christ,  make  it  more  my  duty  and  my  work  to  live  out  what 
God  hath  given  in  than  ever  yet  I  have  done,  that  so  the  Lord  and  the 
gospel  may  be  no  further  losers  but  gainers  by  me. 

[5.]  The  fifth  and  last  motive  is  this,  the  readiest  and  the  surest 
Quay  to  get  more  grace,  is  to  live  iqo  to  that  little  grace  you  have. 

He  that  lives  up  to  a  little  light  shall  have  more  light ;  he  that  lives 
up  to  a  little  knowledge  shall  have  more  knowledge  ;  he  that  lives  up 
to  a  little  faith  shall  have  more  faith  ;  and  he  that  lives  up  to  a  little 
love  shall  have  more  love,  &c.^  There  is  no  such  way  to  attain  to 
greater  measures  of  grace  as  for  a  man  to  live  up  to  that  little  grace  he 
hath.  Verily,  the  main  reason  why  many  are  such  babes  and  shi'ubs 
in  grace,  is  because  they  do  not  live  up  to  their  attainments.  He  that 
wont  improve  two  talents,  shall  never  have  the  honour  to  be  trusted 
with  live  ;  but  he  that  improves  a  little,  shall  be  trusted  with  much  : 
'  The  diligent  hand  maketh  rich,'  Prov.  x.  4.  He  that  is  active  and  agile, 
that  works  as  well  as  wishes,  that  adds  endeavours  to  his  desires,  will 
quickly  be  a  cedar  in  grace.  Ah,  Christians  !  3^ou  have  a  God  that  is 
great,  a  God  that  is  good,  a  God  that  is  gracious,  and  a  God  that  is  rich, 
that  loves  not  to  see  his  children  to  be  always  weaklings  and  striplings 
in  grace.  The  very  babe,  by  drawing  the  breasts,  gets  strength  and 
nourishment     Oh  you  babes  in  grace,  put  out  that  little  strength  you 

'  Bernard  [Serin,  on  Canticles,  as  before.— G.']  para})lirasing  on  that  of  Solomon,  'A 
lily  amongst  thorns,'  saith,  The  manners,  or  lives  of  men.  as  lilies,  have  their  colours 
and  odours;  that  vhich  comes  from  a  pure  lieart  and  a  good  conscience  liath  the  colour 
of  a  lily,  if  a  good  name  follow.  It  is  more  truly  a  lily  when  neither  candour  nor 
(jdour  of  the  lily  is  wanting.     i\'o?!  enim  pnssibus  ad  Dcnm  sed  afffctibiis  cunimiis. 

^  Jobxvii.2Q;  Cant.  vi.  10;  I'rov.  iv.  18.  History  reports  of  a  country  in  Africa  where 
Ihe  peojde's  industry  hath  an  abundant  reward  ;  for  cvry  bushel  of  seed  they  sow,  they 
receive  one  hundred  and  fifty  after. — Blazacium.  rii^y,  lib.  xviii.  cup.  x.  The  applicatiou 
is  easy. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  85 

have,  be  you  still  a-drawing  at  the  breasts  of  Christ,  at  the  breasts  of 
the  promises,  and  strength  will  come,  nourishment  will  follow,  &c.' 

The  third  duty  that  I  would  press  upon  weak  saints  is  this  : 

3.  Be  sure  that  you  always  reflect  upon  your  graces,  and  whatso- 
ever good  is  in  you,  with  cautions. 

Tliis  is  a  weighty  point,  and  doth  bespeak  your  most  serious 
attention. 

There  are  six  rules  or  cautions  that  weak  saints  should  always  ob- 
serve in  their  looking  upon  their  graces. 

And  i\iQ  first  is  this: 

[].]  Look  upon  all  your  graces  as  gifts  of  grace,  as  favours  given 
you  from  above,  as  gifts  dropped  out  of  heaven  into  your  hearts,  as 
flowers  that  are  given  you  out  of  the  garden  of  jparadise. 

A  man  should  never  look  upon  his  grace,  but  he  should  look  upon 
it  as  a  flower  of  paradise,  as  a  gift  that  God  hath  cast  into  his  bosom 
from  heaven.  1  Cor.  iv.  7,  'Who  raaketh  thee  to  differ  from  another? 
And  what  hast  thou  that  thou  hast  not  received  ?'  &c.  '  Of  thine  own,' 
saith  David,  '  have  we  given  thee,'  1  Chron.  xxix.  14.  Thou  talkest  of 
light,  of  love,  of  fear,  of  faith,  &c.,  but  what  are  all  these  but  pearls  of 
glory  that  are  freely  given  thee  by  the  hand  of  grace  ?  '  Every  good 
and  perfect  gift  comes  down  from  above.'  As  all  light  flows  from  the 
sun,  and  all  water  from  the  sea,  so  all  good  flows  from  heaven.  The 
greatest  excellencies  in  us  do  as  much  depend  upon  God,  as  the  light 
doth  upon  the  sun.  When  thou  lookest  upon  thy  wisdom,  thou  must 
say,  Here  is  wisdom,  ay,  but  it  is  from  above  ;  here  is  some  weak  love 
working  towards  Christ,  but  it  is  from  above  ;  here  is  joy,  and  comfort, 
and  peace,  but  these  are  all  the  flowers  of  paradise ;  they  never  grew 
in  nature's  garden.  When  a  soul  looks  thus  upon  all  those  costly 
diamonds  with  which  his  heart  is  decked,  he  keeps  low,  though  his 
graces  are  high.  Where  this  rule  is  neglected,  the  soul  will  be  en- 
dangered of  being  swelled  and  puffed. 

Mr  Foxe  was  used  to  say,  that  '  as  he  got  much  good  by  his  sins,  so 
he  got  much  hurt  by  his  graces.'  When  you  look  upon  the  stream, 
remember  the  fountain  ;  when  you  look  upon  the  flower,  remember  the 
root ;  when  you  look  upon  the  stars,  remember  the  sun  ;  and  when  you 
look  upon  your  graces,  remember  the  fountain  of  grace,  else  Satan  will 
be  too  hard  for  you.  Satan  is  so  artificial,^  so  subtle  and  critical,  that 
he  can  make  your  very  graces  to  serve  him  against  your  graces  ;  con- 
quering joy  by  joy,  sorrow  by  sorrow,  humility  by  humility,  fear  by 
fear,  and  love  by  love,  if  you  do  not  look  upon  all  your  graces  as  streams 
flowing  from  the  fountain  above,  and  as  fruits  growing  upon  the  tree 
of  life  that  is  in  the  midst  of  the ,  paradise  of  God.  Therefore,  when 
one  eye  is  fixed  upon  your  graces,  let  the  other  be  always  fixed  upon  the 
God  of  grace. 

[2  ]  Secondly,  At  that  time  when  your  eye  is  upon  inlterent  grace 
and  righteousness,  let  your  heart  he  fixed  upon  Christ,  and  his  im- 
puted righteousness.^ 

'  Dionysius  gave  him  his  money  again,  from  whom  he  had  taken  much,  after  that  he 
heard  he  employed  a  little  well.     And  will  God  be  worse  than  a  heathen? 

»  'Artful.'— G. 

»  Atif  totam  mecnm  tene,  ant  totam  amitte.— Gregory  Nazienzen.  Let  us  say  of  Christ, 
as  the  heathen  once  said  of  his  petty  gods,  Contemno  mimUos  istoa  Deos,  modo  Jovem  pro- 


86  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EpH.  III.  8. 

Paul's  eye  was  upon  his  grace:  Rom,  vii.  22,  25,  'I  delight  in  the 
law  of  God,  after  the  inward  man.  And  with  my  mind  I  serve  the  law 
of  God.'  And  yet  at  tliat  very  same  time,  his  heart  wa«  set  upon 
Christ,  and  taken  up  with  Christ ;  ver.  25,  '  I  thank  God,  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.'  So  in  Col.  ii.  2,  3,  you  have  one  eye  fixed  upon 
grace,  and  at  the  same  time  the  heart  fixed  upon  Chri.st.  '  Tliat  their 
hearts  mitjht  he  comforted,  heinLr  knit  together  in  love,  and  unto  all 
riches  of  tbe  full  assurance  of  understanclincr,  to  the  acknowledgment 
of  the  my.stery  of  God,  and  of  the  Father,  and  of  Christ ;  in  whom  are 
hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge.'  His  eye  is  upon  grace, 
his  heart  is  upon  Christ.  So  in  Philip,  iii.  8,  the  apostle  hath  his  eye 
upon  the  excellent  knowledge  of  Christ,  but  ver.  9,  his  heart  is  set  upon 
the  righteousness  of  Christ.  'That  I  might  be  found  in  him,  not 
having  mine  own  righteousnes.s,  which  is  of  the  law,  but  that  which  is 
through  the  faith  of  Christ,  the  righteousness  which  is  of  God  by  faith.' 
Here  you  have  his  eye  upon  grace,  and  his  heart  upon  Christ,  in  the 
very  presence  of  his  grace.  This  is  your  glory.  Christians,  in  the  presence 
and  sight  of  all  yc^ir  graces,  to  see  the  free  grace  of  Christ,  and  his  in- 
finite, spotless,  matchless,  and  glorious  righteousness,  to  be  your  surest, 
sweetest,  highest,  and  choicest  comfort  and  refuge. 

Peter  was  not  well  skilled  in  tliis  lesson,  and  that  was  the  very 
reason  that  he  fell  foulest,  when  his  confidence  was  highest.  Grace  is 
a  ring  of  gold,  and  Christ  is  the  pearl  in  that  ring  ;  and  he  that  looks 
more  upon  the  ring  than  the  pearl  that  is  in  it,  in  the  hour  of  tempta- 
tion will  certainly  fall.  When  the  wife's  eye  is  upon  her  rings  or 
jewels,  then  her  heart  must  be  set  upon  her  husband.  When  grace  is 
in  my  eye,  Christ  must  at  that  time  be  in  my  arms,  yea,  Ije  must  lie 
between  my  breasts :  Cant.  i.  13,  '  My  beloved  is  as  a  bundle  of  myrrh, 
he  shall  lie  all  night  between  my  breasts.'  Christ,  and  not  grace,  must 
lie  nearest  to  a  Christian's  heart. 

[3.]  A  third  thing  is  this.  When  you  look  upon  your  grace,  you 
must  look  upon  it  as  a  beautifvX  creature,  that  is  begotten  in  the  soul 
by  Christ,  and  that  is  strengtJiened,  maintained,  clterished,  and  up- 
held in  your  souls  by  nothing  beloio  the  spiritual,  internal,  and 
glorious  operations  of  Ghmst} 

Though  grace  be  a  beautiful  creature,  yet  grace  is  but  a  creature, 
and  so  3'our  souls  must  look  upon  it.  Grace  is  a  heavenly  offspring,  it 
is  tbe  first-born  of  God,  as  I  may  say,  and  does  most  represent  him  to 
the  life.  Grace  is  a  bud  of  glory ;  it  is  of  the  blood  royal ;  it  is  nobly 
descended,  James  i.  17.  So  in  Heb.  xii.  2,  'Looking  unto  Jesus,  the 
author  and  finisher  of  our  faith.'  Christ  is  the  Alpha  and  Omega,  the 
beginner  and  ender.^  In  all  other  things  and  arts,  the  same  man 
cannot  begin  and  fini.sh,  but  Christ  doth  both.  Philip,  i.  5,  Our  graces 
thrive  and  are  upheld  in  life  and  power,  in  beauty  and  plory,  b}''  the 
internal  operation  of  Chri.st  in  our  souls.  So  in  Col.  i.  27,  'Christ  in 
you  the  hope  of  glory,'     So  ver.  20,  '  Whereunto  I  also  labour,  striving 

pitium  habeam,  so  long  as  lie  had  Jupiter  to  friend,  he  regarded  them  not.  So,  so  long 
as  we  have  our  Jesus  to  friend,  we  should  not  regard  others,  no,  not  our  very  graces,  in 
comparison  of  Christ. 

'  Gal.  ii.  20,  I'liilip.  i.  6.  Dens  nihil  coronal  nisi  dona  sua,  when  God  crowneth  us,  he 
(loth  but  crown  his  own  gifts  in  us. — Angustijie. 

'  '*iXiy'''  *«'  TiXtiaiT«i»,  the  leader  and  crowner. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  87 

according  to  his  working  which  worketh  in  me  mightily.'  So  Philip, 
iv.  13,  '  I  can  do  all  things,  through  Christ  that  strengtheneth  me  ;  I  can 
be  high  and  low,  poor  and  rich,  honourable  and  base,  something  or 
nothing,  &c.,  through  Christ  that  strengthens  me,'^  So  in  Cant.  iv. 
16,  '  Blow  upon  my  garden,  that  the  spices  thereof  may  send  forth  a 
fragrant  smell.'  We  may  puff  and  blow  our  hearts  out,  and  yet  no 
savoury  smell  will  flow  forth,  if  Christ  does  not  blow.  So  in  Ps.  cxxxviii. 
3,  '  In  the  day  when  I  cried,  thou  answeredst  me,  and  strengthenedst 
me  with  strength  in  my  soul.'  Your  graces,  Christians,  are  heavenly 
plants  of  God's  own  setting  and  watering  ;  and  certainly  the  heavenly 
husbandman  will  never  suffer  such  plants  of  renown  to  wither,  for 
want  of  heavenly  sap ;  he  will  look  to  the  strengthening,  supporting, 
and  nourishing  the  work  of  his  own  hand.  He  will  cause  the  desires 
of  his  people  to  bud,  and  their  graces  to  blossom,  and  their  souls  to  be 
like  a  watered  garden,  green  and  flourishing:  Isa.  Iviii.  11,  compared 
with  Isa.  XXXV.  6,  7.  • 

[4.]  Fourthly,  When  you  look  upon  your  graces,  you  must  look 
upon  them  as  an  earnest  of  more  glorious  and  unspeakable  mea- 
sures of  grace  and  glory,  that  your  souls  shall  he  filled  with  at 
last. 

In  Eph.  i.  13,  14,  'After  that  ye  believed,  ye  were  sealed  with  that 
Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  which  is  the  earnest  of  our  inheritance,  until 
the  redemption  of  the  purchased  possession,  unto  the  praise  of  his 
glory.'  That  little  light  and  knowledge  thou  hast,  is  an  earnest  to  thy 
soul,  that  thou  shalt  at  last  know,  even  as  thou  art  known.  1  Cor.  xiii. 
12,  'For  now  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly,  but  then  face  to  face. 
Now  I  know  in  part,  but  then  shall  I  know,  even  as  I  am  known.' 
Christians  know  but  little  of  that  they  should  know,  they  know  but 
little  of  that  they  might  know,  they  know  but  little  of  that  others 
know,  they  know  but  little  of  that  they  desire  to  know,  they  know  but 
little  of  that  they  shall  know,  when  they  shall  come  to  know  '  even  as 
they  are  known.'  And  yet  these  weak  and  imperfect  glimpses  that 
they  have  of  God  and  heaven  here,  are  infallible  pledges  of  that  perfect 
knowledge  and  full  prospect  that  they  shall  have  of  God  and  heaven 
hereafter.  So  that  that  little  spark  of  joy  thou  hast,  is  an  earnest  of 
those  everlasting  joys  that  shall  rest  upon  thy  head,  when  all  sorrow 
and  mourning  shall  fly  away,  Isa.  xxxv.  10,  &c.  And  those  sips  of 
comfort  thou  hast  now,  are  an  earnest  of  thy  swimming  in  those  ever- 
lasting pleasures  that  be  'at  God's  right  hand,'  Ps.  xvi.  11.  The  least 
measures  of  grace  are  an  earnest  of  greater  measures.  God  will  not 
lose  his  earnest,  though  men  often  lose  theirs.  God  will  not  despise 
'  the  day  of  small  things  ;'  he  will  make  those  that  bring  forth  but 
thirty  fold,  to  bring  forth  sixty  fold ;  and  those  that  bring  forth  sixty 
fold,  to  bring  forth  a  hundred  fold,  &c.  He,  his  Son  and  Spirit,  are  all 
eminently  and  fully  engaged  to  carry  on  the  work  of  grace  in  his 
children's  souls.     Therefore  do  not  sit  down  and  say.  My  light  is  but 

'  ivi^yov/^'ivriv  h  ^vvxfiii,  is  wrougbt  in  me  in  power.  The  word  ■ra.vra,  all  thincis,  though 
it  be  au  universal,  is  not  to  be  taken  in  the  utmost  extent,  but  according  to  the  use  of  the 
like  phrases  in  all  lanjiuages,  wherein  the  universal  sign  affixed,  either  to  persons,  or 
times,  or  places,  or  things,  signifies  a  great  number,  but  not  all  without  exception,  as 
you  may  see  by  comparing  these  scriptures  together  :  Ps.  xiv.  4,  8,  9  ;  John  xiv.  26  ; 
1  Cor.  X.  23.     So  tliose  words  are  to  be  understood  in  Philip,  iv.  13. 


88  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

dim,  and  my  love  but  weak,  and  my  joy  but  a  spark  that  will  quickly 
go  out,  &c.  But  always  remember,  that  those  weak  measures  of  grace 
thou  hast,  are  a  sure  evidence  of  greater  measures  that  God  will  confer 
upon  thee  in  his  own  time  and  in  his  own  ways,  Isa.  Ixiv.  4,  5.' 

[5.]  Fifthly,  When  you  looknpon  your  graces,  he  sure  that  you  look 
more  at  the  truth  of  your  (/races,  t/am  at  the  Tneasure  of  your  graces. 

You  must  rather  bring  your  graces  to  the  touchstone,  to  try  their 
truth,  than  to  the  balance,  to  weigh  their  measures.  Many  weak 
Christians  are  weighing  their  graces,  when  they  should  be  a-trying  the 
truth  of  their  graces,  as  if  the  quantity  and  measure  of  grace  were 
more  considerable  than  the  essence  and  nature  of  grace.  And  this  is 
that  that  keeps  many  weak  saints  in  a  dark,  doubting,  questioning,  and 
despairing  condition  ;  yea,  this  makes  their  lives  a  very  hell.  Weak 
saints,  if  you  will  not  observe  this  rule,  this  caution,  when  you  look 
upon  your  graces,  you  will  go  sighing  and  mourning  to  your  graves. 
Ah  !  poor  hearts,  jpou  should  not  be  more  cruel  to  your  own  souls  than 
God  is.  When  God  comes  to  a  judgment  of  your  spiritual  estates,  he 
doth  not  bring  a  pair  of  scales  to  weigh  your  graces,  but  a  touchstone 
to  try  the  truth  of  your  graces ;  and  so  should  you  deal  by  your  own 
souls.  If  you  deal  otherwise,  you  are  more  cruel  to  your  souls  than 
God  would  have  you.  And  if  you  are  resolved  that  in  this  you  will  not 
imitate  the  Lord,  then  I  dare  prophesy  that  joy  and  peace  shall  be 
none  of  your  guests,  and  he  that  should  comfort  you  will  '  stand  afar 
off,'  Lam.  i.  16.  It  is  good  to  own  and  acknowledge  a  little  grace, 
though  it  be  mingled  with  very  much  corruptions  ;  as  that  poor  soul 
did,  ]\Iark  ix.  24,  '  And  straightway  the  father  of  the  child  cried  out, 
and  said  with  tears.  Lord,  I  believe  ;  help  thou  mine  unbelief.'  He 
had  but  a  little  little  faith,  and  this  was  mixed  with  abundance  of  un- 
belief, and  yet  notwithstanding  he  acknowledges  that  little  faith  he  had, 
'  Lord,  I  believe,  help  my  unbelief  His  faith  was  so  weak,  that  he 
accounts  it  little  better  than  unbelief ;  yet,  says  he,  '  Lord,  I  believe, 
help  my  unbelief.'  The  least  measure  of  faith  will  make  thee  blessed 
here  and  happy  hereafter.^ 

A  doctor  cried  o\it  upon  his  dying-bed,  Credo  languida  fide,  sed 
tamenfidei;  much  faith  will  yield  unto  us  here  our  heaven,  and  any 
faith,  if  true,  will  yield  us  heaven  hereafter.  So  the  church  in  Cant.  i. 
5,  *  I  am  black,  but  comely.'  She  had  nothing  to  say  for  her  beauti- 
fulnes.s,  yet  she  acknosvledgeth  her  comeliness.  'I  am  black,  but  comely.' 
Though  she  could  not  say  she  was  clear,  yet  she  could  say  she  was 
comely.  As  she  was  free  to  confess  her  blackness,  so  she  was  ingenuous 
to  acknowledge  her  comeliness.  'I  am  black,  but  comely.'  Ah,  Chris- 
tians! will  you  deal  worse  with  your  own  souls,  than  you  deal  with  your 
children?  When  you  go  to  make  a  judgment  of  your  child's  affections, 
you  look  more  to  the  truth  of  their  affections,  than  you  do  to  the  strength 
of  their  affections;  and  will  you  be  less  ingenuous  and  favourable  to 

'  i»  aivly/Ltari,  in  a  riddle.  Enigma  is  properly  obscura  allfgoria,  an  obscure  allegory  : 
it  is  an  iille^ory  with  a  mask,  or  it  is  a  cloudy,  knotty,  intricatu  speech,  sealed  and  locked 
up  from  vulgar  apprehensions.     That  is  a  riddle. 

*  Graco  is  homogeneal.  Every  twinkling  of  light  is  light ;  every  drop  of  water  is 
water  ;  every  spark  of  fire  is  fire  ;  every  drop  of  honey  is  honey.  So  every  drop  of  grace 
is  grace  ;  and  if  the  least  drop  or  spark  of  grace  be  not  worth  acknowledging,  it  is  worth 
nothing. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  89 

your  poor  souls  ?  If  he  deserves  to  be  branded,  that  feasts  his  child 
and  starves  his  wife,  what  do  you  deserve,  that  can  acknowledge 
the  least  natural  good  that  is  in  a  child,  and  yet  will  acknowledge 
none  of  that  spiritual  and  heavenly  good  that  is  in  your  souls  ? 

[6.]  Sixthly,  and  lastly.  When  you  look  upon  your  graces,  look  that 
you  do  not  renounce  and  reject  your  graces,  seen  in  the  light  of  the 
Spirit,  as  a  weak  and  worthless  evidence  of  your  interest  in  Christ, 
and  that  happiness  that  comes  by  Christ. 

I  know  in  these  days  many  cry  up  revelations  and  visions,  yea,  the 
visions  of  their  own  hearts,  and  make  slight  of  the  graces  of  Christ  in 
the  hearts  of  his  people ;  yea,  they  look  upon  grace  as  a  poor  weak 
thing.  Ah,  Christians  !  take  heed  of  this,  else  you  will  render  null, 
in  a  very  great  measure,  many  precious  scriptures, — especially  the 
Epistles  of  John, — which  were  penned  for  the  comfort  and  support  of 
weak  saints.^ 

But  that  this  may  stick  and  work,  be  pleased  to  carry  home  witli 
you  these  three  things. 

(1.)  First,  Other  precious  saints  that  are  now  triumphing  in  heaven, 
have  pleaded  their  interest  in  God's  love,  and  hopes  of  a  better  life, 
from  graces  inherent. 

I  will  only  point  at  those  scriptures  that  speak  out  this  truth  :  1  John 
iii.  14,  ii.  3,  4  ;  Job  xxiii.  10-12  ;  and  the  whole  31st  chapter  of  Job  ; 
Ps.  cxix.  6  ;  Isa.  xxxviii.  2,  3 ;  2  Cor.  i.  1 2.  All  these  scriptures,  with 
many  others  that  might  be  produced,  do  with  open  mouth  proclaim 
this  truth.  And  surely  to  deny  the  fruit  growing  upon  the  tree  to  be 
an  evidence  that  the  tree  is  alive,  is  to  me  as  unreasonable  as  it  is 
absurd.  Certainly,  it  is  one  thing  to  judge  by  our  graces,  and  another 
thing  to  trust  in  our  graces,  to  make  a  saviour  of  our  graces.  There  is 
a  great  deal  of  difference  betwixt  declaring  and  deserving ;  and  if  this 
be  not  granted,  it  will  follow,  that  the  apostle  hath  sent  us  aside  to  a 
covenant  of  works,  when  he  exhorts  us  to  '  use  all  diligence  to  make 
our  calling  and  election  sure,'  2  Peter  i.  5-10." 

(2.)  Secondly,  Carry  home  this  with  you,  If  justification  and  sancti- 
fication  be  both  of  them  benefits  of  the  covenant  of  grace,  then  to 
evidence  the  one  by  the  other,  is  no  ways  unlawful,  nor  no  turning 
aside  to  a  covenant  of  works  : 

But  our  justification  and  sanctification  are  both  of  them  benefits  and 
blessings  of  the  covenant  of  grace.     Ergo.  .  .  . 

In  Jer.  xxxiii.  8,  '  I  will  pardon  all  their  iniquity,  whereby  they  have 
sinned  against  me,'  there  is  your  justification;  '  and  I  will  cleanse  them 
from  all  their  iniquity,  whereby  they  have  sinned  against  me,  there  is 
your  sanctification.  And  therefore  to  evidence  the  one  by  the  other 
can  be  no  ways  unlawful,  nor  no  turning  aside  to  a  covenant  of  works. 

(3.)  Thirdly,  Carry  home  this  with  you.  Whatever  gift  of  God  in  man 
brings  him  within  the  compass  of  God's  promise  of  eternal  mercy,  that 
gift  must  be  an  infallible  evidence  of  salvation  and  happiness. 

*  Grace,  saith  one,  is  the  foundation  of  all  our  felicity,  and  comprehends  all  blessings, 
as  manna  is  said  to  have  done  all  good  tastes.  John's  epistles  are  a  rich  treasury  for 
Christian  assurance. 

*  Christians  may  doubtless  look  to  their  graces  as  evidences  of  their  part  in  Christ  and 
salvation  ;  and  the  clearer  and  stronger  they  are,  the  greater  will  be  their  comfort ;  but 
not  as  causes. 


^<^  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EpH.  III.  8. 

But  snch  are  those  gifts  mentioned  in  those  scriptures  that  prove  the 
first  head. 

Therefore  they  are  infallible  evidences  of  our  salvation  and  eternal 
happiness. 

1  confess  a  man  may  have  many  great  gifts,  and  yet  none  of  them 
bring  him  within  the  compass  of  God's  promise  of  eternal  mercy.  But 
I  say,  whatever  gift  of  God  in  man  brings  him  within  the  compass  of 
God's  promi.se  of  eternal  mercy,  that  gift  must  be  an  infallible  evidence 
of  his  happiness  and  blessedness.' 

For  the  further  clearing  of  this,  I  will  instance  in  a  gift  of  waiting. 
Wliere  this  gift  is,  it  brmgs  a  man  within  the  compass  of  God's  pro- 
mise of  eternal  mercy.  And  had  a  man,  as  in  a  deserted  state  it  often 
falls  out,  nothing  under  heaven  to  siiew  for  his  happiness,  but  only  a 
waiting  frame,  this  ought  to  bear  him  up  from  fainting  and  sinking. 
When  the  soul  saith,  My  sun  is  set,  my  day  is  turned  into  night,  my 
light  into  darkness,  and  my  rejoicing  into  mourning,  &c.,  oh,  I  have 
lost  the  comforting  presence  of  God !  I  have  lost  the  quickening 
presence  of  God  !  1  have  lost  the  supporting  presence  of  God  !  I  have 
lost  the  encouraging  presence  of  God  !  &c.,  and  when  1  shall  recover 
these  sad  losses,  I  know  not.  All  that  I  can  say  is  this,  that  God  keeps 
me  in  a  waiting  frame,  weeping  and  knocking  at  tlie  door  of  mercy. 
Now,  I  say,  this  waiting  temper  brings  the  soul  within  the  compass  of 
the  promise  of  eternal  mercy.  And  certainly  such  a  soul  shall  not 
miscarry.     Take  three  promises  for  this. 

In  I.sa.  xl.  31,  '  They  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their 
strength  ;  they  shall  mount  up  with  wings  as  eagles;  they  shall  run, 
and  not  be  weary ;  and  tliey  shall  walk,  and  not  faint.'  The  mercy  is 
the  w^aiting  man's,  but  the  waiting  man  must  give  God  leave  to  time 
his  mercy  for  liim.  So  in  Isa.  xxx.  18,  '  And  therefore  will  the  Lord 
wait,  that  he  may  be  gracious  unto  you;  and  therefore  will  he  be 
exalted,  that  he  may  have  mercy  upon  you :  for  the  Lord  is  a  God  of 
judgment ;  blessed  are  all  they  that  w^ait  for  him.'  So  in  Isa.  Ixiv.  4, 
'For  since  the  beginning  of  the  world  men  have  not  heard,  nor  perceived 
by  the  ear,  neither  hath  the  eye  seen,  O  God,  besides  thee,  what  he 
hath  prepared  for  him  that  waiteth  for  him.'  So  in  Isa.  xlix.  23,  'They 
sha,ll  not  be  ashamed  that  wait  for  me.'^  Men  are  often  ashamed,  that 
wait  upon  the  mountains  and  hills.  Men  high  and  great  often  frustrate 
the  expectation  of  waiting  soids,  and  then  they  blush,  and  are  ashamed 
and  confounded  that  they  have  waited,  and  been  deceived  ;  but  '  they 
shall  not  be  ashamed  that  wait  for  me,  says  God  ;  I  will  not  deceive 
their  expectation,  and  after  all  their  waiting  turn  them  off,  and  say,  I 
have  no  mercy  for  you.^  Now,  I  say,  where  this  waiting  temper  is, 
which  is  all  that  many  a  poor  soul  hath  to  shew  for  everlasting  happi- 
ness and  blessedness,  that  soul  shall  never  miscarry.  That  God  that 
doth  maintain  and  uphold  the  soul  in  this  heavenly  waiting  frame,  in 

'  Covet  rather  graces  than  gifts  ;  as  to  pray  more  fervently,  thongli  less  nationally  or 
eloquently.  Stammering  Moses  must  pray  rather  than  well-spoken  Aaron.  The  Co- 
rinthian.s  came  behind  in  no  gift,  1  Cor.  i.  7  ;  yet  were  babes  and  carnal,  chap.  iii.  "2,  3. 

*    Vide  Lyra  and  Juniu.s  on  the  words. 

'  That  is,  they  shall  be  advanced  by  me  to  great  happiness  and  glory,  to  great  dignity 
and  felicity  ;  for  in  the  Hebrew  dialect,  adverbs  of  denying  signify  the  contrary  to  the 
import  of  ihat  verb  whereuuto  they  are  joined,  as  might  be  shewed  by  many  scriptures. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  KICHES  OF  CHRIST.  91 

the  appointed  season  will  speak  life  and  love,  mercy  and  glory,  to  the 
waiting  soul. 

And  so  I  have  done  with  the  third  use,  which  was  to  stir  you  up  to 
look  upon  your  graces  with  cautions. 
The  fourth  duty  is  : 

4.  To  'persuade  iveak  saints  not  to  turn  aside  from  the  ways  of  God, 
nor  from  the  service  of  God,  because  of  any  hardshiiis  or  dijficulties 
that  they  meet  with  in  his  ways  or  service. 

There  is  a  very  great  aptness  in  weak  saints  to  take  offejice  almost 
at  everything,  and  to  be  discouraged  by  the  least  opposition,  affliction, 
and  temptation,  and  so  to  turn  aside  from  tbe  good  old  way.  Now  that 
no  difficulties  nor  hardships  may  turn  you  out  of  tbe  way  that  is  called 
hol}^,  consider  seriously  of  these  few  things. 

[1.]  First,  Consider  this,  the  Lord  luill  swee.en  more  and  more  his 
services  to  you. 

He  will  make  his  work  to  be  more  and  more  easy  to  your  souls ;  he 
will  suit  thy  burden  to  thy  back,  and  thy  work  to  thy  hand.  O  weak 
soul !  thou  shalt  find  that  his  grace  will  be  sufficient  to  hold  thee  up 
and  carry  thee  on,  notwithstanding  any  difficulties  or  discouragements 
that  be  in  the  way.  He  will  shed  abroad  that  love  that  shall  constrain 
thy  soul,  both  to  keep  close  to  his  service,  and  to  delight  in  his  service, 
2  Cor.  xii.  9  ;  v.  1 4.  He  will  make  all  his  services  to  be  easy  to  thee  ; 
he  will  vouchsafe  to  thee  that  assisting  grace  that  shall  keep  up  thy 
head  and  heart  from  fainting  and  sinking  under  discouragements,  as 
you  may  see  in  Ezek.  xxxvi.  25-28,  *'  And  I  will  put  my  Spirit  within 
you,  and  cause  you  to  walk  in  my  statutes,  and  ye  shall  keep  my  judg- 
ments, and  do  them.'  So  in  Ps.  Ixiii.  8,  '  My  soul  followeth  hard  after 
thee,'  (ay,  but  how  comes  this  to  pass  ?) :  '  Thy  right  hand  upholds  me.' 
I  feel  thy  hand  under  me,  drawing  of  my  soul  off  after  thee.  Oh  !  were 
not  thy  gracious  hand  under  me,  I  should  never  follow  hard  after  thee. 
The  Lord  will  put  under  his  everlasting  arms,  0  weak  Christian  !  and 

therefore  though  thy  feet  be  apt  to  slide,  yet  his  everlasting  arms  shall 
bear  thee  up.     Therefore  be  not  discouraged,  do  not  turn  aside  from 

those  paths  that  drop  marrow  and  fatness  though  there  be  a  lion  in  the 

way.^ 

[2.]  Secondly,  Consider  this,  O  weau;  saint !  that  there  is  less  danger 

and  hardship  in  tlie  ways  of  Christ,  than  there  is  in  the  ways  of  sin, 

Satan,  or  the  vjorld. 

That  soul  doth  but  leap  out  of  the  frying-pan  into  the  fire,  that  thinks 

to  mend  himself  by  turning  out  of  the  way  that  is  called  holy.     Oh  ! 

the  horrid  drudgery  that  is  in  the  ways  of  sin,  Satan,  or  the  world. 

Thy  worst  day  in  Christ's  service  is  better  than  thy  best  days,  if  I  may 

so  speak,  in  sin  or  Satan's  service,  Pro  v.  xi.  18,  19,  and  xxi.  21.     Satan 

will  pay  the  sinner  home  at  last  with  the  loss  of  God,  Christ,  heaven, 

and  his  soul  for  ever.     '  But  in  the  way  of  righteousness  is  life,  joy, 

peace,  honour,  and  in  the  pathway  thereof  there  is  no  death,'  Prov.  xii. 

28.      '  His  ways   are    ways   of  pleasantness,    and   all   his    paths  are 

peace,'  Prov.  iii.  1 7. 

'  The  philosopher  told  his  friends  when  they  came  into  his  little  low  cottage,  The 
gods  ail:'  here  with  me.  Surely  God,  and  Christ,  and  the  Spirit  are,  and  will  be,  with 
weak  saints,  to  aid  and  assist  them  in  every  gracious  work. 


92  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EpH.  III.  8. 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Remember,  O  wocak  saint !  fluit  all  tltose  hardships 
that  thou  nwefe.st  ivith,  do  only  reach  the  outward  vian. 

'J'hey  only  reach  tlie  ignoble,  the  baser  part  of  man  ;  they  meddle  not, 
they  touch  not,  the  noble  part.  '  With  my  mind  I  serve  the  law  of  God, 
though  with  my  flesh  the  law  of  sin,'  Rom.  vii.  22.  And  verse  25,  '  I 
delight  in  the  law  of  God,  after  the  inward  man.'  And  indeed  many 
ot  the  heathen  have  encouraged  themselves  in  this  very  consideration, 
against  the  troubles  and  dangers  of  this  life.*  All  the  arrows  that  art' 
shot  at  a  Christian  stick  in  his  buckler,  they  never  reach  his  conscience, 
his  soul.  The  raging  waves  beat  sorely  against  Noah's  ark,  but  they 
touched  not  him.  Tlie  soul  is  of  too  noble  a  nature  to  be  touched  by 
troubles.  Jacob's  hard  service  under  Laban,  and  his  being  nipped  by 
the  frost  in  winter,  and  scorched  by  the  sun  in  summer,  did  oniy  reach 
his  outward  man  ;  his  .soul  had  high  communion,  and  sweot  lellowship 
with  God,  under  all  his  hardships.  Gen.  xxxi.  40.  Ah,  Christian !  bear 
up  bravely,  for  whatever  hardships  thou  meetest  with  in  the  ways  of 
God,  shall  only  reach  thy  outward  man  ;  and  under  all  these  hardships 
thou  mayest  have  as  high  and  sweet  communion  with  Uod,  as  if  thou 
hadst  never  known  what  hardships  meant,  Hosea  ii.  14. 

[4.]  Fourthly,  Tell  me,  0  weak  saints !  have  not  you  formerly  en- 
joyed such  siveet  refreshings  ivhile  you  have  ieen  in  the  very  service  of 
God,  cus  hath  outweighed  all  the  troubles  and  hardships  that  your  souh 
have  met  with  ?  I  know  you  have  and  you  know  that  you  have  often 
found  that  scripture  made  goodipon  your  hearts,  Ps.  xix.  11,  'More- 
over, by  them  is  thy  servant  warned,  and  in  keeping  of  them  there  is 
great  reward.'  Mark,  he  doth  not  say,  'for  keeping  of  them  there  is 
great  reward,'  though  that  is  n  truth  ;  but,  '  in  keeping  of  them  there 
is  great  rewaid.  While  the  soul  is  at  work,  God  throws  in  the  reward. 
Do  not  3'oii  remember,  O  weak  Christians  !  when  you  have  been  in  the 
service  and  way  ot  God,  how  he  hath  cast  in  joy  at  one  time  and  peace 
at  another  i  &c.  Oh  '  the  smiles,  the  kisses,  the  sweet  discoveries  that 
your  souls  have  met  with,  whilst  you  have  been  in  his  ways.  Ah,  poor 
souls  !  do  not  you  know  that  one  hour's  being  in  the  bosom  of  Christ  will 
make  you  forget  all  your  hardships  ?  Heaven  at  last  will  make  amends 
for  all  ;  and  the  more  hardships  you  find  in  the  ways  of  God,  the  more 
sweet  will  heaven  be  to  you  when  you  come  there.^  Oh,  how  sweet  is 
a  harbour  after  a  long  storm,  and  a  sunshine  day  after  a  dark  and  tem- 
pestuous night,  and  a  warm  spring  after  a  sharp  winter  !  The  miseries 
and  difficulties  that  a  man  meets  with  in  this  world,  will  exceedingly 
sweeten  the  glory  of  that  other  world. 

[5.]  Lastly,  consider.  What  hardships  and  difficidties  the  men  of 
this  ivorld  run  through,  to  get  the  world,  and  undo  their  own  souls. 

They  rise  early,  go  to  bed  late ;  they  go  from  one  end  of  the  world  to 
another,  and  venture  through  all  manner  of  dangers,  deaths,  and  miser- 
ie.s,  to  gain  those  things  that  are  vain,  uncertain,  vexing,  and  dangerous 
to  their  souls,  Ps.  cxxvii.  2,  Mat.  xvi.  J  6.  And  wilt  not  thou,  as  '  a  good 
soldier  of  Christ,'  2  Tim.  ii.  3,  4,  endure  a  little  hard.ship  for  the  honour 
of  thy  Captain,  and  thine  own  internal  and  eternal  good  ?     Thou  art 

*  Anaxagoras,  Plato,  and  others. 

•  Austin  saith,  If  a  man  should  serve  the  Lord  a  thousand  years,  it  would  not  deserve 
an  hour  of  the  reward  in  heaven,  much  less  an  eternity,  &c. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  93 

listed  under  Christ's  colours,  and  therefore  thou  must  arm  thyself  against 
all  difficulties  and  discouragements.  The  number  of  difficulties  makes 
the  Christian's  conquest  the  more  illustrious.  A  gracious  man  should 
be  made  up  all  of  fire,  overcoming  and  consuming  all  oppositions,  as  fire 
does  the  stubble.  All  difficulties  should  be  but  whetstones  to  his  for- 
titude, as  Chrysostom  said  of  Peter. 

The  fifth  duty  is  this  : 

5.  You  that  are  weak  saints  should  observe  how  Christ  keeps  your 
wills  and  affections. 

That  man  is  kept  indeed,  whose  will  and  affection  is  kept  close  to 
Christ ;  and  that  man  is  lost  with  a  witness,  whose  will  and  affections 
are  won  from  Christ.  Weak  saints  are  more  apt  to  observe  their  own 
actions  than  their  wills  and  affections,  and  this  proves  a  snare  unto 
them  ;  therefore  observe  your  affections,  how  they  are  kept ;  for  if  they 
are  kept  close  to  Christ,  if  they  are  kept  faithful  to  Christ,  though  thy 
foot  may  slide  from  Christ,  all  is  well.  The  apostle,  Rom.  vii.  17,  seq., 
observed,  that  his  will  and  affections  were  kept  close  to  Christ  even 
then,  when  he  was  tyrannically  captivated  and  carried  by  the  preva- 
lency  of  sin  from  Christ :  '  With  my  mind  I  serve  the  law  of  God,'  says 
he,  '  and  what  I  do  I  allow  not ;  therefore  it  is  no  more  I  that  doth  it, 
but  sin  that  dwelleth  in  me.'  My  will  stands  close  to  Christ,  and  my 
affections  are  faithful  to  Christ,  though  by  the  prevalency  of  corruption 
I  am  now  and  then  carried  captive  from  Christ.  It  is  one  thing  to  be 
taken  up  by  an  enemy,  and  another  thing  for  a  man  to  lay  down  his 
weapons  at  his  enemy's  feet.  I  am,  saith  the  apostle,  a  forced  man,  '  I 
do  what  I  hate  ;'  I  do  what  I  never  intended.  The  heart  may  be  sound, 
when  more  external  and  inferior  parts  are  not.  The  heart  of  a  man 
may  be  sound  God-ward  and  Christ- ward  and  holiness-ward,  when  yet 
there  may  be  many  defects  and  weaknesses  in  his  conversation.  Now, 
a  weak  Christian  should  be  very  studious  to  observe  how  his  heart  stands 
God- wards  ;  for  the  man  is  as  his  heart  is  ;  if  that  be  right  with  Christ, 
then  all  is  well ;  therefore,  says  Solomon,  Pro  v.  iv.  23,  '  Keep  thy  heart 
with  all  diligence,  for  out  of  it  are  the  issues  of  life.'  The  Hebrew  runs 
more  fully  thus  :  '  Before  all,'  or,  '  Above  all  keepings,  keep  thy  heart ;' 
for  out  of  it  is  the  goings  forth  of  lives.'  The  heart  is  the  spring  and 
fountain  of  all  natural  and  spiritual  actions,  it  is  the  pi'iwiwm  mobile, 
the  great  wheel  that  sets  all  other  wheels  agoing;  it  is  the  great 
monarch  in  the  isle  of  man ;  therefore  keep  it  with  all  custody  and 
caution,  or  else  bid  farewell  to  all  true  joy,  peace,  and  comfort.  When 
the  heart  stands  right  towards  Christ,  Christ  will  pardon  much,  and 
pass  by  much.^ 

If  the  ravished  virgin  in  the  time  of  the  law  cried  out,  she  w^as  guilt- 
less ;  so  when  a  poor  soul,  ravished  by  the  power  of  corruption,  and 
strength  of  Satan's  temptations,  cries  out,  '  Lord,  I  would  not,  for  all 
the  world,  sin  against  thee,  I  would  not  distrust  thee,  I  would  not  be 
impatient  under  thy  afflicting  hand,  I  would  not  be  proud  under  thy 
merciful  hand  ;  but,  Lord,  these  sons  of  Zeruiah,  2  Sam.  iii.  39,  these 
corruptions,  are  too  hard  for  me ;  they  commit  a  rape  upon  me ;  they 
ravish  me  of  my  Jesus,  and  of  my  joy,  and  of  my  peace;  Lord,  help  me. 
Lord  deliver  me!'  now  these  weaknesses  shall  not  be  chai-ged  upon 

'■  Tlie  heart  is  camera  omnipotentis  regis,  the  preseuce-chamber  of  the  king  cf  heaven. 


94i  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

the  soul.  The  ravished  virgin  iindor  the  law,  if  .she  cried  out,  was  guilt- 
less; and  certainly  God  is  not,  nor  will  not  be,  less  merciful  and  gracious 
to  his  ]icople  under  the  gospel,  who  are  still  a-crying  out  against  tlieir 
sins  and  Satan's  assaults.  Surely  these  sins  shall  never  be  a  Christian's 
bane,  that  are  now  his  greatest  burden.  It  is  not  falling  into  the  water, 
but  lviM<'  in  tlie  water,  that  drowri.s.  It  is  not  falling  into  sin,  but  lying 
in  sin,  that  damns.  If  sin  and  thy  heart  be  two,  Christ  and  thy  heart 
are  one.  If  thy  heart  be  Christward,  thou  art  so  happy  that  nothing 
can  make  thee  miserable. 

6.  Sixthly,  Take  heed  of  making  sense  and  feelinrj  a  judge  of  your 
condition.  Though  there  is  nothing  more  dangerous,  yet  there  is  nothing 
more  ordinary,  than  for  weak  saints  to  make  their  sen.se  and  feeling  the 
judge  of  their  condition.  Ah,  poor  souls  !  this  is  dishonourable  to  God, 
and  very  disadvantageous  to  yourselves.  Sen.se  is  sometimes  opposite  to 
reason,  but  always  to  faith  ;  therefore  do  as  those  worthies  did,  2  Cor. 
V.  8,  9,  '  We  walk  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight.''  For  a  man  to  argue 
thus  :  Surely  God  is  not  my  God,  for  I  am  not  enlightened,  I  am  not 
quickened,  I  am  not  melted,  I  am  not  raised,  I  am  not  enlarged  as  for- 
merly. Oh !  I  have  not  those  sweet  answers  and  returns  of  prayer  that 
once  I  had!  Oh!  I  cannot  find  the  Lord's  quickening  presence,  nor 
his  enlivening  presence,  nor  his  humbling  presence,  nor  his  encouraging 
presence,  as  once  I  have ;  therefore  surely  my  condition  is  not  good. 
Oh  !  I  am  more  backward  to  good  than  formerly,  and  more  prone  to 
evil  than  formerly,  therefore  I  am  afraid  that  God  is  not  my  God,  and 
that  the  work  of  grace  is  not  thorough  upon  me.  Oh  !  God  does  not 
look  upon  me  as  in  the  days  of  old,  nor  speak  to  me  as  in  the  days  of 
old,  nor  carry  it  towards  me  as  in  the  days  of  old,  and  therefore  I  am 
afraid  that  all  is  naught. 

Verily,  if  you  will  make  sense  and  feeling  the  judge  of  your  estate 
and  condition,  you  will  never  have  peace  nor  comfort  all  your  days. 
Thy  estate,  O  Christian,  may  be  very  good,  when  sense  and  feeling 
says  it  is  very  bad.  That  child  cannot  but  be  perplexed  that  thinks  his 
father  doth  not  love  him,  because  he  does  not  always  feel  him  smooth- 
ing and  stroking  of  him.  Christians,  you  must  remember  that  it  is  one 
thino-  for  God  to  love  you,  and  another  thing  for  God  to  tell  you  that  he 
loves  you.  Your  happiness  lies  in  the  first,  your  comfort  in  the  second. 
God  hath  stopped  his  ear  against  the  prayers  of  many  a  precious  soul 
whom  he  hatli  dearly  loved. ^  The  best  of  men  have  at  times  lost  that 
quickening,  ravishing,  and  comforting  pre.sence  of  God  that  once  they 
have  enjoyed.  And  verily,  he  that  makes  sense  and  carnal  reason  a 
judge  of  his  condition,  shall  be  happy  and  miserable,  blessed  and  cursed, 
saved  and  lost,  many  times  in  a  day,  yea,  in  an  hour.  The  counsel  that 
I  would  give  to  such  a  soul  that  is  apt  to  set  up  rea.son  in  the  room  of 
faith  is  this,  Whatsoever  thy  estate  and  condition  be,  never  make  sense 
and  feeling  the  judge  of  it,  but  only  the  word  of  Gotl.  Did  ever  God 
appoint  carnal  reason,  sense,  and  feeling,  to  be  a  judge  of  thy  spiritual 
estate?      Surely  no.     And   why,  then,  wilt  thou  subject  thy  soul  to 

'  Senso  and  reason  in  spiritual  things,  snys  Lutlier,  is  noxia  bestia,  an  harmful  beast, 
that  will  destroy  and  pull  down  what  faith  builds>up. 

»  Ps.  Ixxx.  4  ;  Lam.  iii.  34  ;  Ps.  cxix.  25,  37,  40,  88,  107,  149,  154,  15G,  159  ;  xlii.  5  ; 
Cant,  iii,  1-3  ;  Isa,  liv.  7,  8. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  95 

their  judgments?  God  will  judge  thee  at  last  by  his  word:  John  xii. 
48,  '  The  word  that  I  have  spoken,  the  same  shall  judge  you  in  the  last 
day.'  Carnal  reason  is  an  enemy  to  faith;  it  is  still  a-crossing  and  con- 
tradicting of  faith;  it  fills  the  mind  full  of  cavils  and  prejudices,  full  of 
pleas  and  arguments,  to  keep  Christ  and  the  soul  asunder,  and  the  soul 
and  the  promises  asunder,  and  the  soul  and  peace  and  comfort  asunder. 
It  will  never  be  well  with  thee  so  long  as  thou  art  swayed  by  carnal 
reason,  and  reliest  more  upon  thy  five  senses  than  the  four  evangelists. 
Remember  Job  was  as  famous  for  his  confidence  as  for  his  patience  : 
'  Though  he  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  him,'  Job  xiii.  15.  As  the  body 
lives  by  breathing,  so  the  soul  lives  by  believing,  &c. 

IV.  The  duties  of  strong  saints  to  the  lueak. 

We  come  now  to  the  last  thing  propounded,  and  that  is,  the  duties 
of  strong  saints  to  those  that  are  weak.  I  intend  at  this  time  to  finish 
this  point,  and  therefore  shall  not  speak  everything  that  might  be 
spoken,  being  not  of  their  minds  that  think  a  man  never  speaks  enough 
that  speaks  not  all  that  may  be  spoken  to  an  argument.  I  shall,  as 
near  as  I  can,  instance  in  those  duties  that  are  most  weighty  and 
worthy.  And  surely  those  souls  that  are  serious  and  conscientious  in 
the  discharge  of  these,  cannot,  nor  will  not,  be  negligent  in  the  dis- 
charge of  the  rest.  Now  there  are  eleven  duties  that  strong  saints  are 
to  perform  to  those  that  are  weak. 

And  the  first  is  this. 

[1.]  Those  that  are  strong  ought  to  hear  with  the  infirmities  of  the 
vjeak. 

Rom.  XV.  1,  '  We  then  that  are  strong,'  saith  the  apostle,  '  ought  to 
bear  with  the  infirmities  of  the  weak,  and  not  to  please  ourselves.' 
The  word  that  is  rendered  to  bear  signifies  to  bear  as  pillars  do  bear 
the  weight  and  burden  of  the  house  ;  to  bear  as  porters  do  bear  their 
burdens,  or  as  the  bones  do  bear  the  flesli,  or  rather  as  parents  bear 
their  babes  in  their  arms. 

'  Bear  the  infirmities'  Mark,  he  doth  not  say  the  enormities,  but 
the  infirmities  ;  he  doth  not  say  the  wickedness,  but  the  weakness. 
The  strong  ought  to  bear  with  the  infirmities  of  the  weak.  The  Lord 
bears  with  the  weakness  of  his  children.  Peter  is  weak,  and  sinful 
through  weakness;  he  will  not  let  the  Lord  Jesus  wash  his  feet,  John 
xiii. ;  but  the  Lord  Jesus  knowing  that  this  was  from  weakness,  and  not 
from  wickedness,  he  passes  it  over,  and  notwithstanding  his  unkind 
refusal,  he  washes  his  feet.  Thomas  is  very  weak:  '  I  will  not  believe,' 
says  he,  '  except  I  shall  see  in  his  hands  the  print  of  the  nails,  and 
thrust  my  hand  into  his  side,'  John  xx.  25.  Now  this  Christ  bears  with 
much  tenderness  and  sweetness,  as  you  may  see  in  ver.  27,  '  Then  said 
he  to  Thomas,  Reach  hither  thy  fingers,  and  behold  my  hands,  and  reach 
hither  thy  hand,  and  thrust  it  into  my  side,  and  be  not  faithless,  but 
believing.'  The  Lord  Jesus  doth,  as  it  were,  open  his  wounds  afresh  ; 
he  overlooks  his  weakness.  Well,  saith  he,  seeing  it  is  so  that  thou 
wilt  not  believe,  I  will  rather  bleed  afresh  than  thou  shalt  die  in  thy 
unbelief  So  the  three  disciples  that  Christ  had  singled  out  to  watch 
with  him  one  hour.  Mat.  xxvi.,  they  shewed  a  great  deal  of  weakness 
to  be  sleeping  when  their  Lord  was  a-sorrowing,  to  be  snorting  when 


96  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

their  Saviour  was  sighing,  &c.  Yet  Christ  bears  this,  and  carries  it 
sweetly  towards  them,  and  excuses  their  weakness :  ver.  41,  'The  spirit 
is  wilhng,  but  tlic  flesh  is  weak/  Oh  how  sweetly  doth  the  Lord  carry 
it !  Every  new  man  is  two  men ;  he  hath  a  contrary  principle  in  him, 
the  flesh  and  the  spirit.  The  spirit,  the  noble  part,  is  willing,  but  the 
flesh,  the  ignoble  part,  is  weak  and  wayward. 

Now  shall  the  Lord  thus  bear  with  his  weak  ones,  and  shall  not  strong 
saints  bear  also  ?  Remember,  strong  Christians,  there  Avas  a  day  when 
you  were  as  weak  as  others,  as  apt  to  fall  as  others,  as  easily  conquered 
as  others  ;  and  if  then  the  Lord  carried  it  sweetly  towards  you,  let  the 
same  spirit  be  in  you  towards  those  that  are  weak.  It  will  be  no  grief 
of  heart  to  you,  if  in  this  you  act  like  your  Lord  and  Saviour. 

If  you  do  not  bear  with  the  infirmities  of  the  weak,  who  shall  ?  who 
will?  This  wicked  world  cannot,  nor  will  not.  The  world  will  make 
them  transgi'essors  for  a  word,  and  watch  for  their  halting ;  and  there- 
fore you  had  need  to  bear  with  them  so  much  the  more,  Isa.  xxix.  21, 
Jer.  XX.  10.     The  world's  cruelty  should  stir  up  your  compassions. 

[2.]  Secondly,  As  it  is  your  duty  to  hear  with  theni,  so  it  is  your 
duty  to  receive  tJiem  into  comTiiunion  with  you. 

Rom.  xiv.  1,  '  Him  that  is  weak  in  the  faith  receive  you,  but  not  to 
doubtful  disputatious.' 

'  Him  that  is  weak  in  the  faith  receive'  that  is,  him  that  is  not 
thoroughly  persuaded  of  all  things  pertaining  to  Christian  liberty,  about 
things  indifferent.  '  Them  that  are  weak  in  the  faith  receive  ; '  he  doth 
not  say,  '  Them  that  have  no  faith  receive.'  For  there  is  no  rule  for  the 
saints  or  churches  to  receive  them  into  communion  that  have  no  faith, 
that  have  no  fellowship  with  the  Father  and  the  Son.  But  '  him  that 
is  weak  in  the  faith,'  saith  he,  'receive.' 

The  word  that  is  here  rendered  receive,  signifies  to  receive  into 
our  bosom  with  charitable  affection.  The  Greek  word  signifies  three 
things. 

(1.)  It  signifies  to  receive  weak  saints  as  our  own  bowels  ;  to  receive 
them  with  the  greatest  tenderness,  affection,  pity,  and  compassion  that 
possibly  can  be.  So  the  same  Greek  word  is  used  in  the  Epistle  of 
Philemon,  ver.  12,  where  Paul  entreats  Philemon  '  to  receive  Onesimus 
as  his  own  bowels.'  The  word  there  is  the  same  word  with  this  in  the 
text.  So  must  the  strong  receive  the  weak,  even  as  their  own  bowels ; 
receive  them  with  the  gieatest  affection,  with  the  greatest  compassion 
that  possibly  can  be. 

(2.)  The  word  signifies  imtiently  to  bear  with  tlie  weak  when  they 
are  received;  and  not  to  take  them  into  your  bosom,  into  your  com- 
munion one  day  and  cast  them  out  the  next,  but  patiently  to  bear  with 
them,  as  well  as  affectionately  to  receive  them. 

It  was  a  heathen  prince  [Xerxes]  that  crowned  his  steersman  in  the 
morning,  and  beheaded  him  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  &c. 

(3.)  The  word  signifies  by  fatherly  instruct  ion  io  seel;  to  restore  him. 
It  is  not  the  will  of  Christ  that  weak  saints  should  be  rejected,  or  that  the 
door  of  entrance  should  be  shut  against  them,  fill  they  are  stronger,  or 
till  they  have  attained  to  such  heights  and  such  perfections  of  grace 
and  divine  enjoyments  of  God  as  others  have  attained.  Remember 
this,  as  the  weakest  faith,  if  true,  gives  the  soul  a  right  to  all  that 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  97 

that  internal  and  eternal  worth  that  is  in  Christ :  so  the  weakest  faith,  if 
true,  gives  a  man  a  real  right  unto  all  the  external  privileges  and 
favours  that  come  by  Christ.  In  Rom.  xv.  7,  '  Wherefore  receive  ye 
one  another,  as  Christ  also  received  us  to  the  glory  of  God.'  This  is 
the  standing  rule  for  all  the  saints  and  churches  in  the  world  to  go  by. 
It  is  not  their  wills,  but  these  two  scriptures  last  cited,  that  are  the 
standing  rules  by  which  all  the  churches  on  earth  are  to  go  by,  in  the 
admission  of  members. 

'  Them  that  are  weak  in  the  faith '  are  to  be  received  by  you,  be- 
cause the  Lord  Jesus  hath  received  them.  Christ  does  not  receive  the 
strong  to  the  glory  of  God,  and  cast  off  the  weak.  No  ;  the  Lord  Jesus 
gathers  the  weak  into  his  bosom,  and  tenderly  dandles  them  upon  his 
knee.  He  receives  the  weak  to  glory,  as  well  as  the  strong ;  therefore 
saith  the  apostle,  '  As  the  Lord  hath  received  them,  so  do  you.' 

Bucer  rejected  none  in  whom  he  saw  aliquid  Christi,  anything  of 
Christ,  but  gave  them  the  right  hand  of  fellowship.  Such  persons  and 
churches  can  never  answer  it  to  Christ,  that  keep  the  door  of  admission 
shut  against  souls  truly  gracious,  though  they  are  bub  weak  in  grace, 
though  they  have  [not]  attained  to  such  a  measure  of  light,  or  degrees 
of  love,  or  to  such  perfections  in  holiness,  ag  such  and  such  have  done. 
No  ;  the  standing  rule  is,  '  Him  whom  the  Lord  hath  received,  receive.' 

If  weak  saints  shall  desire  communion,  and  be  willing  to  walk  in  the 
ways  that  Jesus  Christ  hath  appointed  his  saints  to  walk  in,  the 
churches  ought  to  give  them  the  right  hand  of  fellowship.  And  that  is 
the  second  duty  that  lies  upon  the  strong,  viz.,  that  they  are  to  receive 
the  weak  into  communion  and  fellowship  with  them,  and  that  with  the 
greatest  affection,  love,  and  compassion,  that  possibly  can  be. 

A  third  duty  that  lies  upon  strong  saints  to  the  weak  is  this  : 

[3.]  They  must  look  more  upon  their  graces  than  upon  their  tveak- 
nesses. 

It  is  a  sad  thing  when  they  shall  borrow  spectacles  to  behold  their 
weak  brethren's  weaknesses,  and  refuse  looking-glasses  wherein  they  may 
see  their  weak  brethren's  graces.  Saints  that  are  strong  ought  to  look 
more  upon  the  virtues  of  weak  saints  than  upon  their  miscarriages. 
When  Christ  saw  but  a  little  moral  good  in  the  young  man,  the  text 
saith  that  '  He  looked  upon  him,  and  loved  him,'  Mark  x.  12.  And 
shall  not  we  look  upon  a  weak  saint  and  love  him,  when  we  see  the  love 
of  God  and  the  image  of  God  upon  him.  Shall  moral  virtue  take  the 
eye,  and  draw  the  love  of  Christ  ?  And  shall  not  supernatural  grace  in 
a  weak  Christian  take  our  eyes  and  draw  our  hearts  ?  Shall  we  eye  a 
little  gold  in  much  earth  ?  And  shall  we  not  eye  a  little  grace  where 
there  is  much  corrujjtion  ?' 

It  is  an  unsufferable  weakness,  I  had  almost  said,  for  persons  to 
suffer  their  affections  to  run  out  only  to  such  that  are  of  their  judg- 
ments, and  to  love,  prize,  and  value  persons  according  as  they  suit  their 
opinions,  and  not  according  to  what  of  the  image  of  God  shines  in  them. 
But  if  this  be  not  far  from  a  gospel  spirit,  and  from  that  God-like  spirit 

^  If  moral  virtue  could  be  seen  with  mortal  eyes,  it  would  soon  draw  all  hearts  to  it- 
^    self,  saith  Plato.     What,  then,  should  grace  do  ?  the  least  dram  of  which  is  of  more  wortli 
than  all  the  moral  virtues  in  the  world. 

VOL.  III.  G 


98  '  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

tliat  should  be  in  saints,  I  know  nothing.  It  speaks  out  much  of  Christ 
within,  to  own  where  Christ  owns,  and  love  where  Christ  loves,  and 
embrace  where  Christ  embraces,  and  to  bo  one  with  every  one  that  is 
practically  one  with  tlie  Lord  Jesus.  Christ  cannot  but  take  it  very 
unkindly  at  our  hands,  if  we  sliould  disown  any  upon  whom  he  hath  set 
his  royal  stamp.  And  I  bless  his  grace  that  liatli  drawn  out  my  desires 
and  endeavours  to  love,  own,  and  honour  the  people  of  Christ,  according 
to  what  of  the  appearances  of  Christ  I  see  in  them.  And,  if  I  am  not 
much  mistaken,  this  is  tlie  highway  to  that  joy,  peace,  and  comfort,  the 
want  of  which  makes  a  man's  life  a  hell.  God  looks  more  on  the 
bright  side  of  the  cloud,  than  he  doth  on  the  dark,  and  so  should  we. 

It  was  the  honour  of  Vespasian  that  '  he  was  more  ready  to  conceal 
the  vices  of  his  friends,  than  their  virtues.'  Surely  there  is  much  of 
God  in  that  soul,  that  is  upon  a  gospel  account  more  careful  and  skilful 
to  conceal  the  vices  of  weak  saints,  than  their  virtues.  Many  in  these 
days  do  justly  incur  the  censure  which  that  sour  philosopher  passed  upon 
grammarians,  that  '  they  were  better  acquainted  with  the  evil  of 
Ulysses,  than  with  their  own.' ' 

[i.]  Fourthly,  It  is  the  duty  of  strong  saints,  in  things  indifferent 
to  deny  themselves,  to  please  the  weak. 

1  Cor.  viii.  13,  '  Wherefore,  if  meat  make  my  brother  to  offend,  I  Avill 
eat  no  flesh  while  the  world  standeth,  lest  I  make  ray  brother  to  offend.' 
Strong  saints  must  stand  unchangeably  resolved  neither  to  give  offence 
carelessly,  nor  to  take  offence  causelessly.  Says  the  apostle,  I  will  not 
stand  to  dispute  my  Christian  liberty,  but  will  rather  lay  it  down  at 
my  weak  brother's  feet,  than  I  will  by  the  use  of  it  offend  one  for 
whom  Christ  hath  died.  1  Cor.  ix.  22,  '  To  the  weak  became  I  as  weak, 
that  I  might  gain  the  weak.  I  am  made  all  things  to  all  men,  that 
I  might  by  all  means  save  some.'  That  is,  I  condescended  and  went 
to  the  uttermost  that  possibly  I  could,  without  sin,  to  win  and  gain 
upon  the  weak  ;  I  displeased  myself  in  things  that  were  of  an  indif- 
ferent nature,  to  please  them.  Thou  oughtest  not,  O  strong  Christian, 
by  the  use  of  thy  Christian  liberty,  to  put  a  stumbling-block  before  thy 
weak  brother.  Rom.  xv.  2,  '  We  then  that  are  strong,  ought  to  bear 
with  the  infirmities  of  the  weak,  and  not  to  please  ourselves.  Let 
every  one  of  us  please  his  neighbour  for  his  good  to  edification.'  He 
doth  not  say,  Let  every  one  of  us  please  the  lust  of  his  neighbour,  but 
let  every  one  of  us  please  his  neighbour  for  his  good  to  edification.  Let 
us  in  things  of  an  indifferent  nature  so  yield  as  to  please  our  neighbour. 
There  were  some  thought  that  they  might  observe  days ;  others  thought 
they  might  not.  Some  thouglit  they  might  eat  meat ;  others  thought 
they  might  only  eat  herbs.  Why,  saith  the  apostle,  in  these  things 
thai  arc  of  an  indifferent  nature,  I  will  rather  displease  and  deny  myself, 
to  jirofit  my  neighbour,  than  I  will,  by  the  use  of  my  liberty,  occasion 
my  neighbour  to  offend.  Ay,  lliis  is  true  Christian  love  indeed,  for  a 
man  to  cross  liimself  to  please  his  neighbour,  so  it  may  be  for  his  soul's 
edification.  But  this  heavenly  love  is  driven  almost  out  of  the  world, 
which  causeth  men  to  dislike  those  things  in  others  which  they  flatter 
in  themselves. 

A  fifth  duty  incumbent  upon  strong  saints  is, 

'  Diogenes  apud  Laertium,  lib.  vi. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  99 

[5.]  To  support  the  weak. 

]  Thes.  V.  14,  '  Support  the  weak,  be  patient  towards  all  men.'  Look, 
what  tlie  crutch  is  to  the  lame,  and  the  beam  of  the  house  is  to  the 
ruinated  house,  that  ought  strong  saints  to  be  to  the  weak.  Strong 
saints  are  to  be  crutches  to  the  weak,  they  are  to  be,  as  it  were,  beams 
to  bear  up  the  weak.  Strong  saints  are  to  set  to  their  shoulder,  to 
shore  up  the  weak  by  their  counsels,  prayers,  tears,  and  examples. 
Strong  saints  must  not  deal  by  the  weak,  as  the  herd  of  deer  do  by  the 
wounded  deer ;  they  forsake  it  and  push  it  away.  Oh  no  !  When  a 
poor  weak  saint  is  wounded  by  a  temptation,  or  by  the  power  of  some 
corruption,  then  they  that  are  strong  ought  to  succour  and  support 
such  an  one,  lest  he  be  swallowed  up  of  sorrow.  When  you  that  are 
strong  see  a  weak  saint  staggering  and  reeling  under  a  temptation  or 
affliction.  Oh,  know  it  is  then  your  duty  to  put  both  your  hands  under- 
neath, to  support  him  that  he  faint  not,  that  he  miscarries  not  in  such 
an  hour.  Isa.  xxxv.  3,  'Strengthen  ye  the  weak  hands,  and  confirm  the 
feeble  knees.'' 

'  Strengthen  the  weak  hands,'  that  is,  hands  that  hang  down  ;  '  and 
confirm  the  feeble  knees,'  that  is,  such  knees  that  by  reason  of  feebleness 
are  ready  to  fall.  Strengthen  such,  that  is,  encourage  them,  by  casting 
in  a  promise,  by  casting  in  thy  experiences,  or  by  casting  in  the  expe- 
riences of  other  saints,  that  so  they  may  be  supported.  It  may  be  his 
case  was  once  thine  :  if  so,  then  tell  him  what  promises  did  support  thee, 
what  discoveries  of  God  did  uphold  thee  ;  tell  him  what  tastes,  what 
sights,  and  what  in-comes  thou  hadst,  and  how  bravely  thou  didst  bear 
up,  by  the  strength  of  his  everlasting  arms  that  were  under  thee,  &c.^ 

A  sixth  duty  that  is  incumbent  upon  strong  saints  is, 

[6.]  To  take  heed  of  making  weak  saints  halt  and  go  lame  in  a  way 
of  holiness,  or  of  keeping  them  off  from  the  ways  of  God,  or  of  turning 
them,  out  of  the  ways  of  God. 

That  is  the  meaning  of  that  scripture,  as  I  conceive,  Luke  xvii.  2. 
And  of  that.  Mat.  xviii.  1 0,  '  Take  heed  that  ye  offend  not  one  of  these 
little  ones,  for  their  angels  do  always  behold  the  face  of  my  Father.' 
You  are  apt  to  slight  them  because  they  are  weak  in  grace  and  holiness, 
and  so  you  are  apt  to  cause  them  to  halt ;  but  take  heed  of  this,  they 
have  glistering  courtiers  that  do  attend  them  ;  therefore  take  heed 
that  you  do  not  offend  them,  for  their  angels,  as  so  many  champions, 
stand  ready  to  right  them  and  fight  for  them.  A  man  were  better 
offend  and  anger  all  the  devils  in  hell,  and  all  the  witches  in  the  world, 
than  to  anger  and  offend  the  least  of  Christ's  little  ones.  If  Cain  do 
but  lower  upon  Abel,  God  will  arraign  him  for  it :  '  Why  is  thy  counte- 
nance cast  down  f  Gen.  iv.  6.  If  Miriam  do  but  mutter  against  Moses, 
God  will  spit  in  her  face  for  it.  Num.  xii.  14.  That  is  a  very  dreadful 
word.  Mat.  xviii.  6,  'Take  heed  how  ye  offend  one  of  these  little  ones ;' 
you  make  nothing  of  it,  but  saith  Christ,  take  heed,  'for  it  were  better 
that  a  millstone,'  a  huge  millstone,  as  the  Greek  word  signifies,  such  a 
one  as  an  ass  can  but  turn  about ;  (this  kind  of  punishment  the  greatest 

1  Look,  what  the  nurse  is  to  the  child,  the  oak  to  the  ivy,  the  house  to  the  vine  ;  that 
should  strong  saints  be  to  the  weak,  &e.,  2  Cor.  ii.  7. 

2  For  a  fine  example  of  this,  adduced  elaewhere  by  Brooks,  see  Index  under  Throg- 
morton. — G. 


100  THE  UNSEARCHAIJLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

malefactors  among  the  Jews  were  put  to  in  those  days,  saith  Jerome), 
'  and  cast  into  the  middle  of  the  sea ;'  so  it  is  word  for  word  in  the 
Greek,  the  middle  being  deepest  and  furthest  off  from  the  shore,  ren- 
dering his  estate  most  miserable  and  irrecuverable. 

[7.J  Seventhly,  It  is  the  duty  of  stronj  saltUs  to  suit  all  things  to 
the  capacity  of  the  'weak. 

To  suit  all  their  prayers  and  all  their  discourses  to  the  capacity  of 
the  weak.  Paul  was  good  at  this  :  '  To  the  weak  became  I  as  weak.' 
Paul  was  a  man  as  strong  in  natural  and  acquired  parts  as  any  living, 
and  he  knew  how  to  word  it,  and  to  carry  it  in  as  lofty  strains,  as  any 
that  breathed,  yet  who  more  plain  in  his  preaching  than  Paul  ?  It 
hath  many  a  time  made  my  heart  sad,  to  think  how  those  men  will 
answer  it  in  the  day  of  Christ,  that  affect  lofty  strains,  high  notions,  and 
cloudy  expressions,  that  make  the  plain  things  of  the  gospel  dark  and 
obscure. 

Many  preachers  in  our  days  are  like  Heraclitus,  who  was  called  '  the 
dark  doctor;'  they  affect  sublime  notions,  obscure  expressions,  uncouth 
phrases,  making  plain  truths  difficult,  and  easy  truths  hard.  '  They 
darken  counsel  with  words  without  knowledge,'  Job  xxxviii.  2.  Studied 
expressions  and  high  notions  in  a  sermon,  are  like  Asahel's  carcase 
in  the  way,  that  did  only  stop  men  and  make  them  gaze,  but  did  no 
ways  profit  them  or  better  them.  It  is  better  to  present  truth  in  her 
native  plainness,  than  to  hang  her  ears  with  counterfeit  pearls. 

That  is  a  remarkable  scripture,  1  Cor.  iii.  1,  2,  '  And  I,  brethren,  could 
not  speak  unto  you  as  unto  spiritual,  but  as  unto  carnal,  even  as  unto 
babes  in  Christ.  I  have  fed  you  with  milk,  and  not  with  meat;  for 
liitherto  ye  were  not  able  to  bear  it,  neither  yet  now  are  ye  able/  The 
apostle  did  not  soar  aloft  in  the  clouds,  and  express  the  mysteries  of 
the  gospel  in  such  a  dark  obscure  Avay  as  that  poor  creatures  could  not 
be  able  to  pick  out  the  mind  of  God  in  it.  No  ;  but  he  suited  all  his 
discourses  to  their  capacities  ;  and  so  must  you. 

[8.]  Eighthly,  It  is  your  duty  to  labour  to  strengthen  weak  saints 
against  sin,  and  to  dratu  them  to  holiness  argumeniatively. 

When  a  strong  saint  comes  to  deal  with  one  that  is  weak,  and 
would  strengthen  him  against  sin,  he  must  do  it  argumentatively  ; 
and  when  he  would  draw  to  holiness,  he  must  do  it  argumentatively. 
1  John  ii.  1,  2,  compared  with  chap.  i.  7,  y,  'My  little  children,  these 
things  write  I  unto  you,  that  ye  sin  not.'  What  things  were  those  he 
wrote  ?  Mark,  chap.  i.  7,  '  If  we  walk  in  the  light,  as  he  is  in  the  light, 
we  have  fellowship  one  with  another,  and  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
his  Son  cleanscth  from  all  sins.'  Here  he  fenceth  them  against  sin, 
by  one  of  the  strongest  and  choicest  arguments  that  the  whole  book  of 
God  affords,  by  an  argument  that  is  drawn  from  the  soul's  comnmnion 
with  God.  And  then  in  verse  9,  '  If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful 
and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness. 
If  any  man  sin,  we  have  an  advocate  with  the  Father.'  Here  the 
apostle  labours  to  strengthen  weak  saints  argumentatively,  even  by  the 
strongest  arwumeuts  that  the  whole  book  of  God  affords.  So  verses  12, 
J 3,  'I  write  unto  you,  little  children,  because  your  sins  ai'e  forgiven 
you,  for  his  name's  sake,'  &c.  So  in  verse  18,  '  Little  children,  it  is  the 
last  times,  and  as  ye  have  heard  that  antichrist  shall  come,  even  now 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  101 

are  there  many  antichrists,  whereby  we  know  that  it  is  the  last  time.' 
So  verse  28,  '  And  now,  little  children,  abide  in  him,  that  when  he  shall 
appear,  we  may  have  confidence,  and  not  be  ashamed  before  him  at  his 
coming.  If  ye  know  that  he  is  righteous,  ye  know  that  every  one 
that  doth  righteousness  is  born  of  him.'  You  see  in  all  these  scriptures 
how  the  apostle  labours  to  strengthen  weak  saints  in  a  way  of  holiness, 
and  to  fence  them  against  ways  of  wickedness  argumentatively,  and  so 
must  you ;  this  being  the  ready  way  to  convince  them,  and  to  make  a 
conquest  upon  them,  &c. 

The  ninth  duty  that  lies  upon  strong  saints  is, 
[9.]  To  cast  a  Tnantle  over  the  infir'niities  of  the  weak. 
Now  there  is  a  three-fold  mantle  that  should  be  cast  over  the  infir- 
mities of  the  weak.     There  is  a  mantle  of  wisdom,  a  mantle  of  faith- 
fulness, and  a  mantle  of  compassion,  which  is  to  be  cast  over  all  the 
infirmities  of  weak  saints. 

First,  Strong  saints  are  to  cast  a  mantle  of  wisdom  over  the  infirmi- 
ties of  weak  saints.  They  are  not  to  present  their  sins  in  that  ugliness, 
and  with  such  aggravations,  as  may  terrify,  as  may  sink,  as  may  make 
a  weak  saint  to  despair,  or  may  drive  him  from  the  mercy-seat,  or  as 
may  keep  him  and  Christ  asunder,  or  as  may  unfit  him  for  the  dis- 
charge of  religious  duties.  It  is  more  a  weakness  than  a  virtue  in 
strong  Christians,  when  a  weak  saint  is  fallen,  to  aggravate  his  fall  to 
the  uttermost,  and  to  present  his  sins  in  such  a  dreadful  dress,  as  shall 
amaze  him,  &c.  It  often  proves  very  prejudicial  and  dangerous  to 
weak  saints,  when  their  infirmities  are  aggravated  beyond  Scripture 
grounds,  and  beyond  what  they  are  able  to  bear.  He  that  shall  lay 
the  same  strength  to  the  rubbing  of  an  earthen  dish,  as  he  does  to  the 
rubbing  of  a  pewter  platter,  instead  of  clearing  it,  shaU  surely  break  it 
all  to  pieces.     The  application  is  easy,  &c.^ 

Secondly,  There  is  a  mantle  of  faithfulness  that  is  to  be  cast  over 
the  infirmities  of  weak  saints.  A  man  should  never  discover  the  infir- 
mities of  a  weak  saint,  especially  to  such  that  have  neither  skill  nor 
will  to  heal  and  bury  them.  The  world  will  but  blaspheme  and  blaze 
them  abroad,  to  the  dishonour  of  God,  to  the  reproach  of  religion,  and 
to  the  grief  and  scandal  of  the  weak,  &c.  They  will  with  Ham  rather 
call  upon  others  to  scoff  at  them,  than  bring  a  mantle  to  cover  them, 
&c.  Ham  was  cursed  for  that  he  did  discover  his  father's  nakedness  to 
his  brethren,  when  it  was  in  his  power  to  have  covered  it.  He  saw  it, 
and  might  have  drawn  a  curtain  over  it,  but  would  not ;  and  for  this, 
by  a  spirit  of  prophecy,  he  was  cursed  by  his  father.  Gen.  ix.  22. 
This  age  is  full  of  such  monsters,  that  rejoice  to  blaze  abroad  the 
infirmities  of  the  saints,  and  these  certainly  justice  hath  or  will  curse. 

Thirdly,  There  is  a  mantle  of  compassion  that  must  be  cast  over  the 
weaknesses  and  infirmities  of  weak  saints.  When  a  weak  man  comes 
to  see  his  sin,  and  the  Lord  gives  him  to  lie  down  in  the  dust,  and  to 
take  shame  and  confusion  to  himself,  that  he  hath  dishonoured  God, 
and  caused  Christ  to  bleed  afresh,  and  grieved  the  Spirit,  &c.  ;  oh  now 

1  Parisiensis  said  sometimes  concerning  trifles  :  It  is,  said  he,  as  if  a  man  should  see  a 
fly  or  a  flea  on  a  man's  forehead,  and  for  tliat  should  presently  take  a  beetle  to  knock 
him  on  the  head  to  kill  the  fly.  [Query,  Peter  Lombard?  Cf.  Sibbes,  vol.  i.  pp.  55, 
101.— G.] 


102  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPU.  III.  8. 

thou  must  draw  a  covering,  and  cast  a  mantle  of  love  and  compassion 
over  his  soul,  that  he  may  not  1)0  swallowed  up  with  sorrow.  Now 
thou  must  confirm  thy  love  to  him,  and  carry  it  with  as  great  tender- 
ness and  sweetness  after  liis  fall,  as  if  he  had  never  fallen.  This  the 
apostle  presses,  2  Cor.  ii.  7,  '  Love,'  says  the  wise  man,  '  covereth  all 
sin.'  Love's  mantle  is  very  large.  Love  claps*  a  plaster  upon  every 
sore ;  love  hath  two  hands,  and  makes  use  of  both,  to  hide  the  scars  of 
weak  saints.  Christ,  O  strong  saints,  casts  the  mantle  of  his  righteous- 
ness over  your  weaknesses,  and  will  not  you  cast  the  mantle  of  love 
over  your  brother's  infirmities  V 

[10.]  Tenth ly,  It  is  the  duty  of  strong  saints  to  symjxithize  with  the 
xoeak ;  to  rejoice  with  them  ivhen  tJwy  rejoice,  and  to  raourn  with 
them  vjhen  they  mourn. 

2  Cor.  xi.  29,  '  Who  is  weak,  and  I  am  weak  ?  who  is  axaydaXl^irai, 
scandalized,  offended,  and  I  Tv^oiJ/jbai,  am  not  on  tire,  burn  not  ? 

Thuanus  reports  of  Lodovicus  Marsacus,  a  knight  of  France,  when 
he  was  led  with  other  martyrs  that  were  bound  with  cords,  going  to 
execution,  and  he  for  his  dignity  was  not  bound,  he  cried,  Give  me  my 
chains  too,  let  me  be  a  knight  of  the  same  ordor.^ 

It  should  be  between  a  strong  saint  and  a  weak,  as  it  is  between  two 
lute-strings,  that  are  tuned  one  to  another ;  no  sooner  one  is  struck, 
but  the  other  trembles  ;  no  sooner  should  a  weak  saint  be  struck,  but 
the  strong  should  tremble.  '  Remember  them  that  are  in  bonds,  as 
bound  with  them,'  Heb.  xiii.  3. 

The  Romans  punished  one  that  was  seen  looking  out  at  his  window 
with  a  crown  of  roses  on  his  head,  in  a  time  of  public  calamity ;  and 
will  not  God  punish  those  that  do  not  sympathize  with  Joseph  in  his 
afflictions  ?     Surely  he  will.     Amos  vi.  1-14. 

[11.]  Lastly,  It  is  the  duty  of  the  strong  to  give  to  the  iveah  the 
honour  that  is  due  unto  them. 

1  Peter  iii.  7 :  They  have  the  same  name,  the  same  baptism,  the 
same  profession,  the  same  faith,  the  same  hope,  the  same  Christ,  the 
same  promises,  the  same  dignity,  and  the  same  glory  with  you  ;  there- 
fore sjK'ak  honourably  of  them,  and  carry  it  honourably  towards  them. 
Let  not  them  be  under  your  feet,  that  Christ  has  laid  near  his  heart, 
&c.     And  so  much  for  this  second  doctrine. 

We  come  now  to  the  next  words. 

Unto  me,  who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,  is  this  grace  given, 
&c. — Eph.  iii.  8. 

We  sludl  speak  now  to  the  word  grace.  The  Greek  word  %Ǥ'?,  that 
is  here  rendered  grace,  hath  a  twofold  signification. 

First,  Sometimes  it  is  taken  for  the  gracious  favour  and  gcwd-will  of 
God,  whereby  he  is  pleased  of  his  own  free  love  to  accept  and  own  poor 
sinners  in  the  Son  of  his  love,  for  his  own.  This  is  called  the  first 
grace,  because  it  is  the  fountain  of  all  other  graces,  and  the  spring 
from  whence  they  flow.  And  it  is  therefore  called  grace,  because  it 
makes  a  man  gracious  with  G(xi. 

'  I  have  known  a  good  old  man,  said  Bernard,  wlio,  wlion  he  had  lieard  of  any  that 
had  committed  some  notorious  offence,  was  wout  to  .say  with  himself,  lUe  hodie,  et  «<;o 
cias,  he  fell  to-day  ;  so  may  I  to-morrow,  &c.  "''  Thuanus,  Hist,  [fub  nK/miiic. — U.] 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  103 

Secondly,  This  word  %af'5,  that  is  here  rendered  grace,  is  taken  for 
the  gifts  of  grace,  and  they  are  of  two  sorts,  special  or  common. 
Common  grace  is  that  which  hypocrites  may  have,  and  in  which  they 
may  excel  and  go  beyond  the  choicest  saints,  as  in  a  gift  of  knowledge, 
a  gift  of  utterance,  a  gift  of  prayer,  a  gift  of  tongues,  &c.  A  man  may 
have  these,  and  many  other  excellent  gifts,  and  yet  miscarry,  yea,  fall 
as  low  as  hell ;  witness  Juda.g,  Demas,  the  scribes  and  pharisees,  &c.,  Mat. 
vii.  21-25.  Secondly,  There  is  special  grace,  as  faith,  love,  humility, 
meekness,  which  the  apostle  reckons  up,  Gal.  v.  22,  23.  Now  here  by 
grace  you  may  either  understand  the  gracious  favour  of  God,  '  Unto 
me  who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints  is  this  choice  favour  given, 
that  I  should  preach  among  the  Gentiles  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ,'  or  else  you  may  take  it  for  the  gifts  of  grace,  both  saving 
and  common,  which  the  apostle  had  given  him,  in  order  to  the  dis- 
charge of  his  ministerial  office,  which,  by  the  special  favour  of  God, 
he  was  advanced  to. 

The  word  grace  being  thus  opened,  we  may  from  thence  observe, 
first, 

I.  That  the  Lord  gives  his  best  .gifts  to  his  best  beloved  ones. 

'  Unto  me,'  saith  the  apostle,  *  who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints, 
is  this  grace  given.' 

For  the  opening  and  clearing  of  this  point,  I  shall  premise  these  Tour 
things. 

I.  To  shew  you  what  those  best  gifts  are  that  God  bestows  upon  his 
best  beloved  ones. 

II.  I  shall  shew  you  the  manner  of  his  giving  the  best  gifts  to  his 
beloved  ones,  or  the  difference  there  is  between  Christ's  giving  and  the 
world's  giving. 

III.  And  then  the  excellency  of  those  gifts  that  Christ  gives,  above 
all  other  gifts  that  the  world  gives. 

IV.  And  lastly.  The  reason  why  Christ  gives  his  best  gifts  to  his  best 
beloved  ones. 

For  the  first,  What  are  those  best  gifts  that  Christ  bestows  upon  his 
best  beloved  ones  ? 

I  shall  not  instance  in  those  common  gifts  that  they  have  in  common 
with  others,  but  rather  shew  unto  you  those  special  gifts  that  he  be- 
stows upon  them  ;  and  of  those  I  shall  single  out  them  that  are  most 
choice,  and  that  carry  most  in  them  of  the  glory,  favour,  and  '  good 
will  of  him  that  dwelt  in  the  bush.' 

And  the  first  is  this  : 

[1.]  He  gives  light  to  his  beloved  ones;  and 'light  is  a  pleasant 
thing  to  behold,'  as  the  wise  man  speaks,  Eccles.  xi.  7.  He  gives 
spiritual  light,  which  is  a  mercy  of  mercies.  Eph.  v.  14,  'Awake,  thou 
that  sleepest,  and  arise  from  the  dead,  and  Christ  shall  give  thee  light." 
So  John  i.  7-9,  '  He  was  not  that  Light,  but  was  sent  to  bear  witness  of 
that  Light.  That  was  the  true  Light,  that  lighteneth  every  man  that 
cometh  into  the  world.'^  He  gives  that  light  whereby  his  people  are 
enabled  to  see  sin  to  be  the  greatest  evil,  and  himself  to  be  the  chiefest 

1  l'r/(pau(r£;  trm,  shine  upon  thee.     Life  without  light  is  but  a  lifeless  life. 

2  Vide  Cameron  and  Augustine  on  the  words. 


104  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

good.  He  gives  that  light  tliat  inc4ts  the  soul,  that  humbles  the  soul, 
that  warms  the  sonl,that  quickens  the  soul,  that  quiets  the  soul,  and  that 
glads  tlie  soul.  Man  is  not  born  with  lieavenly  light  in  his  heart,  as  he  is 
born  with  a  tongue  in  his  mouth.  Till  Christ  comes  and  sets  up  a  light 
in  the  soul,  the  soul  lives  in  darkness,  and  lies  in  darkness,  yea,  is  dark- 
ness in  the  very  abstract :  Eph,  v.  8,  '  Ye  were  sometimes  darkness,  but 
now  arc  ye  light  in  the  Lord.'  Saints  are  always  in  the  sunsliine,  there- 
fore they  should  be  like  a  crystal  glass,  with  a  light  in  the  midst,  which 
appeareth  in  every  part.' 

A  Christian  should  be  like  the  lamp  in  the  story,  that  never  went 
out.  Were  it  not  for  the  sun,  it  would  be  perpetual  night  in  the  world, 
notwithstanding  all  starlight,  and  torchlight,  and  moonlight.  It  is  not 
the  torchlight  of  natural  parts  and  creature-comforts,  nor  the  starlight 
of  civil  honesty  and  common  gifts,  nor  yet  the  moonlight  of  temporary 
faith  and  formal  profession,  that  can  make  day  in  the  soul,  till  the  Sun 
of  righteousness  rise  and  shine  upon  it.  And  that  is  the  first  thing  he 
jjives,  lisrht. 

Now,  the  second  thing  he  gives  is, 

[2.j  ReiJentance.  Repentance  is  not  a  flower  that  grows  in  nature's 
garden.  Acts  v.  31,  '  Him  hath  God  the  Father  exalted  to  be  a  Prince 
and  a  Saviour,  to  give  repentance  to  Israel,  and  forgiveness  of  sins.'  So 
in  2  Tim.  ii.  25,  '  The  servant  of  the  Lord  must  in  meekness  instruct 
those  that  oppose  themselves,  if  God  peradventure  will  give  them  re- 
pentance to  the  acknowledging  of  the  truth.'  By  these  scriptures,  it  is 
clear  that  repentance  is  no  flower  that  grows  in  nature's  garden,  though 
Armiuians  teach  and  print,  that  if  men  will  put  out  their  power  and 
their  strength  they  may  repent,  &c.^  But  several  that  have  been  of  this 
opinion,  have  experienced  the  falseness  of  it  when  it  hath  been  too  late: 
'  The  Ethiopian  cannot  change  his  skin,  nor  the  leopard  his  spots,'  Jer. 
xiii,  23.  And  certainly,  if  there  were  such  a  power  in  man  to  repent, 
as  some  would  make  the  world  believe,  man  would  never  miscarry  ever- 
lastingly for  his  not  repenting.  Oh,  is  it  good  dwelling  with  everlasting 
burnings,  with  a  burning  fire  ?  Is  it  good  being  for  ever  shut  out  from 
the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  the  glory  of  his  power?  Certainly,  if 
there  were  such  a  power  in  vain  man  to  repent,  no  man  would  go  to 
hell  for  not  repenting ;  and  many  that  have  boasted  much  of  their 
abilities  to  repent,  when  they  have  been  upon  a  dying  bed,  would  have 
given  a  thousand  worlds,  were  there  so  many  in  their  power,  that  they 
could  but  repent.^ 

Luther  confesses,  that  before  his  conversion,  he  met  not  with  a  more  dis- 
pleasing word  in  all  the  study  of  divinity  than  this  word  repent;  but  after 
the  Lord  had  converted  him,  and  manifested  himself  to  him,  he  delighted 
in  this  work ;  then  he  could  sorrow  for  his  sins,  and  rejoice  in  his  sorrow. ■* 

'  When  Telemachus  saw  a  great  liglit,  that  guided  him  and  his  father  in  a  dark  room, 
Surely,  said  he,  there  is  sume  god  in  ii;.     Mai.  iv.  2. 

^  2  Cor.  iii.  5.  If  tliere  ho  such  a  power  in  fallen  man  to  repent  and  believe,  &c,,  to 
what  purpose  was  the  coming  of  Christ  into  the  world?  1  John  ii.  9  ;  iii.  8,  And  why 
do  natural  men,  when  their  conscience's  are  awakened,  so  cry  out,  that  they  are  as  able 
to  stop  the  sun  in  his  course,  to  raise  the  dead,  and  to  make  a  world,  as  they  are  able  of 
themselves  to  repent?  &c. 

'  Aut  pccnitevdum  aut  pereundiim. 

*  Homo  ipsius  pcenitcnlioe  pandtcrc  debet. — Salvian.  Panitens  de  peccato  d-jlct,  ct  dc 
dotore  gaudi  t.  —Luther, 


EpH.  III.  8.]  EICHES  OF  CHRIST.  105 

Repentance  strips  the  soul  stark  naked  of  all  the  garments  of  the  old 
Adam,  and  leaves  not  so  much  as  the  shirt  behind.  In  this  rotten 
building  there  is  not  one  stone  left  upon  another.  As  the  flood  drowned 
Noah's  own  friends  and  servants,  as  well  as  strangers,  so  true  repent- 
ance drowns  all  darling  lusts.  True  repentance  is  the  cutting  off  the 
right  hand,  and  the  pulling  out  of  the  right  eye  ;  and  is  this  such  an 
easy  thing  ?  Surely  no.  True  repentance  is  a  gift  that  is  from  above, 
and  if  the  Lord  doth  not  give  it,  man  will  eternally  perish  for  the  want 
of  it.  You  may  read  much  more  of  this  in  my  treatise  called  Heaven 
on  Earth} 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Christ  gives  his  Spirit.  Eom.  v.  5,  '  The  love  of  God 
is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  is  given- unto 
us.'  So  in  1  John  iii.  24,  '  And  hereby  we  know  that  he  abideth  in  us.' 
How?  'By  the  Spirit  which  he  hath  given  us.'  So  in  chap.  iv.  13. 
The  Spirit  that  the  Lord  Christ  gives  is  an  enlightening  Spirit,  it  is  the 
candle  of  the  Lord  set  up  in  the  hearts  of  the  saints,  to  guide  them  in 
the  way  everlasting.^  It  is  a  sanctifying  Spirit,  a  Spirit  of  burning, 
Isa.  iv.  4.  He  is  a  fire  to  enlighten  the  soul,  and  a  fire  to  enliven  the 
soul,  and  a  fire  to  warm  the  soul,  &c.  Whatsoever  is  of  the  Spirit  is 
spirit.^  It  is  nimble,  and  lively,  and  active,  and  full  of  life  and  motion, 
as  the  Spirit  is.  A  man  without  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  a  dull, 
dromish'*  creature.  As  the  Latins  call  a  dull,  dromish  man,  a  fireless 
man,  so  we  may  call  a  man  that  hath  not  the  Spirit,  a  spiritless  man. 
The  Spirit  that  Christ  gives  is  a  sealing  Spirit,  Eph.  i.  13;  and  a  leading 
Spirit,  Eom.  viii.  He  leads  from  sin,  he  leads  from  wrath,  he  leads 
from  the  curse  ;  he  leads  to  God,  he  leads  to  Christ,  he  leads  to  the 
promises,  he  leads  to  glory,  &c. 

Again,  this  Spirit  is  a  comforting  Spirit,  John  iv.  16  ;  and  a  pleading 
Spirit,  Rom.  viii.  26.  Every  Christian  has  three  advocates  pleading  for 
him :  the  first  is,  that  divine  love  that  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father ; 
the  second  is,  the  Lord  Jesue  that  is  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father; 
and  the  third  is,  the  Holy  Spirit  that  is  one  with  the  Father.* 

[4.]  Fourthly,  He  gives  Ms  blood.  The  blood  of  Christ  is  a  gift  of 
Christ  to  his  beloved  ones.  Mat  xx.  28,  '  The  Son  of  man  came  not  to 
be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for 
many.'  So  in  John  x.  11,  'I  am  the  good  shepherd  :  the  good  shep- 
herd giveth  his  life  for  his  sheep.'  His  blood  was  the  purest  blood,  his 
human  nature  being  most  pure.  His  blood  was  the  noblest  blood,  and 
therefore  called  in  Scripture,  '  the  blood  of  God,'  Rom.  iii.  25  and  Acts 
XX.  28,  by  reason  of  the  conjunction  of  the  divine  nature  with  the  human. 
It  was  his  life-blood,  his  heart-blood  that  he  gave.  It  was  not  the 
blood  of  his  finger,  but  the  blood  of  his  heart ;  it  was  precious  blood. 

Three  things  are  called  precious  in  the  Scripture. 

(1.)  Faith  is  called  precious  faith,  2  Peter  i.  1. 

(2.)  The  promises  are  called  precious  promises,  ver.  4. 

(3.)  The  blood  of  Christ  is  called  precious  blood,  1  Peter  i.  19. 

*  In  Vol.  II.  p.  301,  seq. — G.  ^  Spiritus  Sanctus  est  res  delicata,  John  xiv.  26. 
3  Nil  tiisi  sanctum  a  Sancfo  Spiritu  prodire  potest. 

*  Query,  '  dronish' '?  which  is  found  in  Barrow  =  lazy. — G. 

*  There  is  no  gainsaying  Demosthenes's  words,  said  one.  So  there  is  no  gainsaying 
of  the  pleadings  of  the  Spirit. 


lOG  THE  ITNSfcARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

All  your  precious  mercies  swim  to  you  in  precious  blood,  as  you  may 
see  by  compariti<^  the  scriptures  in  the  margin  together.' 

It  was  an  excellent  saying  of"  Luther,  speaking  of  this  blood  of  Christ, 
Una  guitida  plus  valet  quam  coiluTn  et  terra,  one  little  drop  of  this 
blood,  saith  he,  is  more  worth  than  heaven  and  earth.  Your  pardon 
swims  to  you  in  blood  ;  your  peace  swims  to  you  in  blood';  your  recon- 
ciliation is  made  by  blood  ;  your  acceptation  is  wrought  by  blood,  &c. 
Savguis  CItristi  clavis  cueli,  Christ's  blood  is  heaven's  key  ;  Christ's 
blood  is  a  preservative  against  tlie  greatest  evils ;  Christ's  blood,  as 
Pliny  saith  of  jwlium,  is  a  preservative  against  serpents,  &c. 

[5.]  Fifthly,  Christ  gives  pardon  of  sin.  And  do  you  know  what  a 
mercy  that  is  ?  Ask  the  troubled  soul,  ask  the  soul  that  knows  what  it 
is  to  lie  under  the  wrath  of  the  Almighty,  and  he  will  tell  you  that 
pardon  of  sin  is  a  gift  more  worth  than  a  thousand  worlds.  Now  that 
pardon  of  sin  is  a  gift  of  God,  you  may  see  in  Acts  v.  81,  'Him  hath 
God  exalted  with  his  right  hand,  to  be  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour,  to  give 
repentance  to  Israel,  and  forgiveness  of  sins.'^  So  in  Acts  xxvi.  18. 
Ah,  souls !  of  all  mercies  pardoning  mercy  is  the  most  necessary 
mercy.  I  may  to  heaven  without  honours,  and  without  riches,  and 
without  the  smiles  of  creatures  ;  but  I  can  never  to  heaven  without 
pardoning  mercy.  A  man  may  be  great  and  graceless,  he  may  be  rich 
and  miserable,  he  may  be  honourable  and  damnable,  &c.,^  but  he  cannot 
be  a  pardoned  soul,  but  he  must  be  a  very  blessed  soul,*  P.s.  xxxii. 
1,  2.  It  entitles  souls  to  all  blessedness,  it  puts  the  royal  crown  upon 
their  heads.  Of  all  mercies  pardoning  mercy  is  the  most  sweetening 
mercy  ;  it  is  a  choice  jewel,  and  swims  to  the  soul  in  blood,  Heb.  ix.  22. 
It  is  a  mercy  that  makes  all  other  mercies  to  look  like  mercies,  and  taste 
like  mercies,  and  work  like  mercies ;  and  the  want  of  it  takes  off  the 
glory  and  beauty  of  all  a  man's  mercies,  and  makes  his  life  a  very  hell. 
Pardon  of  sin  is  a  voluminous  mercy,  a  mercy  that  has  many,  many 
precious  mercies  in  the  womb  of  it.  You  may  well  call  it  Gad,  Gen. 
XXX.  11,  for  it  ushers  in  troops  of  mercy.  When  you  can  number  the 
sands  of  the  sea,  and  tell  the  stars  of  heaven,  then,  and  not  till  then, 
shall  you  be  able  to  recount  the  mercies  that  attend  pardoning  mercy. 
He  that  has  this  mercy  cannot  be  miserable,  and  he  that  wants  it  cannot 
be  happy :  get  this  and  get  all,  miss  this  and  miss  all.  This  is  a  gift 
conferred  only  upon  Christ's  favourites  :  '  Son,  be  of  good  cheer,  thy 
sins  are  forgiven  thee,'  Mat.  ix.  2.  No  mercy  will  make  a  man  ever- 
lastingly merry  below  pardoning  mercy.  He  hath  no  reason  to  be  sad 
that  hath  his  pardon  in  his  bosom,  nor  he  hath  no  reason  to  be  glad, 
who  is  upon  the  last  step  of  the  ladder,  ready  to  be  turned  otf  without 
his  pardon.  And  this  is  the  fifth  gift  that  Christ  gives  to  his,  viz. 
pardon  of  sin. 

[6.]  Sixthly,  Christ  gives  precious  promises :  2  Peter  i.  4,  *  Whereby 
are  given  unto  us  exceeding  great  and  precious  promises,'  &c.  The 
promises  are  a  precious  book  ;  every  leaf  drops  myrrh  and  mercy.  The 
promises  are  golden  vessels,  that  are  laden  with  the  choicest  jewels  that 

'  Rom.  y.  0  ;  Eph.  i.  7  ;  Col.  i.  20  ;  Heb.  ix.  7,  2r.,  x.  19  ;  1  John  i.  7  ;  Rev,  i.  5.  &c. 
^  tS  Se^ia  ctvreu,  to  liis  right  liaiicJ ;  that  is,  to  honour  ant]  dignity,  &c. 
*  A.'<  Ahab,  llaman,  Dives,  &c. 

■•  ^Il^'X,  blnssednessos.  In  tlie  phiral,  pardon  of  sin  includes  a  plurality  of  mercies,  a 
chain  ot  pearls,  a  chain  of  blessings. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  107 

heaven  can  afford  or  the  soul  desire.  All  our  spiritual,  temporal,  and 
eternal  good  is  to  be  found  in  the  belly  of  the  promises.'  Promises  are 
big-bellied  mercies..  There  is  nothing  you  can  truly  call  a  mercy  but 
you  will  find  it  in  the  belly  of  a  promise.  Under  all  changes  they  are 
the  comfort,  support,  and  relief  of  the  soul :  Ps.  cxix,  49,  50,  '  Remember 
thy  word  unto  thy  servant,  upon  which  thou  hast  caused  me  to  hope. 
This  is  my  comfort  in  my  affliction,  for  thy  word  hath  quickened  me.' 
If  the  soul  groan  under  the  power  of  sin,  then  that  promise  relieves  it: 
Rom.  vi.  14,  *  For  sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  you,  for  ye  are  not 
under  the  law,  but  under  grace.'  If  the  soul  groan  under  the  guilt  of 
sin,  then  that  promise  relieves  it :  Jer.  xxxiii.  8,  'I  will  pardon  all  their 
iniquities  whereby  they  have  sinned  against  me,'  &c.  And  that  pro- 
mise, Isa.  xliii.  25,  '  I,  even  I,  am  he  that  blotteth  out  thy  trans- 
gressions for  my  own  sake,  and  will  not  remember  thy  sins.  I,  even  I, 
am  he,  blottiog  out  thy  transgression  ;'  '  I,  even  I,'  whom  thou  hast 
offended  ;  '  I,  even  I,'  whom  thou  hast  provoked  ;  '  I,  even  I,'  whose 
glorious  name  thou  hast  profaned  ;  '  I,  even  I,'  whose  righteous  law  thou 
hast  violated  ;  '  I,  even  1,'  whose  holy  covenant  thou  hast  transgressed  ; 
*  I,  even  I,'  whose  mercies  thou  hast  despised  ;  '  I,  even  I,  whose  chas- 
tisements thou  hast  slighted,'  will  blot  out  thy  transgressions  for  my 
own  sake.' 

'  I,  even  I,'  is  a  passionate  and  emphatical  expression.  God's  good- 
ness runs  over  to  sinful  creatures  ;  and  '  where  sin  abounds,  there  grace 
doth  superabound.' 

If  the  creditor  himself  blot  out  the  debt,  and  cross  the  book,  surely  it 
shall  never  be  remembered  more.^  Our  sins  are  debts,  which  God,  who 
hath  the  power  of  life  and  death,  of  heaven  and  hell,  of  condemning  and 
absolving,  hath  engaged  himself  to  blot  out  as  a  thick  cloud  :  Isa.  xliv. 
22,  '  I  have  blotted  out  as  a  thick  cloud  thy  transgressions,  and  as  a 
cloud  thy  sins.^  An  under-officer  may  blot  out  an  indictment,  and  yet 
the  offender  may  be  never  the  better  for  it ;  but  if  the  king,  who  is  the 
supreme  judge,  shall  blot  it  out,  then  the  offender  is  safe.  The  appli- 
cation is  easy.  If  the  soul  be  deserted,  then  that  promise  relieves  it : 
Micah  vii.  18,  19,  'He  will  turn  again,  he  will  have  compassion  upon 
us,'  &c.  If  the  soul  be  sliding  and  ready  to  fall,  then  that  promise 
supports  and  upholds  it :  Ps.  xxxvii.  24,  '  Though  he  fall,  he  shall  not 
be  utterly  cast  down,  for  the  Lord  upholdeth  him  with  his  hand  ;'  or,  as 
the  Hebrew  hath  it,  'the  Lord  upholding  him  with  his  hand;'  Deut. 
xxxiii.  26,  27.  The  Hebrew  particle  I^ID  notes  a  continued  act  of  God. 
God  hath  still  his  everlasting  arms,  under  his  people,  so  that  they  shall 
never  totally  nor  finally  fall.  And  the  root  samach,  from  whence  this 
word  is  derived,  signifies  to  sustain  or  uphold,  as  the  tender  mother  doth 
the  little  babe.  The  sjafety  and  security  of  the  child  lies  not  so  much 
in  the  child's  hanging  about  the  mother's  neck,  as  in  the  mother's  holding 
it  fast  in  her  arms.  So  our  safety  and  security  lies  not  so  much  in  our 
weak  holding  upon  Christ,  but  in  Christ's  holding  of  us  fast  in  his  ever- 
lasting arms.     This  is  our,  glory  and  our  safety,  that  Christ's  '  left  hand 

1  The  promises  are  precious  beds  of  spices  ;  they  are  utres  coelestes,  bottles  filled  with 
those  heavenly  dews  that  will  never  fail,  like  that  of  Hagar's,  but  will  cherish  and  nourish 
the  soul  to  life  eternal,  &c. 

2  Mat.  vi.  12,  14,  15,  and  xviii.  2i,  27,  33  ;  Luke  vii.  41-48. 


108  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

is  always  under  us,  and  liis  right  hand  does  always  embrace  us,'  Cant, 
ii.  6.  If  the  soul  be  forsaken  by  friends,  then  that  promise  relieves  it, 
Heb.  xiii.  5,  6,  '  I  will  never  leave  tliee  nor  forsake  thee/ 

There  are  five  negatives  in  the  Greek  to  a.ssure  God's  people  that  he 
will  never  forsake  them.  Five  times  this  precious  promise  is  renewed 
in  tlie  Scripture,  that  we  miglit  have  the  stronger  consolation,  and  that 
we  may  press  and  oppress  it  till  we  have  gotten  all  the  sweetness  out  of 
it.  And  verily  many  precious  souls  have  sucked  much  sweetness  out  of 
the  breasts  of  this  promise,  when  their  nearest  relations  and  their  dearest 
friends  have  for.saken  them  and  forgotten  them.  God  loves  that  his 
people  should  put  his  bonds,  his  promises  in  suit ;  and  he  that  doth 
shall  find  God  near  him,  though  friends  should  leave  him,  and  the  world 
be  in  arms  against  him,  &c.  If  the  soul  be  tempted,  then  that  Avord  of 
promise  relieves  it,  1  Cor,  x.  13,  '  But  God  is  faithful,  who  will  not 
suffer  you  to  be  tempted  above  that  you  are  able,'  &c.  The  promises 
are  a  Christian's  magna  charta  ;  they  are  his  chief  evidences  for  heaven. 
Men  highly  prize  their  charters  and  privileges,  and  carefully  keep  the 
conveyances  and  assurances  of  their  lands.  Oh  !  how  should  saints 
then  treasure  up  and  keep  these  precious  promises  which  tlie  Lord  hath 
given  them,  and  which  are  to  them,  instead  of  all  assurances,  for  their 
protection,  maintenance,  deliverance,  comfort,  and  everlasting  happiness  ■ 
And  thus  much  for  the  sixth  gift  the  Lord  gives,  viz.  the  promises. 

[7.]  Seventhly,  The  Lord  gives  grace  :  '  Of  his  fulness  we  all  have 
received  grace  for  grace,'  John  i.  16.  The  Lord  gives  that  grace,  the 
least  dram  of  which  is  more  worth  than  heaven  and  earth. 

It  was  an  excellent  saying  of  one  of  the  ancients  [Jerome],  '  I  had 
rather  have  St  Paul's  coat  with  his  heavenly  graces,  than  the  purple 
robes  of  kings  with  their  kingdoms.'  Grace  is  that  which  truly  ennobles 
the  soul ;  it  raises  the  soul  up  to  converse  with  the  highest  and  with 
the  noblest  objects,  and  every  man  is  as  the  objects  are  with  which  he 
converses.  If  the  objects  are  noble,  the  man  is  so  ;  if  the  objects  are 
base  with  which  a  man  cdnverses,  the  man  is  base.^  A  man  may  better 
know  what  he  is  by  eyeing  the  objects  with  which  his  soul  does  mostly 
converse,  than  by  observing  his  most  glorious  and  pompous  services  : 
'  The  righteous  is  more  excellent  than  his  neighbour,'  Prov.  xii.  2G. 
Abraham  was  a  prince  of  God  among  the  Hittites,  Gen.  xxiii.  6.  The 
Jews  say  that  those  seventy  persons  that  went  down  with  Jacob  into 
Egypt  were  more  worth  than  the  seventy  nations  of  the  w^orld.  Indeed, 
it  is  only  grace  that  makes  a  man  truly  noble. 

When  one  heard  the  king  of  Persia  styled  *  the  Great  King,'  saith  he, 
I  acknowledge  none  more  excellent  than  myself,  unless  more  righteous ; 
nor  none  greater,  unless  better.  Grace,  as  it  is  bred  "by  the  noblest 
means,  so  it  is  preserved  and  maintained  in  the  soul  by  the  choicest 
means,  viz.  union  and  communion  with  God,  &c.  ;  grace  is  glory  in  the 
bud,  and  glory  is  grace  at  the  full  ;  grace  makes  a  man  all  glorious  within 
and  without ;  grace  is  a  ring  of  gold,  and  Christ  is  the  sparkling  diamond 
in  that  ring.  • 

[8.]  Kigldldy,  He  gives  peace  :  John  xiv.  27,  '  My  peace  I  leave  with 
you,  my  peace  I  give  unto  you  ;  not  as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto 

'  A  good  Bymbol  was  attribiifcfl  to  y^^milian,  tlio  Roman  rmperor,  Non  gens  fed  mens, 
non  genus  sed  genius,  not  race  or  place,  but  grace,  truly  sets  forth  a  man. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  109 

you.'  Christ  gives  peace  with  God,  and  peace  with  conscience,  and 
peace  with  the  creatures.  Dulce  TiOTnien  pads,  the  very  name  of  peace 
is  sweet,  Rom.  v.  1,  Hosea  ii.  21-23,  Job  v.  ]  9-25. 

The  Hebrews,  when  they  wished  all  happiness  to  any,  used  but 
this  one  word,  '  Peace  be  with  you  ;'  and  the  ancients  were  wont  to  paint 
peace  in  the  form  of  a  woman,  with  a  horn  of  plenty  in  her  hand,  all 
blessings.  Ask  a  soul  that  hath  been  under  terrors  of  conscience,  and 
he  will  tell  you,  that  of  all  gifts,  inward  peace  is  the  most  princely 
gift,  &c.^ 

[9.]  Ninthly,  He  gives  glory  :  John  x.  28,  '  My  sheep  hear  my  voice, 
*  and  they  follow  me,  and  I  give  unto  them  eternal  life.'     Rom.  vi.  23, 
'  The  wages  of  sin  is  death,  but  the  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life.' 

Now  the  glory  that  Christ  gives  is  real  glory  :  2  Tim.  iv.  7,  8, 
'  Henceforth  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  glory.'  The  Greek  word  avo- 
xi'trai  signifies  two  things  :  1,  a  designation  of  a  crown  ;  2,  a  reserva- 
tion and  safe  keeping  of  it  for  him  until  the  coronation  day. 

Again,  the  glory  he  gives  the  soul  is  soul-fiilling  glory ;  glory  that  fills 
the  understanding  with  the  clearest  and  the  brightest  light ;  glory  that 
fills  the  will  with  the  greatest  freedom  ;  glory  that  fills  the  affections 
with  the  choicest  joy  and  delight,^  Ps.  xvi.  11,  and  xvii.  15,  2  Cor. 
xii.  1-6. 

Again,  the  glory  he  gives  is  incomparable  glory :  Rom.  viii.  18,  '  I 
reckon  that  the  sufferings  of  this  present  time  are  not  worthy  to  be  com- 
pared with  the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed  in  us.'  The  Greek  word  Xoyi- 
C,ofj.ai,  that  is  here  rendered  /  reckon,  is  not  a  word  of  doubting,  but  a 
word  of  concluding.  I  conclude  by  arguments,  that  our  present  suffer- 
ings are  not  worthy  to  be  compared  to  that  illustrious  and  glorious  glory 
'  that  is  ready  to  be  revealed  on  us,'  as  it  is  in  the  Greek.*  I  have  cast  up 
the  account,  saith  the  apostle,  as  wise  merchants  use  to  cast  up  theirs, 
and  I  find  in  the  balancing  of  the  account,  that  there  is  nothing  to  be 
compared  with  the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed. 

Again,  the  glory  he  gives  is  unmoveable  glory.  All  worldly  glory  is 
tottering  and  shaking.  Princes'  crowns  hang  now  but  upon  one  side  of 
their  heads.  '  The  Lord  of  hosts  hath  purposed  it  to  stain'  (or  pollute)  'the 
pride  of  all  glory,  and  to  bring  into  contempt  all  the  honourable  of  the 
earth,'  Isa.  xxiii.  9.  '  The  Lord  hath  purposed  it,'  or  as  it  is  in  the  Hebrew 
[n^y^],  '  The  Lord  hath  consulted  it ;  and  the  counsel  of  the  Lord  shall 
stand.'  It  is  agreed  upon  in  heaven,  that  the  pride  of  all  glory  shall  be 
stained  and  polluted,  or  thrown  down,  as  some  polluted  filthy  thino-  that 
is  trampled  under  foot.  Oh  !  but  this  glory  that  Christ  gives  is  un- 
moveable glory,  it  is  permanent  glory ;  it  is  glory  that  cannot  be 
changed,  stained,  or  polluted,  Heb.  xii.  28. 

Again,  tlie  glory  he  gives  is  suited  glory.  It  is  glory  that  is  suited 
to  the  backs,  hearts,  hopes,  desires,  and  capacities  of  his  servants,  John 
xiv.  1-3. 

Again,  the  glory  he  gives  is  never-fading  glory ;  it  is  glory  that  fadeth 
not  away.*     When  a  man  hath  been  in   heaven  as  many  millions  of 
^  Martinus  the  emperor's  motto  was,  Pax  hello  potior,  give  me  peace,  and  let  others 
quarrel.  ^  Piricula  nan  respicii  martyr,  coronas  respicit,  saith  Basil. 

^  fjt.ix'koijcra.i,  ready  to  be  u;  rif^Ks,  on  us. 

*  I  Peter  i.  3,  4.     u/j.a.^avros  is  the  proper  name  of  a  flower  which  is  still  fresh  and 
green,  Isa.  xl.  6-8- 


110  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

years  as  there  be  stars  in  heaven,  his  glory  shall  be  as  fresh  and  as 
green  as  it  was  at  his  first  entrance  into  heaven.  All  worldly  glory  is 
like  the  tiowers  of  the  field ;  but  the  glory  that  Christ  gives  is  lasting 
and  durable  like  himself,  &c. 

,  [10.]  Tentldy,  and  lastly,  He  gives  himself,  and  verily  this  is  a  gift 
of  gifts  indeed,  John  vi.  51,  G3  ;  so  in  Eph.  v.  20.  A  saint  may  say,  Me- 
thinks  I  hear  Christ  saying  to  me  as  ^scliines  .said  to  Socrates,  *  Others,' 
said  he,  '  give  thee  silver  and  gold,  and  precious  jewels,  but  I  give  thee 
myself.'  So  the  soul  may  say.  One  friend  gives  me  bread,  and  another 
gives  me  clothes,  and  another  gives  me  house-room,  &c.  Oh  !  but  thou 
givest  me  thyself  Christ  put  into  the  balance  will  outweigh  all  other 
gifts  that  he  bestows  upon  the  sons  of  men.  Christ  is  the  richest  gift. 
Oh  !  there  are  unsearchable  riclies  in  Christ,  as  hereafter  I  shall  shew 
vou.^  He  is  the  choicest  and  the  rarest  gift ;  he  is  a  gift  given  but  to 
a  few.  Rich  and  rare  jewels  are  not  commonly,  but  more  rarely  given; 
so  is  Christ.  Though  Israel  be  '  as  the  sand  of  the  sea,  yet  a  remnant 
only  shall  be  saved,'  Rom.  ix.  17.  'A  garden  enclosed,  a  spring  shut 
up,  a  fountain  sealed,  is  my  well-beloved,'  Cant.  iv.  12.  '  Fear  not, 
little  flock,  it  is  your  Father's  pleasure  to  give  you  a  kingdom,'  Luke 
xii.  32.  Christ  is  a  drawing  gift,  a  gift  that  draws  all  other  gifts  along 
with  him.  '  If  he  have  given  us  his  Son,  how  shall  he  not  with  him 
freely  give  us  all  things  V  Rom.  viii.  32.  Christ  is  a  drawing  gift. 
When  God  the  Father  hath  cast  this  incomparable  jewel  into  a  man's 
bosom,  he  cannot  deny  him  anything.  Such  a  soul  may  well  say.  Hath 
he  given  me  a  Christ  ?  and  will  he  not  give  me  a  crumb  ?  Hath  he 
given  me  his  Son,  which  is  the  greatest  mercy  ?  and  will  he  stan<l 
with  me  for  lesser  mercies  ?  Surely  no.  In  a  word,  Christ  is  of  all 
gifts  the  sweetest  gift.  As  the  tree,  Exod.  xv.  25,  sweetened  the  bitter 
waters,  so  this  gift,  the  Lord  Jesus,  of  whom  that  tree  was  a  type, 
sweetens  all  other  gifts  that  are  bestowed  upon  the  sons  of  men.  He 
turns  every  bitter  into  sweet,  and  makes  every  sweet  more  sweet. 
And  so  I  come  to  the  second  thing  propounded,  and  that  was, 

4 

II.  The  difference  betiueen  Christ's  giving  and  the  ivorld's  giving. 

And  this  I  shall  shew  you  in  the  following  particulars : 

[1.]  First,  The  world  gives,  but  they  give  grudgingly  ;  but  when 
Christ  gives,  he  gives  freely  :  Isa.  Iv.  1,  '  Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth, 
let  him  come,  and  buy  wine  and  milk  without  money,  and  without 
price.'  So  in  Rev.  xxi.  6,  '  I  will  give  to  every  one  that  is  athirst  of 
the  water  of  life  freely.'  To  do  good,  and  not  to  do  it  freely,  hand- 
somely, is  nothing.  A  benefit  given  with  grudging  is  a  stony  loaf,  only 
taken  for  necessity .^ 

[2.]  Secondly,  The  woidd  they  give,  bid  they  give  jjoorly,  niggardly, 
bid  Christ  gives  'plenteously,  richly  :  1  Tim.  vi.  17,  '  Charge  them  that 
are  rich  in  this  world,  that  they  be  not  high-minded,  nor  trust  in  uncer- 
tain riches,  but  in  the  living  God,  who  giveth  us  richly  all  things  to 
enjoy.'^ 

*  Austin  prays  :  Lord,  saith  he,  whatever  thou  hast  given,  take  all  away  ;  only  give 
me  thyself.     [Confessions,  often. — Ct.] 

«  2  Cor.  ix.  7  ;  I  Peter  iv.  9.     No  offerings  to  free-will  offerings. 

3  Saul  had  but  fiveiience  to  give  the  seer  ;  the  seer,  after  much  good  cheer,  gives  liim 
no  loss  than  the  kingdom,  1  Sum.  >K.  8,  10.     bo  God  deals  with  his. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  11] 

When  Csesar  gave  one  a  great  reward,  '  This/  saith  he,  '  is  too  great 
a  gift  for  me  to  receive  ;'  '  But,'  says  Caesar,  '  it  is  not  too  great  a  gift 
for  me  to  give.'^  So,  though  the  least  gift  that  Christ  gives,  in  some 
sense,  is  too  much  for  us  to  receive,  yet  the  greatest  gifts  are  not 
too  great  for  Christ  to  give. 

It  is  said  of  Araunah,  that  noble  Jebusite,  renowned  for  his  bounty, 
that  '  he  had  but  a  subject's  purse,  but  a  kmg's  heart.'  But  the  Lord 
Jesus  hath  not  only  a  king's  heart,  but  he  hath  also  a  king's  purse,  and 
gives  accordingly. 

[3.]  Thirdly,  The  ivorld  give,  hut  they  give  tmmtingly,  they  give 
wphraidingly  ;  they  hit  men  in  the  teeth  vjith  the  gifts  they  give.  Ay, 
but  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  gives,  and  he  gives  willingly,  he  upbraids 
none  with  the  gifts  he  gives  :  James  i.  5,  '  If  any  man  lack  wisdom,  let 
him  ask  it  of  Crod,  that  gives  liberally,  and  upbraideth  no  man.'  Where 
Christ  gives,  there  he  won't  upbraid,  neither  with  present  failings  nor 
former  infirmities.  Christ  is  not  wont  to  reproach  those  to  whom  he 
gives  the  best  gifts  ;  he  will  not  cast  it  in  their  dish,  that  he  hath  been 
thus  and  thus  kind  to  them,  but  will  always  '  rejoice  over  them  to  do 
them  good.'  But  the  world  gives,  and  then  reproaches  the  receiver  for 
receiving,  and  this  turns  all  into  gall  and  wormwood,  &c.'^ 

[4.]  Fourthly,  The  world  gives,  but  they  give  more  rarely,  but  Christ 
gives,  and  he  gives  frequently.  He  (is  every '  day,  every  hour,  yea, 
every  moment,  a-giving  of  royal  favours  to  his  people.  Here  is  peace 
for  you  that  are  in  trouble,  says  Christ;  and  here  is  pardon  for  you  that 
groan  under  guilt,  says  Christ;  and  here  is  comfort  for  you  that  are 
mourners  in  Zion,  says  Christ,  &c.  His  hand  is  ever  in  his  purse,  he 
is  still  a-scattering  pearls  of  glory,  ay,  the  very  jewels  of  his  crown, 
among  the  beloved  of  his  soul.^ 

[5,]  Fifthly,  The  world  gives,  bid  they  give  the  worst,  and  keep  the 
best ;  ay,  hut  Christ  gives  the  best,  he  gives  the  best  of  the  best.  He 
gives  the  best  joy ;  the  best  comfort,  the  best  peace,  the  best  love,  the  best 
assistance,  &c.,  he  gives  adoption,  remission,  justification,  sanctification, 
acceptation,  reconciliation,  and  glorification,  &c.  He  gives  the  best ;  as 
that  king  in  Plutarch  said  of  a  groat,  '  it  is  no  kingly  gift ;'  and  of  a 
talent,  '  it  is  no  base  bribe.'  The  world  gives  groats,  ay,  but  Christ 
gives  talents,  2  Cor.  ix.  15,  1  Peter  i.  8,  Philip,  iv.  7,  Ps.  Ixxxviii 
10,  11. 

[6.]  Sixthly,  The  world  gives  a  little,  that  they  may  give  no  more; 
ay,  hut  Christ  gives  that  he  may  give.  He  gives  a  little  grace  that  he 
may  give  grace  upon  grace.  He  gives  a  little  comfort  that  he  may  give 
fulness  of  comfort,  John  i.  16.  He  gives  some  sips  that  he  may  give 
full  draughts,  he  gives  pence  that  he  may  give  pounds,  and  he  gives 
pounds  that  he  may  give  hundreds. 

The  third  particular  that  I  am  to  shew  you  is, 

III.  The  excellency  of  those  gifts  that  Christ  gives,  above  all  other 
gifts  that  the  world  gives. 

•  Query,  Alexander  :  Plutarch  ? — G. 

2  Jer.  xxxii.  40,  41  ;  Prov.  i.  20-25  ;  viii  1-13 ;  and  ix.  1-7. 

3  Augustus,  in  his  solemn  feasts,  gave  gold  to  some,  and  trifles  to  others.  The  Lord 
gives  the  gold,  the  best  things,  to  his  own  ;  but  the  trifles  of  this  world  to  the  men  of  the 
world.     [Suetonius,  Octavius,  cap.  75. — G.] 


112  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

In  this  I  shall  mind  brevity,  and, 

[1.]  First,  The  gifts  that  Christ  rjives  to  his  are  spiritual  and  hea- 
venly gifts,  as  is  most  clear  by  what  hath  been  already  said,  and  the 
spirituality  of  them  doth  demonstrate  the  excellency  of  them.  And 
doubtless  the  more  spiritual  any  gift,  any  promise,  any  truth,  any  prayer, 
or  any  service  is,  tlie  more  excellent  is  that  gift,  &c.  All  Christ's  gifts 
are  like  himself,  s])iritual  and  heavenly. 

[2.]  Secondly,  They  are  pure  gifts.  Christ  gives  wine  without  water, 
lio-Jit  without  darkness,  gold  without  dross,  and  sweet  without  bitter, 
Rev.  xxii.  1,  James  iii.  17.  There  is  much  dross  and  poison  in  the  gifts 
that  the  world  gives,  but  there  is  none  in  the  gifts  that  Christ  gives. 
The  streams  are  as  the  fountain  is ;  the  fountain  is  pure,  and  so  are  the 
streams.  The  branches  are  as  the  root  is;  the  root  is  pure,  and  so  are 
the  branches. 

[3.]  Thirdly,  The  gifts  that  Christ  gives  are  soul-satisfying  gifts. 
They  are  such  as  are  suitable  to  the  soul,  and  therefore  they  satisfy  the 
soul.  Things  satisfy  as  they  suit.  There  is  a  good,  and  there  is  a  suit- 
able good.  Now,  it  is  only  the  suitable  good  that  satisfies  the  soul  of 
man.  A  pardon  is  most  suitable  to  a  condemned  man,  and  therefore  it 
best  satisfies  him.  Health  is  most  suitable  to  the  sick,  and  therefore  it 
satisfies  when  it  is  attained,  &c.  As  bread  satisfies  the  himgry  soul,  and 
drink  the  thirsty  soul,  and  clothing  the  naked  soul,  so  do  the  precious 
gifts  that  Christ  bestows  upon  the  soul  satisfy  the  soul.  The  liglit, 
the  love,  the  joy,  the  peace,  the  fellowship,  &c.,  that  Christ  gives,  doth 
abundantly  satisfy  the  soul,  Jer.  xxxi.  15,  16  ;  Ps.  xc.  14,  xxxvi.  8, 
Ixiii.  5,  Ixv.  4.  Oh,  but  the  gifts  that  this  world  gives  can  never  satisfy 
the  soul :  Eccles.  v.  10,  '  He  that  loveth  silver  shall  not  be  satisfied 
with  silver;  nor  he  that  loveth  abundance  with  increase.'  A  man  may 
as  soon  fill  a  chest  with  grace,  or  a  quart-pot  with  virtue,  as  a  heart 
with  wealth.  If  Alexander  conquer  one  world,  he  will  wish  for  another 
to  conquer.* 

[4.]  Fourthly,  The  gifts  that  Christ  gives  are  most  permanent  and 
lasting  gifts.  The  gi-ace  he  gives  is  called  '  an  immortal  seed,'  1  Jolm 
iii.  9  ;  and  the  glory  he  gives  is  called  '  everlasting  glory,'  Rom.  ii.  7. 
The  gifts  of  the  world  are  fading,  2  Peter  i.  11.  A  false  oath,  a  spark 
of  fire,  a  storm  at  sea,  a  treacherous  friend,  brings  all  to  nothing  in  a 
moment.     Sad  experience  doth  every  day  confirm  this. 

[5.]  Fifthly,  and  lastly.  The  gifts  that  Christ  gives  are  the  most  use- 
ful gifts?  They  are  useful  to  the  strengthening  of  the  soul  against 
temptations,  and  to  the  supporting  of  the  soul  under  afilictions,  and  to 
the  sweetening  of  all  changes;  health  and  sickness,  strength  and  weak- 
ness, plenty  and  poverty,  honour  or  disgrace,  life  or  death.  Oh,  but 
worldly  gifts  cannot  bear  up  the  spirits  of  men  from  fainting  and  sink- 
ing when  trials  come,  when  troubles  come. 

Our  modern  stories  relate  of  Queen  Mary,  that  she  should  say,  '  If 
they  did  open  her  when  slie  was  dead,  they  should  find  Calais  lying  at 
her  heart ;'  the  loss  of  which,  it  seems,  hastened  her  end. 

'  The  creature  is  all  shadow  and  vanity  ;  it  is//ja  iioctis,  like  Jonah's  gourd  ;  it  is  now 
flourishiuf;;,  and  now  dyinj;;,  &c. 

*  Tlie  golden  crown  cannot  euro  the  headache,  nor  the  chain  of  jjearl  cannot  cure  the 
toothache. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  ]  13 

The  prior  in  Melancthon  rolled  his  hands  up  and  down  in  a  basin 
full  of  angels/  thinking  to  have  charmed  his  gout,  but  it  would  not  do. 
The  precious  gifts  that  Christ  gives  his,  will  bear  up  their  heads  above 
all  waters,  &c.  Of  all  gifts,  they  are  the  most  useful  for  the  producing 
of  the  most  noble  effects.  There  are  no  gifts  produce  such  effects  as  the 
precious  gifts  that  Christ  gives.  They  raise  men  up  to  much  life  and 
activity  ;  they  make  souls  strong  to  do  for  God,  to  bear  for  God,  to  suffer 
for  God  ;  to  be  anything,  to  be  nothing,  that  God  may  be  '  all  in  all.' 
They  raise  the  strongest  joy,  the  most  lasting  comfort,  and  the  purest 
peace.  There  is  no  gifts  draw  out  that  thankfulness,  and  raise  up  to 
that  fruitfulness,  as  the  gifts  that  Jesus  Christ  gives.  And  so  much  for 
that  third  head,  viz.,  the  excellency  of  those  gifts  that  Christ  gives  above 
all  other  gifts  whatsoever. 

I  come  now  to  the  fourth  head,  and  that  is, 

IV.  The  reasons  why  God  gives  his  best  gifts  to  his  dearest  ones. 

I  shall  only  give  you  these  six  : 

[1.]  First,  Because  he  loves  thera  vjith  the  dearest,  with  the  choicest, 
and  with  the  strongest  love;  therefore  he  gives  them  the  best  gfts. 

Christ  doth  not  love  believers  with  a  low,  flat,  dull,  common  love, 
with  such  a  love  as  most  men  love  one  another  with,  but  with  a  love 
that  is  like  himself  Now,  men  will  give  as  they  love :  1  Sam.  i.  4,  5, 
'  And  Elkanah  gave  to  Peninnah  his  wife,  and  to  all  his  sons  and 
daughters,  portions,  but  unto  Hannah  he  gave  a  worthy  portion,  for  he 
loved  her.'  In  the  Hebrew  it  is,  '  he  gave  her  a  gift  of  the  face  ;'  that 
is,  a  great,  an  honourable  gift.  Men  look  upon  great  and  houourable 
gifts  with  a  sweet  and  cheerful  countenance;  so  the  gifts  that  Jesus 
Christ  gives  to  believers  are  the  gifts  of  the  face,  that  is,  they  are  the 
greatest  gifts,  the  honourablest  gifts,  the  choicest  gifts,  gifts  fit  for  none 
but  a  king  to  give. 

Augustus,  in  his  solemn  feasts,  gave  trifles  to  some,  but  gold  to  others. 
The  Lord  Jesus  scatters  the  trifles  of  this  world  up  and  down;  as  Luther 
well  speaks,  '  The  whole  Turkish  empire  is  but  a  crust  that  God  throws 
to  a  dog.'  God  scatters  giftless  gifts,  viz., the  honours,  riches,  and  favour^ 
of  this  world,  up  and  down  among  the  worst  of  men  f  but  as  for  his  gold 
— his  Spirit,  his  grace,  his  Son,  his  favour — these  are  jewels  that  he  only 
casts  into  the  bosom  of  saints,  and  that  because  he  dearly  loves  them. 

[2.]  Secondly,  Christ  gives  the  best  gifts  to  his  people,  because  they 
are  best  principled  and  fitted  to  make  a  divine  improveme7it  of  them. 

There  is  no  men  on  earth  that  are  principled  and  fitted  for  the  im- 
provement of  the  special  gifts  that  Christ  gives  but  his  own  people.^ 
None  have  such  principles  of  wisdom,  love,  holiness,  and  faithfulness  to 
make  an  improvement  of  the  joy,  the  peace,  the  comfort,  that  the  Lord 
gives  as  his  people  ;  ergo.  .  .  .  Abraham  gave  unto  '  the  sons  of  the  con- 

'  '  Coin,'  so-called. — G, 

*  Mundus  cadaver  est,  ei  venantes  eiini  sunt  canes;  the  world  is  a  carcase,  and  those  that 
hunt  after  it  are  dogs,  is  an  Arabic  proverb. 

*  Wicked  men  are  only  principled  to  abuse  mercy,  which  occasions  God  so  often  to 
rain  hell  out  of  heaven  upon  them,  as  he  did  once  upon  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  for  abusing 
of  mercy. 

VOL.  III.  H 


114-  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

cubines  gifts,  and  sent  them  away  ;  but  unto  Isaac  he  gave  all  that  be 
had,'  Gen.  xxv.  5.  As  Isaac  was  better  beloved  than  the  concubines' 
son.s,  so  Isaac  was  better  principled  to  improve  love  than  they  were. 
The  application  is  easy. 

[3.]  Thirdly,  He  doth  it  upon  this  account,  tJiat  Ice  may  the  more  en- 
dear ilie  hearts  of  his  people  to  1dm. 

The  greatest  design  of  Christ  in  this  world  is  mightily  to  endear  the 
hearts  of  his  people  ;  and  indeed  it  was  that  which  was  in  his  eye 
and  upon  his  heart  from  all  eternity.  It  w^is  this  design  that  caused  him 
to  lay  down  his  crown  and  to  take  up  our  cross,  to  put  off  his  robes 
and  to  put  on  our  rags,  to  be  condemned  that  we  might  be  justified, 
to  undergo  the  wrath  of  the  Almighty  that  we  might  for  ever  be  in  the 
arms  of  his  mercy.  He  gives  his  Spirit,  his  grace,  yea,  and  his  very  self, 
and  all  to  endear  the  hearts  of  his  people  to  himself  When  Isaac 
would  endear  the  heart  of  Rebekah,  then  the  bracelets,  the  jewels,  and 
the  earrings  are  cast  into  her  bosom.  Gen.  xxiv.  53.  So  the  Lord  Jesus 
casts  his  heavenly  bracelets,  jewels,  and  earrings  into  the  bosoms,  into 
the  laps,  of  his  people,  out  of  a  design  to  endear  himself  unto  them :  Prov. 
xvii.  8,  '  A  gift  is  a  precious  stone  in  the  eyes  of  him  that  hath  it ; 
whithersoever  it  turueth,  it  prospereth.'  In  the  Hebrew  it  is  thus,  'a 
gift  is  as  a  stone  of  grace,'  I^^'P^,  that  is,  it  makes  a  man  very  acceptable 
and  gracious  in  the  eyes  of  others.  A  gift  is  like  that  precious  stone 
2'>antarhe,  that  hath  a  marvellous  conciliating  property  in  it ;  or  like 
the  wonder-working  loadstone,  that,  as  some  writers  observe,  hath 
among  other  properties  this,  that  it  makes  those  that  have  it  well-spoken 
men  and  well  accepted  of  princes.  Certainly  the  gifts  that  Jesus  Christ 
gives  to  his  do  render  him  very  acceptable  and  precious  in  their  eyes. 
Christ  to  them  is  the  crown  of  crowns,  the  heaven  of  heavens,  the  glory 
of  glories  ;  he  is  the  most  sparkling  diamond  in  the  ring  of  glory:  Prov. 
xviii.  IG,  '  A  man's  gift  maketh  room  for  him,  and  bringeth  him  before 
great  men.'  The  gifts  that  Jesus  Christ  gives  widen  the  heart  and  en- 
large the  sold  of  a  believer  to  take  in  more  of  himself  Naturally  we 
are  narrow-mouthed  heavenward  and  wide-mouthed  earthward ;  but  the 
Lord  Jesus,  by  casting  in  his  jewels,  his  pearls,  his  precious  gifts,  into 
the  soul,  doth  widen  the  soul,  and  enlarge  the  soul,  and  make  it  more 
capacious  to  entertain  himself  Christ  by  his  gifts  causes  all  doors  to 
stand  open,  that  '  the  King  of  glory  may  enter  in,'  Ps.  xxiv.  7-10. 

4.  Now  the  fourth  reason  of  the  point  is,  because  Christ  expects  m.ore 
from  his  peojjle,  than  he  doth  from  all  the  tuorld  besides,  therefore  he 
gives  them  the  best  gifts} 

Where  the  Lord  expects  and  looks  for  most,  there  he  gives  most. 
Though  believers  are  but  '  a  little  flock,'  though  they  are  but  '  a  rem- 
nant,' though  they  are  but  '  a  fountain  sealed,  a  spring  shut  up,  a 
garden  enclosed,'  yet  Christ  looks  for  more  from  them,  than  from  all 
the  world  besides.  He  looks  for  more  love  from  them,  than  from  all 
the  Avorkl  besides;  and  he  expects  more  service  from  them,  than  from  all 
the  world  besides  ;  and  he  looks  for  more  honour  from  them  than  from 
all  the  world  besides:  Mai.  i.  G,  'A  son  honoureth  his  father,  and  a 

*  It  was  a  pood  siiyiiig  of  Justin  Martyr,  Non  in  verbis,  sed  in  factis  res  nosirce  reh'- 
pionis  confist}tnl.  Gud  loves,  saith  Lutlier,  curistas,  not  <jua;ris(as,  the  ruuner,  uot  the 
questioner,  &c. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  115 

servant  his  master  :  If  I  am  your  father,  where  is  my  honour  ?  and  if  I 
am  your  master,  where  is  my  fear  ?'  He  looks  for  more  fear  from  them 
than  from  all  the  world  besides,  and  for  more  honour  from  them  than 
from  all  the  world  besides,  and  for  more  prayers  and  praises  from  them 
than  from  all  the  world  besides. 

[5.]  Fifthly,  The  Lord  Jesus  gives  the  best  gifts  to  Ids  own  i^eoph , 
that  he  "may  fence  and  strengthen  them,  against  the  worst  tempta- 
tions. 

There  are  no  men  on  earth  that  lie  open  to  temptations,  as  saints. 
The  best  men  have  been  always  the  most  tempted.  The  more  excellent 
any  man  is  in  grace  and  holiness,  the  more  shall  that  man  be  followed 
with  temptations,  as  you  may  see  in  David,  who  was  tempted  by  Satan 
to  number  the  people  ;  and  Job,  to  curse  God  and  die  ;  and  Peter,  to 
deny  Christ ;  and  so  Paul  was  buffeted,  yea,  and  Christ  himself  most 
grievously  assaulted.  The  Lord  knows  well  enough  that  Satan  hath  a 
cruel  eye,  an  envious  eye,  a  malicious  eye  upon  his  beloved  ones,  and 
therefore  he  is  pleased,  by  his  precious  gifts,  to  strengthen  them  against 
his  assaults.  What  Paul  once  said  concerning  bonds  and  afflictions, 
that  they  attended  him  '  in  every  place,'  that  may  believers  say  con- 
cerning temptations,  that  they  attend  them  in  '  every  place,'  in  every 
calling,  in  every  condition,  in  every  company,  in  every  service,  &c.  As 
now,  that  the  hearts  of  his  people  and  temptations  may  not  meet,  the 
Lord  is  pleased  to  give  them  the  best  and  choicest  gifts.^ 

Austin  thanked  God  for  this,  that  his  heart  and  the  temptations  did 
not  meet.  The  Lord  hath  on  purpose  given  these  glorious  gifts  into  the 
hearts  of  his  saints,  that  their  souls  and  temptations  may  be  kept 
asunder  ;  that  though  they  be  tempted,  yet  they  may  not  be  conquered  ; 
though  they  be  assaulted,  yet  they  may  not  be  vanquished.^  Basil, 
Luther,  Vincentius,  and  that  famous  marquis  Galeacius  [Carraciolus], 
&c.,  met. with  very  strange  and  strong  temptations,  but  the  precious 
gifts  that  the  Lord  had  cast  into  their  bosoms  made  them  triumph  over 
all.*  Oh  that  grace,  that  peace,  that  life,  that  love,  that  communion 
with  which  the  Lord  had  crowned  them,  made  them  too  great,  too 
noble,  and  too  glorious  to  yield  to  any  temptations  with  which  they  were 
beset.  It  was  their  pleasure  to  overcome  offered  pleasure,  their  honour 
to  overcome  offered  honour,  their  greatness  to  overcome  offered  great- 
ness. When  one  of  them  was  tempted  with  money  and  preferment,  he 
scorned  the  offers,  saying,  Give  me  money  that  may  last  for  ever,  and 
glory  that  may  eternally  flourish.^ 

Jerome  tells  a  story  of  a  Christian  soldier,^  whom  when  the  praetor 
could  not  by  any  torments  remove  from  Christianity,  he  commanded  to 
be  laid  on  a  bed  in  a  pleasant  garden,  among  the  flourishing  and  fragrant 
flowers  ;  which  done,  all  others  withdrawing,  a  most  beautiful  harlot 
came  to  him,  and  used  all  art  to  destroy  his  soul ;  but  the  Christian 
soldier  being  filled  with  the  royal  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  bit  off  his  tongue 

*  Some  say  that  the  panther  will  leap  three  times  after  his  prey,  but  if  he  miss  it  the 
third  time,  he  will  leap  no  more.  It  were  well  for  saints  if  Satan  would  do  so.  &c.,  1 
Chron.  xxi.  1  ;  Job  ii.  9  ;  Mat.  xxvi.  41  ;  2  Cor.  xii.  7  ;  Mat.  iv.  1-12  ;  Acts  xx.  23. 

2    Vigilat  diabolus  et  iu  dormis  ?  the  devil  watcheth,  and  dost  thou  sleep  ? 

*  JiJgo  no7i  sum  ego,  said  that  noble  convert  when  he  met  with  a  temptation. 

*  Pecuniam  da  qrice  permaneat  ac  continuo  duret,  gloriam  quae  semper  /or cat. — Basil. 
^  Jerome  in  vita  Pauli, 


lU)  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [E PH.  III.  8. 

with  his  teeth,  and  spat  it  in  her  face  as  she  was  tempting  him,  and  so 
got  victory  over  all  her  temptations. 

The  precious  favours  God  confers  upon  liis,  make  them  temptation- 
proof  ;  they  make  believers  trample  upon  the  most  amiable  baits. 
'  How  can  I  do  this  great  wickedness,  and  sin  against  God,'  says  Joseph. 
Joseph's  sense  of  Potiphar's  favours  heaped  upon  him,  strengtliened  him 
against  the  impudent  solicitations  of  his  wanton  mistress,  Gen.  xxxix. 
And  shall  not  the  singular  favours  that  God  confers  upon  his  dearest 
ones  strengthen  them  against  Satan's  assaults  ?  Surely  gracious  hearts 
are  wrought  more  upon,  and  bettered  and  strengthened  more  by  spirit- 
uals than  by  temporals  ;  by  eternals  than  by  externals ;  and  if  Satan 
do  not  find  it  so,  I  am  much  mistaken. 

Well,  remember  this,  Satan's  overcoming  the  saints  gives  him  the 
greatest  advantage  to  boast  and  triumph  over  Christ.^ 

Ambrose  brings  in  the  devil  boasting  against  Christ,  and  challenging 
Judas  as  his  own  ;  He  is  not  thine.  Lord  Jesus,  saith  he,  he  is  mine  ;  his 
thoughts  beat  for  me  ;  he  eats  with  thee,  but  he  is  fed  by  me  ;  he  takes 
bread  from  thee,  but  money  from  me ;  he  drinks  with  thee,  but  sells 
thy  blood  to  me.  So  when  Satan  prevails  over  the  saints,  look,  O 
Christ,  says  he,  are  these  the  price  of  thy  blood  ?  are  these  the  objects  of 
thy  love  ?  are  these  the  delight  of  thy  soul  ?  what,  are  these  thy  jewels  ? 
are  these  the  apple  of  thy  eye  ?  are  these  thy  pleasant  poi'tion  ?  Why, 
lo  how  I  lead  them  !  lo  how  I  triumph  over  them  !  they  seem  rather  to 
be  mine  than  thine.  Ah,  Christians  !  resist  as  for  life,  that  Satan  may 
never  have  occasion  thus  to  insult  and  triumph  over  Christ,  &c. 

[C]  Sixthly  and  lastly,  Christ  gives  the  best  gifts  to  his  clearest  ones, 
that  they  may  be  an  Jtonour  and  a  2^'fcdse  unto  him  in  the  gloHous 
day  of  liis  owning  of  them,  and  marriage  to  them  before  all  the  world. 

Believers  in  this  life  are  but  betrothed  to  Christ :  '  I  will  betroth  thee 
unto  me  for  ever ;  yea,  I  will  betroth  thee  unto  me  in  righteousness, 
and  in  judgment,  and  in  loving-kindness,'  Hosea  ii.  19,  20.  Their 
inarriage-day  is  put  off  till  the  glorious  day  of  Christ's  appearing  ;  the 
great  day  of  his  glory  will  be  the  day  of  solemnity ;  Rev.  xxi.  2,  9,  10, 
compared. 2  It  would  not  be  for  the  honour  and  glory  of  Christ,  that 
his  spouse  in  that  day  should  be  clothed  with  rags  ;  therefore  he  hath 
given  them  the  bracelets,  the  ear-rings,  and  the  jewelskbefore-hand,  that 
they  may  be  a  praise  and  an  honour  to  him  in  the  marriage  day.  Oh  ! 
when  the  saints  shall  appear  with  all  those  glorious  jewels  about  them, 
that  Christ  hath  bequeathed  to  them,  how  Avill  their  splendid  glory 
darken  all  other  glory,  and  make  the  very  sun  to  hide  its  face.  This  is 
our  betrothing  day,  that  will  be  our  marriage  day. 

Bishop  Ridley,  the  night  before  he  suffered,  invited  his  hostess  and  the 
rest  at  table  to  his  marriage,  '  for,'  said  he,  '  to-morrow  I  must  be  mar- 
ried.'' so  several  other  martyrs  went  as  merrily  to  die,  as  to  dine  ; 
knowing  that  their  dying  day  did  but  make  way  for  their  marriage  day. 
Tlic  Lord  doth  b}-^  his  rich  and  royal  favours  trick  and  trim  up  his  bride 
beforehand,  that  she  may  be  an  honour  and  a  praise  to  him  in  the  day 

'  Tlio  devil  marchetli  well  armod  and  in  good  array,  saith  Luther. 

*  The  good  things  of  eternal  life  are  so  many,  that  they  exceed  number  ;  so  great,  that 
Ihey  exceed  meapure  ;  so  precious,  that  they  are  above  all  estimation. — Augustine,  de 
Trii>lici  liaiitu,  cap.  4.  ^  Foxe,  us  before. — G. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  117 

of  coronation,  in  the  day  of  marriage,  in  the  day  of  solemnity,  when  he 
will  own  her  before  devils,  angels,  and  all  reprobates  ;  when  he  will  say, 
'  Lo,  here  am  I,  and  the  bride,  O  Father  !  that  thou  hast  given  me.' 

And  thus  you  have  a  brief  account  of  the  reasons  of  the  point,  why 
the  Lord  gives  the  best  gifts  to  his  own  people. 

We  shall  make  some  short  but  sweet  uses  of  this  point. 
And,  first, 

[1.]  Doth  the  Lord  give  the  best  and  greatest  gifts  to  his  people? 
Then  you  that  are  his  people,  ait  doiun  and  wonder  at  this  condescend- 
ing love  of  God. 

Oh  I  what  is  in  thy  soul  or  in  my  soul,  that  should  cause  the  Lord  to 
give  such  gifts  to  us  as  he  hath  given  ?  We  were  all  equal  in  sin  and 
misery ;  nay,  doubtless,  we  have  actually  outsinned  thousands,  to  whom 
these  precious  gifts  are  denied.  Let  us  therefore  sit  down  and  wonder 
at  this  condescending  love  of  God.  Oh !  we  were  once  poor  wretches 
sitting  upon  the  dunghill,  yea,  wallowing  in  our  blood,  and  yet  behold 
the  Kincr  of  kings,  the  Lord  of  lords,  hath  so  far  condescended  in  his 
love,  as  to  bestow  himself,  his  Spirit,  his  grace,  and  all  the  jewels  of  his 
royal  crown  upon  us.  Oh  !  what  heart  can  conceive,  what  tongue  can 
express,  this  matchless  love  !  I  will  be  thine  for  ever,  says  Christ,  and 
my  Spirit  shall  be  thine  for  ever,  and  my  grace  thine  for  ever,  and  my 
glory  thine  for  ever,  and  my  righteousness  thine  for  ever ;  all  I  am  and 
all  I  have,  shall  be  thine  for  ever,  O  sirs  !  what  condescending  love 
is  this.     Oh  !  what  a  Christ  is  this.^ 

[2.]  But  then,  secondly,  Be  greatly  thankful,  oh  be  greatly  thankful 
for  the  great  gift  that  Christ  hath  hestowed  upon  you. 

It  is  not  a  little  thankfulness  that  will  answer  and  suit  to  the  great 
gffts  that  the  Lord  Jesus  hath  bestowed  upon  you.  Oh  say  with  the 
psalmist,  '  What  shall  I  render  to  the  Lord  for  all  his  favours,  and  great 
benefits.  I  will  take  the  cup  of  salvation,  and  will  call  upon  the  name 
of  the  Lord,'  Ps.  cxvi.  13,  14.  Yea,  say  again  with  the  psalmist,  'I  will 
praise  thee  more  and  more.'  Or  as  it  is  in  the  Hebrew,  '  I  will  add  to 
thy  praise,'  Ps.  Ixxi.  14.  Oh  when  thou  lookest  upon  the  jewels,  the 
pearls  that  Christ  hath  given  thee,  say.  Lord,  I  will  praise  thee  more 
and  more,  I  will  rise  higher  and  higher  in  thy  praises,  I  will  be  still 
a-adding  to  thy  praise.  The  very  law  of  nature  bespeaks  great  thank- 
fulness, where  great  favours  are  given  ;  and  the  law  of  custom  bespeaks 
it,  and  doth  not  the  law  of  grace  bespeak  it  much  more  f 

When  Tamerlane  had  taken  Bajazet,  among  other  questions  he  asked 
him  *  if  ever  he  had  given  God  thanks  for  making  him  so  great  an 
emperor  ?'  He  confessed  immediately,  that  '  he  never  thought  of  that ;' 
to  whom  Tamerlane  replied,  'It  is  no  wonder  so  ungrateful  a  man  should 
be  made  a  spectacle  of  misery.^  Oh  !  what  do  they  then  deserve  that 
are  unthankful  for  spiritual  favours.  Tell  me,  O  Christians,  are  not  the 
gifts  that  Christ  hath  conferred  upon  you,  peculiar  gifts  ?  And  will 
you  not  be  thankful  for  them  ?     Were  they  but  common  gifts,  you 

*  0  Lord  Jesus,  saith  Bernard,  breaking  forth  into  an  admiration  of  Clirist's  love,  I 
love  ihee  phisquam  mea,  plusquam  nieos,  plusqziam  me,  more  than  all  my  goods,  more  than 
all  my  friends,  yea,  more  than  my  very  self,  &c.     [Sermons  on  Canticles,  as  before. — G.] 

2  Injuries  shall  be  writ  in  the  dust,  but  our  mercies  on  marble,  that  our  hearts  may  be 
the  better  provoked  to  praise  and  thankfulness. 

3  Turk.  Hist.  ii20,  &c.     [KnoUes,  as  before.— G.] 


118  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

ought  to  be  thankful  for  them  ;  how  much  more  then  for  pecub'ar  gifts, 
for  right-handed  favours  ?  Tell  me,  are  not  the  gifts  that  Christ  hath 
given  thee  rare  gifts  ?  What  hadst  thou  been  if  Christ  had  not  made 
a  difference  between  thee  and  others,  by  those  glorious  gifts  that  he 
hath  conferred  upon  thee  ?  Thou  lookest  upon  some,  and  seest  they 
are  very  ignorant.  Oh !  what  hadst  thou  been  if  God  had  not  bestowed 
that  grace  of  knowledge  upon  thee  ?  Thou  lookest  upon  other  persons 
that  are  unclean,  profane,  and  filthy.  Why !  such  a  wretch  wouldst 
thou  have  been,  if  the  Lord  had  not  made  a  difference  between  thee  and 
them,  by  bestowing  himself,  his  grace,  and  Spirit  upon  thee.* 

It  was  long  since  determined  in  the  schools,  that  'penitents  had  more 
reason  to  be  thankful  than  innocent ;  sin  giving  an  advantage  to  mercy 
to  be  doubly  free  in  giving  and  in  pardoning;'  and  so  the  greater 
obligation  is  left  upon  us  to  thankfulness. 

Luther  hath  a  very  famous  story,  in  his  writing  upon  the  fourth 
commandment,  in  the  time  of  the  council  of  Constance.  He  tells  you 
of  two  cardinals,  that  as  they  were  riding  to  the  council,  they  saw  a 
shepherd  in  the  field  weepiug.  One  of  them  being  affected  with  his 
weeping,  rode  to  him  to  comfort  him  ;  and  coming  near  to  him  he  de- 
sired to  know  the  reason  of  his  weeping.  The  shepherd  was  unwilling 
to  tell  him  at  first,  but  at  last  he  told  him,  saying,  '  I  looking  upon  this 
toad  considered  that  I  never  praised  God  as  I  ought,  for  making  me 
such  an  excellent  creature  as  a  man,  comely  and  reasonable.  I  have 
not  blessed  him  that  he  made  me  not  such  a  deformed  toad  as  this.' 
The  cardinal  hearing  this,  and  considering  that  Gocl  had  done  far 
greater  things  for  him  than  for  this  poor  shepherd,  he  fell  down  dead 
from  his  mule ;  his  servants  lifting  him  up,  and  bringing  him  to  the 
city,  he  came  to  life  again,  and  then  cried  out,  'O  St  Austin!  how  tritly 
didst  thou  say,  the  unlearned  rise  and  take  heaven  by  force,  and  we 
with  all  our  learning  wallow  in  flesh  and  blood.'^  The  application  is 
easy. 

Thirdly,  The  next  use  is, 

[3.]  If  the  Lord  hath  given  the  best  gifts  to  his  people,  then  oh  that 
his  2^eople  would  not  give  God  the  tvorst,  but  the  best  of  everything.^ 

Oh  !  give  the  Lord  the  best  of  your  strength,  the  best  of  your  time, 
the  best  of  your  mercies,  and  the  best  of  your  services,  who  hath  given 
to  your  souls  the  best  of  gifts  :  Num.  xviii.  29,  '  Out  of  all  your  gifts 
ye  shall  offer  every  heave-offering  of  the  Lord,  of  all  the  best  thereof, 
even  the  hallowed  part  thereof,  out  of  it.'  So  I  say,  of  all  thy  offerings 
offer  God  the  best,  who  hath  given  to  thee  the  best  and  greatest  gifts. 
So  in  Exod.  xxxv.  22,  '  For  the  service  of  the  tabernacle  they  brought 
bracelets,  and  ear-rings,  and  tables,  all  jewels  of  gold  :  and  every  man 
that  offered,  offered  an  offering  of  gold  unto  the  Lord.'  They  gave  the 
best  of  the  best,  and  so  must  we.  Oh  do  not  offer  to  God  the  worst  of 
your  time,  the  worst  of  your  strength,  the  worst  of  your  mercies,  the 

'  Tliere  are  but  few  upon  wliom  God  bcstowetli  his  love.  It  was  always  a  principle  in 
morality,  that  sweet  and  intimate  friendship  cannot  bo  extended  to  many.  Friends 
usually  go  by  pairs. 

•^  Augustine,  Confessions,  b.  viii.  c.  8.  '  Surgunt  indocti  et  ccolum  rapiunt,  et  nos 
cum  doctrinis  nostris  sine  corde,  ecce  ubi  volutamur  in  carne  et  sanguine.' — G. 

'  It  is  the  most  wicked  avarice  to  defraud  God  of  the  oblation  of  ourselves,  saith  Chrys- 
oatom. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  EICHES  OF  CHRIST.  119 

worst  of  your  services.  That  same  is  a  very  dreadful  text  :  Mai.  i.  8, 
13,  14,  compared,  'And  if  ye  offer  the  blind  for  sacrifice,  is  it  not  evil? 
and  if  ye  offer  the  lame  and  sick,  is  it  not  evil  ?  offer  it  now  unto  thy 
governor  ;  will  he  be  pleased  with  it,  and  accept  thy  person  ?  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts.'  Saith  God,  Will  men  be  put  off  thus  ?  No,  I  know 
they  won't ;  and  why  then  should  you  deal  worse  with  me  than  with 
men  ?  Thy  governors  will  have  the  best,  ay,  the  best  of  the  best ;  and 
will  you  deal  worse  with .  me,  saith  God,  than  with  your  governors  ?^ 
Will  you  thus  requite  me  for  all  my  favours,  0  foolish  people  and  un- 
wise ?  is  this  your  kindness  to  your  friend  ?  Ver.  13,  14,  *  Ye  said  also, 
Behold,  what  a  weariness  is  it !  and  ye  have  snuffed  at  it,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts:  and  ye  have  brought  that  which  was  torn,  and  the  lame, 
and  the  sick ;  thus  ye  brought  an  offering :  should  I  accept  this  of  your 
hands  ?  saith  the  Lord.'  Oh  !  that  God  had  not  cause  to  complain  thus 
of  many  of  your  souls,  to  whom  he  hath  shewn  much  love.  But  mark 
what  follows:  ver.  14,  'But  cursed  be  the  deceiver,  which  hath  in  his 
flock  a  male,  and  voweth,  and  sacrificeth  unto  the  Lord  a  corrupt  thing: 
for  I  am  a  great  King,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  and  my  name  is  dreadful 
among  the  heathen.'  If  you  have  better  in  your  hands,  and  yet  shall 
go  to  put  off  God  with  the  worst,  the  curse  will  follow.  Think  of  it  and 
tremble,  all  you  that  deal  fraudulently  and  false-hearted ly  with  God. 
Ah,  Christians !  you  must  say,  World,  stand  behind ;  sin  and  Satan,  get 
you  behind  us,  for  the  best  gifts,  the  choicest  favours  that  ever  were 
given,  we  have  received  from  the  Father  of  lights  ;  and  therefore  by  his 
gifts  he  hath  obliged  our  souls  to  give  him  the  best  of  our  time,  strength, 
and  services ;  and  therefore  we  will  not  be  at  your  call  or  beck  any 
longer.  Oh,  say,  the  Lord  hath  given  us  the  best  gifts,  and  '  Cursed 
be  the  deceiver,  which  hath  in  his  flock  a  male,  and  voweth,  and  sacri- 
ficeth unto  the  Lord  a  corrupt  thing.' 

[4.]  Fourthly,  This  should  bespeak  the  people  of  God  to  trust  and 
lean  upon  God  for  lesser  gifts. 

Hath  God  given  thee  a  crown,  and  wilt  thou  not  trust  him  for  a 
crumb  ?  2  Tim.  iv.  8.  Hath  he  given  thee  a  house  that  hath  '  founda- 
tions, whose  builder  and  maker  is  God?'  Heb.  xi.  15.  Hath  he  given 
thee  '  a  kingdom  that  shakes  not'  ?  Heb.  xii.  28.  And  wilt  thou  not 
trust  him  for  a  cottage,  for  a  little  house-room  in  this  world  ?  Hath 
he  given  thee  himself,  his  Son,  his  Spirit,  his  grace  ;  and  wilt  thou  not 
trust  him  to  give  thee  bread,  and  friends,  and  clothes^  and  other 
necessary  mercies  that  he  knows  thou  needest  ?  Bom.  viii.  32,  Mat.  vi. 
32.  Hath  he  given  thee  the  greater,  and  will  he  stand  with  thee  for 
the  lesser?  Surely  no.  Wilt  thou  trust  that  man  for  much,  that  hath 
given  thee  but  a  little  ?  And  wilt  thou  not  trust  that  God  for  a  little, 
that  hath  given  thee  much  ?  Wilt  thou  not  trust  him  for  pence,  that 
hath  given  thee  pounds  ?  O  sirs  !  hath  the  Lord  given  you  himself, 
the  best  of  favours ;  and  will  not  you  trust  him  for  the  least  favours  ? 
Hath  he  given  you  pearls,  and  will  not  you  trust  him  for  pins  ?  &c. 
Doth  not  the  apostle  argue  sweetly  ?  Rom.  viii.  32,   '  He  that  spared 

'  If  a  man  should  serve  the  Lord  a  thousand  years,  saith  Austin,  it  wciuhi  not  deserve 
an  hour  of  the  reward  in  heaven  ;  no,  not  a  moment,  much  less  an  eternity.  And  there- 
fore, says  he,  we  had  need  do  as  much  as  we  can,  and  do  all  that  we  do  as  well  as  we 
can,  &c. 


120  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

not  his  own  Son,  but  delivered  him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not  with 
him  also  freely  give  us  all  things?'  What!  says  the  apostle,  hath  he 
given  us  his  Hon,  his  only  Son,  his  bosom  Son,  his  beloved  Son,  the  Son 
of  his  joy,  the  Son  of  his  delights  ?  Oh  how  can  he  then  but  cast  in 
all  other  things,  as  paper  and  pack-thread,  into  the  bargain?  Oh  !  that 
Christians  would  learn  to  reason  themselves  out  of  their  fears,  and  out 
of  their  distrusts,  as  the  apostle  doth.  Oh  !  that  Christians  would  n« 
longer  rend  and  rack  their  precious  souls  with  fears  and  cares,  but  rest 
satisfied  in  tiiis,  that  he  that  hath  been  so  kind  to  them  in  spirituals, 
will  not  be  wanting  to  them  in  temporals,^  Prov.  viii.  23-32. 

[5.]  Fifthly,  If  the  Lord  hath,  given  the  best  gifts  to  his  people,  this 
should  then  bespeak  his  people,  not  to  envy  the  men  of  the  world 
for  those  lesser  favours  that  God  hath  conferred  upon  them. 

It  was  horrid  wickedness  in  Ahab  to  envy  poor  Naboth,  because  of 
his  vine3'ard  ;  and  is  it  a  virtue  in  you  tiuit  are  Christians  to  envy 
others,  because  their  outward  mercies  are  greater  or  sweeter  than  yours? 
Should  the  prince  upon  whose  head  the  royal  crown  is  set,  and  about 
whose  neck  the  golden  chain  is  put,  envy  those  whose  hands  are  full  of 
sugar-plums,  and  whose  laps  are  full  of  rosemary,  &c.  Hath  not  God, 
O  Christians  !  put  a  royal  crown  of  glory  upon  your  heads,  and  a  golden 
chain  of  grace  about  your  necks,  and  his  Son's  glorious  robe  upon  your 
backs  ?  and  why  then  should  your  hearts  rise  against  others'  mercies  ? 
O  !  reason  yourselves  out  of  this  sinful  temper.'^ 

I  would  have  every  Christian  thus  to  argue :  Hath  not  the  Lord  given 
me  himself?  Is  not  one  dram  of  that  grace  that  God  hath  given  me, 
more  Avorth  than  ten  thousand  worlds  ?  and  why  then  should  I  envy  at 
others'  mercies  ? 

There  was  a  soldier  which,  for  breaking  his  rank  in  reaching  after  a 
bunch  of  grapes,  was  condemned  to  die  by  martial  law,  and  as  he  went 
to  execution,  he  went  eating  of  his  gi'apes ;  upon  which,  some  of  his 
fellow-soldiers  were  somewhat  troubled,  saying,  '  He  ought  then  to  mind 
somewhat  else;'  to  whom  he  said,  '  I  beseech  you,  sirs,  do  not  envy  me 
my  grapes,  they  will  cost  me  dear ;  you  would  be  loath  to  have  them 
at  the  rate  that  I  must  pay  for  them.'  So  say  I,  O  saints  !  do  not  envy 
the  men  of  this  world  because  of  their  honours,  riches,  &c.,  for  you 
would  be  loath  to  have  them  at  that  rate  that  they  must  pay  for  them. 
Oh !  there  is  a  day  of  reckoning  a-coming,  a  day  wherein  all  the  nobles 
and  brave  gallants  in  the  world  must  be  brought  to  the  bar,  and  give  an 
account  how  they  have  improved  and  employed  all  the  favours  that  God 
hath  conferred  upon  them  ;  therefore  envy  them  not.  Is  it  madness 
and  folly  in  a  great  favourite  at  court,  to  envy  those  that  feast  them- 
selves with  the  scraps  that  come  from  the  prince's  table  ?  Oh  !  then, 
what  madness  and  folly  is  it  that  the  favourites  of  heaven  should  envy 
the  men  of  the  world,  who  at  best  do  but  feed  upon  the  scraps  that 
come  from  God's  table !  Spirituals  are  the  choice  meat,  temporals  are 
but  the  scraps.     Temporals  are  the  bones,  spirituals  are  the  marrow. 

Is  it  below  a  man  to  envy  the  dogs  because  of  the  bones  ?    And  is  it 

'   Tantum  possumnn,  quantum  credimiin. — Cyprian. 

^  David  tlirce  several  times  };;avo  iiiiuself  this  counsel,  not  to  envy  at  others.     Ps. 
xxxvii.  1,  7,  8,  compared.     So  i's.  Ixxiii.  21. 


EpH.  Ill  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  1 21 

not  much  more  below  a  Christian  to  envy  others  for  temporals,  when 
himself  enjoys  spirituals  ? 

[6.J  Sixthly,  Be  not  troubled  for  the  want  of  lesser  gifts. 

It  is  to  me  a  sad  thing  to  see  gracious  souls,  that  have  some  comfortable 
satisfaction  in  their  own  hearts  that  the  Lord  hath  given  Christ  and  grace 
to  them,  John  xiv.  1-3,  &c.,  go  up  and  down  whining  and  weeping  be- 
cause they  have  not  health,  or  wealth,  or  child,  or  trade,  &c.,  when  the 
Lord  hath  bestowed  upon  them  such  choice,  spiritual  blessings,  the  least  of 
which  will  outweigh  all  temporal  blessings.  Well,  Christians,  remem- 
ber this,  you  act  below  your  spiritual  birth,  your  holy  calling,  when  you 
suffer  your  hearts  to  be  troubled  and  perplexed  for  the  want  of  tem- 
poral things.  Can  you  read  special  love  in  these?  Doth  your  happiness 
lie  in  the  enjoyment  of  them  I  Are  not  the  angels  happy  without  them? 
Was  not  Lazarus  more  happy  than  Dives  ?  Yes.  Oh  !  then,  let  not  the 
want  of  those  things  trouble  thee,  the  enjoyment  of  which  can  never 
make  thee  happy.  Should  the  child  be  troubled  for  want  of  a  rattle 
or  a  baby,'  that  is  proclaimed  heir  of  a  crown  ?  And  why  then  should 
a  Christian,  that  is  heir-apparent  to  a  heavenly  crown,  be  troubled  upon 
the  want  of  worldly  toys  ?  &c. 

Jerome  tells  us  of  one  Didymus,  a  godly  preacher,  who  was  blind  ; 
Alexander,  a  godly  man,  coming  to  him,  asked  him  whether  he  was  not 
sore  troubled  and  afflicted  for  want  of  his  sight  ?  '  Oh  yes,'  said  Didy- 
mus, '  it  is  a  great  affliction  and  trouble  to  me.'  Then  Alexander  chid 
him,  saying.  Hath  God  given  you  the  excellency  of  an  angel,  of  an 
apostle,  and  are  you  troubled  for  that  which  rats  and  mice  and  brute 
beasts  have.^ 

It  is  great  folly,  it  is  double  iniquity  for  a  Christian  to  be  troubled 
for  the  want  of  those  things  that  God  ordinarily  bestows  upon  the  worst 
of  men.  Oh  the  mercies  that  a  Christian  hath  in  hand,  oh  the  mer- 
cies that  a  Christian  hath  in  the  promises,  oh  the  mercies  that  a 
Christian  hath  in  hope,  are  so  many,  so  precious,  and  so  glorious,  that 
they  should  bear  up  his  head  and  heart  from  fainting  and  sinking  under 
all  outward  wants. 

There  goes  a  story  among  scholars  of  ^sop's  deceiving  Mercury,  he 
having  promised  him  one  part  of  his  nuts,  keeps  all  the  meat  to  himself, 
and  gives  the  other  the  shells.  Ah,  Christians  !  God  hath  given  you  the 
meat,  but  the  world  the  shells  ;  why  then  should  you  be  troubled  for 
want  of  the  shells,  when  God  hath  given  you  the  kernel  ?  &c.^ 

[7.]  Seventhly,  //  the  Lord  hath  given  his  people  the  best  gifts,  oh 
then,  let  not  them  leave  off  that  God  that  hath  bestowed  such  choice 
and  noble  favours  on  them. 

Jer.  ii.  11-13,  '  Hath  a  nation  changed  their  gods,  which  are  yet  no 
'gods?  but  my  people  have  changed  their  glory  for  that  which  doth  not 
profit :  Be  astonished,  O  ye  heavens,  at  this,  and  be  horribly  afraid, 
be  ye  very  desolate,  saith  the  Lord.'  Why?  '  For  my  people  have  com- 
mitted two  evils,  they  have  forsaken  me,  the  fountam  of  living  waters,' 
&c.     This  was  that  aggravated  the  Israelites'  sin,  Ps.  cv.  and  cvi.,  that 

'  '  Doll.'— G.  2  Socrates,  H.  E.,  lib.  iv.  cap.  xx. 

'  Cyprian,  in  his  sermon  de  lapsis,  reports  of  divers  who,  forsaking  the  Lord,  were 
given  over  to  evil  spirits,  and  died  fearfully.  A  backslider  may  say,  O^jera  el  impensa 
periit,  all  my  pains  and  charge  is  lost. 


1 22  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

they  forsook  that  God  that  had  conferred  upon  them  many  rich  and 
royal  favours.  But  oh  !  then,  what  madness  and  folly  is  it  in  you,  that 
you  should  forsake  that  God  that  hath  done  such  mighty  things  for  your 
souls  ?  I  may  say,  to  keep  you  close  to  God,  as  Saul  said  to  his  servants, 
to  keep  them  close  to  him,  1  Sam.  xxii.  7,  '  Then  Saul  said  unto  his 
servants  tliat  stood  about  him,  Hear  now,  ye  Benjamites,  will  the  son 
of  Jesse  give  every  one  of  you  fields  and  vineyard.s,  and  make  you  all 
captains  of  thousands,  and  captains  of  hundreds  V  Ah,  Christians  !  can 
the  world  give  you  spiritual  life  ?  Can  the  world  give  you  peace  of  con- 
science, pardon  of  sin,  the  favour  of  God,  the  hopes  of  glory  ?  No.  Oh 
then !  never  leave  nor  forsake  that  God  that  hath  given  you  all  these 
royal  favours,  which  none  can  give  nor  take,  but  himself  He  that  for- 
sakes God  forsakes  his  own  mercies ;  he  forsakes  his  life,  his  joy,  his 
crown,  his  all  in  all. 

No  evil  to  this,  of  forsaking  the  greatest  good.  It  makes  a  man's 
life  a  very  hell.     '  Such  shall  be  written  in  the  dust,'  Jer.  xvii.  13. 

[8.]  Eighthly  and  lastly.  Be  not  impatient  nor  froiuard,  ivhen  God 
shall  take  away  soine  lesser  mercies  from  you} 

Hath  God  given  you  the  best  and  the  greatest  gifts  that  your  souls 
can  beg  or  himself  can  give  ?  And  will  you  be  froward  or  impatient 
when  he  shall  come  to  take  away  lesser  mercies  ?  What  ^  wilt  thou  be 
an  impatient  soul,  when  God  comes  and  Avrites  death  upon  such  a  near 
mercy,  and  passes  the  sentence  of  death  upon  such  and  such  desirable 
mercies  ?  Verily  this  is  the  way  to  provoke  God  to  strip  thee  naked 
of  thy  choicest  ornaments,  and  to  put  thee  in  chains,  or  else  to  turn 
thee  agrazing  among  the  beasts  of  tiie  field,  as  he  did  Nebuchadnezzar. 
God  gives  the  best,  and  takes  away  the  worst ;  he  gives  the  greatest, 
and  takes  away  the  least ;  the  sense  of  which  made  Job  bless  God  when 
stripped  of  all.  If  a  man  should  give  you  a  pearl  and  take  away  a  pin ; 
if  he  should  give  you  a  bag  of  gold  and  take  away  a  bag  of  counters, 
would  it  not  be  a  madness  in  you  to  be  impatient,  and  froward  ?  Doth 
God  take  away  a  pin,  and  hath  he  not  given  you  a  pearl  for  it  ?  He 
hath  given  thee  a  pound,  O  Christian  !  for  every  penny  that  he  hath 
taken  from  thee ;  therefore  be  not  froward,  nor  impatient.  Remem- 
ber, Christians,  how  many  in  the  world  there  be  that  sit  sighing  and 
mourning  under  the  want  of  those  very  favours  that  you  do  enjoy. 
'  Why  does  the  living  man  complain?'  What !  out  of  the  grave,  and 
complain  !  What !  out  of  hell,  and  complain  !  This  is  man's  sin,  and 
God's  wonder. 

But  now  some  poor  sinners  may  say,  Here  is  good  news  for  saints,  but 
what  IS  all  this  to  us  all  this  while? 

Why,  I  will  tell  you;  I  have  something  to  say  for  the  comfort  and 
encouragement  of  poor  sinners.  Ah,  sinners  !  Christ  is  willing  to  bestow 
the  best  gifts  upon  the  worst  sinners.  Take  one  text  for  all ;  it  is  a 
sweet  one,  and  full  to  the  point  in  hand:  Ps.  Ixviii.  18,  'Thou  hast 
ascended  on  high,  thou  hast  led  captivity  captive,  thou  hast  received 

*  Diis proxivins  ille  est,  quern  ratio  non  ira  movef,  he  is  next  to  God  whom  reason,  and 
not  anger,  inovctli. — Seneca.  {Dc  Ira  et  De  Anhni  TranqxiUlit'ite — G.]  Diil  an  impa- 
tient soul  but  see  himself  in  a  gla.ss,  ho  would  loathe  himself;  for,  saith  Homer,  his  eye3 
sparkle  like  fire,  his  heart  swells,  his  pulse  beats,  &c.  In  a  word,  au  impatient  soul  is  a 
budlam,  a  monster,  a  devil,  &c. 


EpH.  III.  8. J  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  123 

gifts  for  men,  yea,  for  the  rebellious  also,  that  the  Lord  God  might  dwell 
among  them.'^ 

Christ  hath  received  gifts,  as  a  steward,  from  the  hand  of  the  Father, 
to  dispense  them  among  men,  yea,  among  the  rebellious,  the  worst  of 
men.  If  there  be  here  at  this  time  any  rebellious  sinner,  or  rebellious 
Sabbath-breaker,  or  rebellious  drunkard,  or  rebellious  curser,  &c.,  let 
such  rebellious  sinners  know  that  Christ  hath  received  gifts  '  even  for 
the  rebellious.' 

'  That  the  Lord  God  might  dwell  amongst  them.'^  That  is,  that  the 
Lord  God  might  have  sweet  fellowship  and  communion  with  them : 
'  Behold  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock  ;  if  any  man  hear  my  voice,  and 
open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he 
with  me.' 

'  Behold  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock.'  I,  that  have  heaven  to  give, 
and  peace  to  give,  and  pardon  to  give,  and  grace  to  give,  and  myself  to 
give  ;  I,  that  have  tried  gold  to  enrich  you,  and  white  raiment  to  clothe 
you,  and  eye-salve  to  anoint  you,  'I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock;  if 
any  Tnan  will  open  the  door,'  let  him  be  never  so  guilty,  never  so  filthy, 
never  so  unworthy,  &c.,  *  I  will  come  in  and  sup  with  him,  and  he 
with  me.' 

Lord,  at  whose  door  dost  thou  stand  knocking?  Is  it  at  the  richi 
man's  door,  or  at  the  righteous  man's  door,  or  at  the  humbled  man's 
door,  or  at  tlie  weary  and  heavy-laden  man's  door,  or  at  the  mourner's 
door,  or  at  the  qualified  or  prepared  man's  door  ?  No,  says  Christ,  it  is 
at  none  of  these  doors.  At  whose  then,  0  blessed  Lord  ?  At  the  luke- 
warm Laodicean's  door;  at  their  door  that  are  neither  hot  nor  cold, 
that  are  '  wretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind,  and  naked.' 
These,  says  Christ,  are  the  worst  of  the  worst ;  and  yet  if  any  of  these 
wretches,  these  monsters  of  mankind,  will  open  the  door,  '  I  will  come 
in,  and  will  sup  with  them,  and  they  with  me.' 

I  have  read  a  remarkable  story  of  a  great  rebel  that  had  raised  a 
mighty  party  against  a  Roman  emperor.  The  emperor  upon  this  being 
much  provoked  and  stirred  in  spirit,  made  a  proclamation,  that  who- 
soever brought  in  the  rebel,  dead  or  alive,  should  have  a  great  sum  of 
money.  The  rebel,  hearing  of  this,  comes  and  presents  himself  unto 
the  emperor,  and  demanded  of  him  the  sum  of  money  ;  whereupon  the 
emperor  reasons  thus,  '  If  I  should  now  cut  him  off,  the  world  would 
say  I  did  it  to  save  my  money ;'  and  so  he  pardoned  him,  and  gave  him 
the  great  sum  of  money,  notwithstanding  all  his  former  rebellion.^ 

Oh !  shall  a  heathen  emperor  do  thus  to  a  rebel  that  was  in  arms 
against  him,  and  will  not  God  do  as  much  for  poor  rebellious  sinners  ? 
Surely  he  will.  What  though  thou  hast  been  in  arms  against  God,  and 
mustered  up  all  the  strength  and  force  thou  couldst,  even  all  the  mem- 
bers of  thy  body,  and  faculties  of  thy  soul,  against  God,  and  Christ, 
and  holiness,  yet  know  that  the  King  of  Israel  is  a  merciful  king ;  he 
is  a  God  of  pardons  ;  he  delights  to  make  his  grace  glorious,  and  there- 

'  Head  also  Prov.  i.  20-29,  chap.  viii.  1-8,  and  chap.  ix.  1-7  ;  Isa.  xliii.  22-25 ;  Jer- 
li.  5.     None  so  faithful  as  Christ,  Heb.  iii.  5,  6. 

2  Rev.  iii.  20,  2  Cor.  vi.  16,  '  I  will  dwell  in  them.'  The  words  are  very  sio;nificant  in 
the  original :  Ivoixriirui  Iv  avroTs,  I  will  indwell  in  them.  There  are  two  ins  in  the  original, 
as  if  God  could  never  have  enough  communion  with  them. 

^  Bodin  relates  this  story.     [As  before.     See  Index,  sub  nomine. — G.] 


12*  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  S. 

fore  is  very  willing  to  shew  mercy  to  the  greatest  rebels,  to  the  worst 
of  sinners.  Witness  Manasseh,  Mary  Magdalene,  the  thief,  Paul,  and 
others.'  The  greatness  of  man's  sins  do  but  set  off  the  riches  of  free 
grace.  Sins  are  debts,  and  God  can  as  easily  blot  out  a  debt  of  many 
thousands  as  he  can  a  lesser  debt ;  therefore  let  not  the  greatest  rebel 
despair  but  believe,  and  he  shall  find  that  '  where  sin  hath  abounded, 
there  grace  shall  superabound,'  &c. 

And  thus  much  for  this  observation.  We  shall  now  proceed  to  the 
next  words,  viz., 

'  That  I  shcndd  preach  among  the  Gentiles  the  unsearchable  riches 
of  Christ:— Eiph.  iii.  8. 

A  little  to  open  the  words. 

'  That  I  siiould  preach.' 

That  is,  declare  good  news,  or  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation  that  is 
brought  by  Jesus  Christ  to  sinners.  The  Greek  word  EvayyO^iov,  in  the 
New  Testament,  ansAvers  to  the  Hebrew  word  Bessorah  in  the  Old 
Testament,  both  signifying  good  news,  glad  tidings,  or  a  joyful  message.^ 

'  That  I  should  preach  among  the  Gentiles.' 

The  word  iQnaiv,  that  is  here  rendered  Gentiles,  is  sometimes  used 
generally  for  all  men,  or  all  nations.  So  it  is  used  in  Mat.  xxv.  32,  and 
xxviii.  19.  Sometimes  this  Greek  word  is  used  more  especially  for  the 
people  of  the  Jews ;  so  in  John  xi.  48,  50-52,  and  Acts  x.  22 ;  and 
sometimes  it  is  used  for  the  Gentiles,  distinguished  from  the  Jews  ;  so 
in  Mat.  vi.  32. 

By  the  Gentiles  here  you  are  to  understand  those  poor  heathens  that 
were  without  God  in  the  world,  that  never  had  heard  of  Christ,  nor  those 
unsearchable  riches  that  be  in  him ;  as  you  may  clearly  see  by  compar- 
ing this  text  with  that.  Gal.  i.  15,  16,  'But  when  it  pleased  God,  who 
separated  me  from  my  mother's  womb,  and  called  me  by  his  grace,  to 
reveal  his  Son  in  me,  that  I  might  preach  among  the  heathen,'  saith 
he,  '  immediately  I  consulted  not  with  flesh  and  blood.' 

1.  The  first  observation  that  I  shall  speak  to,  from  these  words  thus 
opened,  is  this  : 

That  the  gifts  and  graces  that  God  bestows  upon  his  people 
should  be  improved,  empiloyed,  and  exercised  by  his  'people. 

The  Greek  word  x,H'i,  that  is  here  rendered  grace,  we  shewed  you, 
hath  a  three-fold  signification  in  the  Scripture.  Sometimes  it  denotes 
the  favour  of  God,  sometimes  the  common  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  and  some- 
times the  saving  graces  of  the  Spirit.  Now,  says  Paul,  that  singular 
favour  that  God  hath  confeiTed  upon  me,  and  all  those  common  gifts  and 
special  graces  with  which  he  has  enriched  me,  they  are  all  to  be  em- 
ployed and  exercised.  '  Unto  me  is  this  grace  given,  that  I  should 
})reach  among  the  Gentiles  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ. 

So  that  there  is  nothinfj  more  clear  than  this,  viz. :  That  the  gifts 
and  graces  that  God  bestows  upon  his  people,  should  be  employed,  im- 
proved, and  exercised  by  his  people. 

'  To  me  is  this  grace  given.'     Not  that  I  should  be  idle,  but  active  ; 

'  Rom.  V.  10  ;  Col.  i.  21  ;  Rom.  vi.  13,  16,  19,  20. 

■*    KuuyytXirag-^ai,  from  EvayyiXi^ei. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  125 

not  that  I  should  be  negligent,  but  diligent ;  not  that  I  should  hide 
my  talents,  but  improve  them. 

I  shall  touch  upon  a  few  scriptures  that  speak  out  this  truth,  and  then 
open  it  to  you.  2  Tim.  i.  6,  *  Wherefore  I  put  thee  in  remembrance, 
that  thou  stir  up  the  gift  of  God  that  is  in  thee.'  As  the  fire  is  in- 
creased and  preserved  by  blowing,  so  are  our  graces.  Some  think  that 
it  is  a  metaphor  taken  from  a  spark  kept  in  ashes,  which,  by  gentle 
blowing,  is  stirred  up,  till  it  take  a  flame.  Others  say,  it  is  an  allusion 
to  the  fire  in  the  temple,  which  was  always  to  be  kept  burning.^  We 
get  nothing  by  dead  and  useless  habits.  Talents  hid  in  a  napkin 
gather  rust.  The  noblest  faculties  are  imbased,  when  not  improved, 
when  not  exercised.  Philip,  ii.  12,  'Work  out  your  own  salvation  with 
fear  and  trembling.'  The  Greek  is,  xuTs^ydl^ish,  '  Work  till  you  get 
the  work  through.'  The  reason  why  many  men's  hearts  tremble,  and 
are  so  full  of  fears  and  doubts,  is  because  their  salvation  is  not 
wrought  out ;  they  do  not  make  thorough  work  in  their  souls,  they  put 
not  that  question  home,  Whether  they  have  grace  or  no  ?  an  interest 
in  Christ  or  no  ?  They  do  not  rise  with  all  their  strength  against  sin, 
nor  with  all  their  power  to  serve  the  Lord ;  and  therefore  fears  and 
doubts  do  compass  them  round  about.  So  in  ]  Cor.  xv.  58,  '  Be  sted- 
fast  and  unmoveable,  always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  foras- 
much as  you  know  that  your  labour  is  not  in  vain  in  the  I^ord.' 

'  Be  stedfast.'  It  is  a  metaphor  taken  from  a  foundation,  on  which  a 
thing  stands  firmly ;  or  a  seat  or  chair,  wherein  one  sits  fast. 

'  Unmoveable'  signifies  one  that  will  not  easily  move  his  place  or 
opinion. 

'Abounding,'  or  excelling  'in  the  work  of  the  Lord.' 

'  Knowing  that  your  labour  is  not  in  vain.'  The  Greek  is  '  labours 
unto  weariness.'  The  apostle  would  have  them  labour  unto  weariness ; 
'  For,'  saith  he,  '  it  is  not  in  vain."  It  will  turn  to  a  good  account ;  it 
will  yield  you  much  of  heaven  here,  and  make  you  high  in  heaven 
hereafter.^ 

There  are  only  two  things  that  I  shall  endeavour  to  do,  for  the  open- 
ing of  the  point. 

I.  To  shew  you  why  persons  must  improve,  employ,  and  exercise 
the  graces  and  gifts  that  God  hath  bestowed  upon  them.     And  then, 

II.  The  end  to  which  they  are  to  exercise  those  graces  and  gifts. 

I.  For  the  first,  There  are  these  twelve  reasons  why  gracious  souls 
should  exercise  and  improve  their  gifts  and  graces.  Friends,  this  point 
is  a  point  of  as  singular  use  and  of  as  great  concernment  to  you,  as 
any  that  I  know  the  Scripture  speaks  of,  and  therefore  I  desire  you  to 
lend  your  most  serious  and  solemn  attentions. 

[1.]  First,  They  must  exercise  and  improve  their  graces. 

Because  the  exercise  and  improvement  of  their  graces  is  the  ready 
way  to  he  rich  in  grace. 

As  sin  is  increased  in  the  soul  by  the  frequent  actings  of  it,  so  grace 
is  nourished  and  strengthened  in  the  soul  by  its  frequent  actings.  The 
exercise  of  grace  is  always  attended  with  the  increase  of  grace.     Prov. 

*  Calvin  and  others. 

^  Grace  is  bettered  and  made  more  perfect  by  acting.  Neglect  of  our  graces  is  the 
ground  of  their  decrease  and  decay.     Wells  are  tlie  sweeter  for  drawing. 


126  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EpH.  III.  8. 

X.  4,  'The  diligent  hand  maketli  rich  ;'  or,  the  nimble  hand  ;  the  hand 
that  is  active  and  agile,  that  will  see  nothing  lost  for  looking  after, 
that  hand  maketh  rich.  Ruth  ii.,  how  did  Boaz  follow  the  business 
himself!  his  eyes  were  in  every  corner,  on  the  servants  and  on  the 
reapers,  yea,  on  the  gleaners  too.' 

It  is  recorded  of  Severus,  that  his  care  was  not  to  look  what  men  said 
of  him,  or  how  they  censured  him,  but  to  look  what  was  to  be  done  by 
him.  He  will  rise  in  judgment  against  those  professors  that  look  more 
what  this  man  and  tJie  other  man  saith  of  them,  than  what  is  to  be 
done  by  tliem.  The  heart  of  a  Christian  is  to  be  taken  up  with  what 
is  to  be  done  by  him,  and  not  with  what  this  man  thinks,  or  the  other 
judges  of  him. 

Pacunius  hath  an  elegant  saying;  'I  hate,'  saith  he,  'the  men  that 
are  idle  in  deed,  and  philosophical  in  word.'  God  loves,  saith  Luther, 
curnstas,  not  qucenstas,  the  runner,  not  the  questioner.^  Grace  grows 
by  exercise  and  decays  by  disuse.  Though  both  arms  grow,  yet  that 
which  a  man  most  useth  is  the  stronger  and  the  bigger;  so  it* is  both 
in  gifts  and  graces.  In  birds,  their  wings  Avhich  have  been  used 
most  are  sweetest;  the  application  is  easy.  Such  men  as  are  contented 
with  so  much  grace  as  will  bring  them  to  glory,  with  so  much  grace  as 
will  keep  hell  and  their  souls  asunder,  will  never  be  rich  in  grace,  nor 
hio-h  in  comfort  or  assurance.  Such  souls  usually  go  to  heaven  in  a 
storm.  Oh  how  weather-beaten  are  they  before  they  can  reach  the 
heavenly  harbour ! 

[3.]  Secondly,  They  must  exercise  their  gifts  and  graces,  because  it 
is  the  main  end  of  God's  giving  gifts  and  graces  to  them. 

Grace  is  given  to  trade  with ;  it  is  given  to  lay  out,  not  to  lay  up.^ 
Grace  is  a  candle  that  must  not  be  put  under  a  bushel,  but  set  upon  a 
candlestick.  Grace  is  a  golden  treasure  that  must  be  improved,  not 
hoarded  up,  as  men  do  their  gold.  Grace  is  a  talent,  and  it  is  given 
for  this  very  end,  that  it  should  be  employed  and  improved  for  the 
honour  and  advantage  of  him  that  gave  it.  The  slothful  servant,  in 
God's  account,  is  an  evil  servant,  and  accordingly  God  has  denoted  him, 
and  doomed  him  for  his  ill  husbandry,  to  destruction,  Mat.  xxv.  24?- 

31. 

'What  a  shame  is  it,'  saith  one  [Jerome],  'that  faith  should  not  be 
able  to  do  that  which  infidelity  hath  done  !  What !  not  better  fruit  in 
the  vineyard,  in  the  garden  of  God,  than  in  the  wilderness  ?  What ! 
not  better  fruit  grow  upon  the  tree  of  life,  than  upon  the  root  of  nature? 

&c. 

[3.]  And  then  thirdly.  Because  grace,  exercised  and  improved,  icill 
do  that  for  us  that  all  the  means  in  the  world  can  never  do  for  us.* 

I  shall  evidence  this  truth  in  some  remarkable  instances. 

*  Our  f^races  are  lilce  Gideon's  army,  but  a  handful  in  comparison  ;  but  our  sins  are 
like  the  Midianites,  innumerable  as  grasshoppers. 

*  One  day  God  will  require  of  men,  Non  quid  legerint,  sed  quid  egerint,  nee  quid  dixerint, 
led  quomodo  vixerint. 

'  The  reason,  say  some,  -why  Christ  cursed  the  fig  tree,  though  the  time  of  bearing 
fruit  was  not  eome,  was  because  it  made  a  glorious  show  with  leaves,  and  promised  much, 
but  brought  forth  nothing. 

*  No  Israelite  that  was  bit  or  stung  with  the  fiery  serpent  could  be  healed  but  by  look- 
ing up  to  the  brazen  serpent.  Tliosi;  spots  a  Clnistian  finds  in  his  own  heart  can  only, 
by  a  hand  of  faith,  bo  washed  out  in  tho  blood  of  the  Lamb. 


EpH.  Ill  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  1 27 

Suppose  the  guilt  of  sin  to  be  upon  a  man's  soul,  even  as  a  heavy 
mountain,  there  is  nothing  but  the  exercise  of  grace  now  that  can  re- 
move this  guilt.  The  man  prays,  and  yet  guilt  sticks  upon  him  ;  he 
hears,  and  yet  guilt  as  a  mountain  lies  heavy  upon  him  ;  he  mourns, 
he  sighs,  he  groans,  and  yet  guilt  sticks  upon  him  ;  he  runs  from  ordi- 
nance to  ordinance,  and  from  ordinary  service  to  extraordinary,  and  yet 
guilt  follows  him ;  he  runs  from  man  to  man,  Sir,  was  ever  any  man's 
case  like  mine  ?  I  have  prayed  thus  long,  I  have  heard  thus  long,  I 
have  mourned  thus  long,  &c.,  and  yet  guilt  lies  as  a  mountain  upon 
my  soul  I  There  is  nothing  now  below  the  exercise  of  grace  tliat  will 
remove  this.  It  is  only  faith  in  the  promises  of  remission  that  will 
remove  the  guilt  of  sin  that  lies  so  heavy  upon  the  soul.  It  is  only 
faith's  application  of  the  righteousness  of  Christ  that  can  take  off  this 
burden  that  sinks  the  soul,  even  as  low  as  hell.  Faith  must  make  a 
plaster  of  the  blood  of  Christ,  and  apply  it  to  the  soul,  or  the  soul  will 
die  under  its  guilt.  There  is  nothing  below  this  can  do  it.  Faith's 
application  of  the  blood  of  Christ  takes  off  the  guilt,  and  turns  the 
storm  to  a  calm:  Rom.  v.  1,  'Being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace 
with  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.' 

Again,  suppose  that  the  power  and  prevalency  of  sin  hinders  the  soul's 
sweet  communion  with  God,  so  that  the  soul  cannot  sport  itself,  and 
joy  and  delight  itself  in  God,  as  in  the  days  of  old  ;  it  cannot  see  God 
smiling,  stroking,  and  speaking  kindly,  as  in  former  days.  Now,  there 
is  nothing  in  all  the  world  that  can  ease  the  soul  of  this  burden  of  sin 
below  the  exercise  of  grace.  Oh,  saith  such  a  poor  soul,  I  pray,  sir,  and 
yet  I  sin  ;  I  resolve  against  sin,  and  yet  I  sin  ;  I  combat  against  sin, 
and  yet  I  am  carried  captive  by  sin ;  I  have  left  no  outward  means  un- 
attempted,  and  yet  after  all,  my  sins  are  too  hard  for  me ;  after  all  my 
sweating,  striving,  and  weeping,  I  am  carried  down  the  stream.  There 
is  nothing  now  but  the  actings  of  faith  upon  a  crucified  Christ  that  will 
take  off  this  burden  from  the  soul  of  man.^  Now,  you  must  make  use 
of  your  graces  to  draw  virtue  from  Christ ;  now  faith  must  touch  the 
hem  of  Christ's  garment,  or  thou  wilt  never  be  healed.  It  is  just  with 
a  soul  in  this  case  as  it  was  with  the  poorwddow,  Luke  viii.  43—49,  that 
had  the  bloody  issue  ;  she  leaves  no  means  unattempted  whereby  she 
might  be  cured  ;  she  runs  from  one  physician  to  another,  till  she  had 
spent  all  she  was  worth,  till  she  had  brought  a  noble  to  ninepence,  and 
now  says  she,  '  If  I  could  but  touch  the  hem  of  his  garment,  I  should 
be  whole.'  Hereupon  she  crowds  through  the  crowd  to  come  to  Christ, 
and  being  got  behind  him,  she  touches  the  hem  of  his  garment,  'and 
immediately  she  was  made  whole.'  The  cure  being  thus  wrought, 
Christ  uncrowns  himself  to  crown  her  faith  :  '  And  he  said  unto  her. 
Daughter,  be  of  good  comfort,  thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole  ;  go  in 
peace.'  He  doth  not  say,  Woman,  thy  trembling  hath  made  thee  whole; 
or,  Woman,  thy  sweating  and  struggling  in  a  crowd  to  come  to  me,  hath 
made  thee  whole ;  or,  Woman,  thy  falling  down  and  abasing  thyself, 
though  she  did  all  this;  but,  'Woman,  thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole.' 
Ah,  Christians !  it  is  not  your  trembling,  or  your  falling  down,  or  your 
sweating  in  this  and  that  service,  that  will  stop  the  bloody  issue  of  your 

'  Much  less,  then,  can  the  papists'  pnrpfatories,  watchings,  whippings,  &c..  or  Saint 
Francis  his  kissing  or  licking  of  lepers'  sores,  cleanse  the  fretting  leprosy  of  sin,  &c. 


128  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

sins,  but  believing  in  Christ.^  It  is  sad  to  consider  how  few  professors 
in  tliese  days  liavo  attained  tlie  right  way  of  mortifying  of  sin.  They 
usually  go  out  against  their  sins  in  the  strength  of  their  own  purposes, 
prayers,  and  resolutions,  &c.,  and  scarce  look  so  high  as  a  crucified 
Christ ;  they  mind  not  the  exercise  of  their  faith  upon  Christ  ;  and 
therefore  it  is  a  righteous  thing  with  Christ  that  after  all  they  should 
be  carried  captive  by  their  sins.  Nothing  eats  out  sin  like  the  actings 
of  grace  ;  nothing  weakens  and  wastes  the  strength  of  sin  like  the  exer- 
cise of  grace.  Oh  !  did  men  believe  more  in  Christ,  sin  would  die 
more  ;  did  they  believe  the  threatenings  more,  sin  would  die  more  ;  did 
they  believe  the  promises  more,  sin  would  die  more  ;  did  they  believe 
rei<'-ning  with  Christ  more,  sin  would  die  more  :  '  He  that  hath  this 
hope  purifies  himself,  even  as  Christ  is  pure,'  1  John  iii.  3. 

Ao"ain,  Suppose  that  the  soul  be  followed  with  black,  dismal,  fiery 
temptations,  there  is  nothing  now  in  all  the  world  that  can  divinely 
streno'then  and  fence  the  soul  against  these  temptations  but  the  exercise 
of  grace,  the  improvement  of  grace.  It  is  true  you  are  to  hear,  read, 
pray,  meditate,  &c.  ;  but  all  these  without  the  exercise  of  grace  in  them, 
will  never  make  you  victorious  over  Satan's  temptations.  Nothing  puts 
Satan  to  it  like  the  exercise  of  grace.^ 

It  is  said  of  Satan,  that  he  should  say  to  a  holy  man  who  was  much 
in  the  exercise  of  grace,  Tii  me  semper  vincis,  thou  dost  always  over- 
come me  :  Eph.  vi.  16.  '  Above  all,  take  the  shield  of  faith,  whereby  ye 
may  be  able  to  quench  the  fiery  darts  of  the  devil.'  Whatsoever  piece 
of  armour  you  neglect,  be  sure  that  you  neglect  not  the  shield  of  faith. 
The  Greek  word  that  is  here  rendered  a  shield,  '^voiog  a  ^vpu,  comes  from 
another  word  that  signifies  a  door  or  a  gate,  to  note  that  as  a  door  or  a 
gate  doth  secure  our  bodies,  so  will  the  shield  of  faith  secure  our  souls 
ac^ainst  the  fiery  darts  of  the  devil :  '  Above  all,  take  the  shield  of  faith, 
whereby  ye  may  be  able  to  quench  all  the  fiery  darts  of  the  devil.'  The 
apostle  alludes  to  the  custom  of  the  Scythians,  who  used  to  dip  the 
heads  of  their  arrows  or  darts  in  the  gall  of  asps  and  vipers,  the  venomous 
heat  of  which,  like  a  fire  in  their  fiesh,  killed  the  wounded  with  tor- 
ments, the  likest  hell  of  any  other.  But  the  soldiers  then  had  generally 
shields  of  raw  neats'  leather,  as  several  writers  testify,*  and  when  the 
fiery  darts  lighted  upon  them,  they  were  presently  quenched.  So  these 
tiery  darts  of  Satan,  when  they  light  upon  the  shield  of  faith,  they  are 
presently  quenched  ;  and  there  is  no  other  way  to  do  it.  Till  the  Lord 
draw  out  a  man's  faith  to  act  upon  the  promises  and  upon  Christ,  these 
fiery  darts  will  not  be  quenched. 

Afain,  Suppose  that  the  world,  the  smiling  world  or  the  frowning 
world,  the  tempting  world  or  the  persecuting  world,  should  lie  as  a  heavy 
stone  or  burden  upon  your  hearts,  as  it  doth  upon  the  hearts  of  thou- 
sandsin  these  days — witness  their  attempting  anything  to  get  thefavours, 
honours  and  riches  of  this  world  !     Ah  !  how  many  have  turned  their 

'  A  touch  of  faith  curoth  the  woman,  as  well  as  a  full  hold.  It  ia  the  exercise  of  the 
graces  of  the  Spirit  by  which  we  mortify  tiie  deeds  of  tlie  ilosih,  Horn.  viii.  13.  It  is  not 
ovir  Btrong  resolutions  or  ijurpo.ses  tliat  will  bo  able  to  overmiister  these  enemies.  A  foul 
sore  will  run  till  it  be  indeed  healed,  though  wo  say  it  shall  not. 

*  Luther  saiti,  I  am  without  set  upon  by  all  the  world,  and  within  by  the  devil  and  all 
his  angf^ls  ;  and  yet.  by  the  exercise  of  yrace,  he  became  victorious  over  them  all,  &c. 

*  PolybiuB  and  Vigetius,  &c. 


I 


EpH.  III.  8.]  EICHES  OF  CHRIST.  129 

backs  upon  God,  and  Christ,  and  truth,  &c.,  to  gain  the  world  !  How 
will  you  get  off  this  burden  ?  No  way  in  the  world  like  to  the  exercise 
and  actings  of  grace.  Many  men  hear  much,  and  yet  remain  worldly  ; 
and  pray  like  angels,  and  yet  live  as  if  there  were  no  heaven  nor  hell. 
They  will  talk  much  of  heaven,  and  yet  those  that  are  spiritual  and 
wise  do  smell  their  breath  to  stink  strong  of  earth ;  and  all  the  arts, 
and  parts,  and  gifts  in  the  world  can  never  cure  them  of  this  soul-killing 
disease  ;  but  the  exercise  of  grace,  till  faith  break  forth  in  its  glorious 
actings.  A  man  may  hear  and  pray  many  years,  and  yet  be  as  carnal, 
base,  and  worldly  as  ever.  There  is  no  way  under  heaven  to  remove 
this  stone,  this  burden,  but  the  exercise  of  faith  and  love,  &c. :  Cant, 
viii.  6,  7  ;  1  John  iv.  5,  '  For  whatsoever  is  born  of  God  overcometh  the 
world  ;  and  this  is  the  victory  that  overcometh  the  world,  even  our 
faith.  Who  is  he  that  overcometh  the  world,  but  he  that  believeth  that 
Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God?'^ 

Not  that  the  habit  of  faith  overcometh  the  world,  but  faith  in  the 
exercise  of  it  conquers  the  world,  and  that  it  does  these  three  ways. 

(1.)  First,  Faith  in  the  exercise  of  it  presents  the  world  to  the  soul 
under  cdl  those  notions  that  the  Scripture  holds  forth  the  world  unto 
us  by. 

The  Scripture  holds  forth  the  world  as  an  impotent  thing,  as  a  mixed 
thing,  as  a  mutable  thing,  as  a  momentary  thing.^  Now  faith  comes 
and  sets  this  home  with  power  upon  the  soul,  and  this  takes  the  soul 
off  from  the  world. 

(2.)  Secondly,  Faith  doth  it  hij  causing  the  soul  to  converse  with  more 
glorious,  soul-satisfying,  soul- delighting,  and  soul-contenting  objects. 

2  Cor.  iv.  16-18,  'Though  our  outward  man  perish,  yet  our  inward 
man  is  renewed  day  by  day.'  How  comes  this  to  pass  ?  '  While  we  look 
not  at  the  things  which  are  seen,  but  at  the  things  that  are  not  seen  ; 
for  the  things  that  are  seen  are  temporal,  but  the  things  that  are  not 
seen  are  eternal/^  Now  when  faith  is  busied  and  exercised  about  soul- 
ennobling,  soul-greatening,  soul-raising,  and  soul-cheering  objects,  a 
Christian  tramples  the  world  under  his  feet ;  and  now  heavy  afflictions 
are  light,  and  long  afflictions  short,  and  bitter  afflictions  sweet,  unto 
him,  &c.     Now,  stand  by  world  !  welcome  Christ !  &c. 

So  in  Heb.  xi.  It  was  the  exercise  of  faith  and  hope  upon  noble  and 
glorious  objects  that  carried  them  above  the  world,  above  the  smiling 
world,  and  above  the  frowning  world,  above  the  tempting  world,  and 
above  the  persecuting  world,  as  you  may  see  by  comparing  several 
verses  of  that  chapter  together  :  ver.  9,  10,  '  By  faith  he  sojourned  in 
the  land  of  promise,  as  in  a  strange  country,  dwelling  in  tabernacles  with 
Isaac  and  Jacob,  the  heirs  with  him  of  the  same  promise  :  for  he  looked 
for  a  city  which  hath  foundations,  whose  builder  and  maker  is  God.' 
Ver.  24-26,  '  And  by  faith,  Moses,  when  he  was  come  to  years,  refused 
to  be  called  the  son  of  Pharaoh's  daughter,  choosing  rather  to  suffer 

'  Faith  is  a  better  engineer  than  Bcedalus,  and  yet  he  made  wings  with  which  he  made 
an  escape  over  the  high  walls  within  which  he  was  imprisoned.  This  world  is  the  soul's 
prison,  yet  faith  is  such  an  engineer  that  it  can  make  wings  for  the  soul  to  fly  out,  &c. 

2  Diviiice  corporales  paupertatis  plence  sunt,  earthly  riches  are  full  of  poverty,  saith 
Austin.     [Confessions,  b.  i,  xii.  19, — G.] 

^  a-xo^rouvT-o/v.  "Whiles  we  look  upon  eternal  things  as  a  man  looks  upon  the  mark  tliat 
lie  aims  to  hit. 

VOL.  III.  I 


130  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

afflictions  Avith  the  people  of  God,  than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  for 
a  season  :  esteeming  the  reproach  of  Christ  greater  riches  than  the  trea- 
sures of  Egypt,  for  lie  had  respect  to  the  recompence  of  reward.'  Ver. 
27,  '  By  faith  he  forsook  Egypt,  not  fearing  the  wrath  of  the  king ;  for 
he  endured,  as  seeing  him  who  is  invisible/  And  in  ver.  35,  'They 
refused  deliverance,  that  they  might  obtain  a  better  resurrection.'' 

So  in  Heb.  x.  St-,  ' They  took  joyfully  the  spoiling  of  their  goods,' 
(upon  what  account?)  'knowing  in  themselves,  that  they  had  in  heaven 
a  better  and  more  enduring  substance.' 

(3.)  Thirdly  and  lastly,  Faith  doth  it  by  assuring  the  soul  of  enjoy- 
ing of  better  things.  For  my  part  I  must  confess,  so  far  as  I  under- 
stand anything  of  the  things  of  God,  I  cannot  see  how  a  soul  under  the 
power  of  a  well-grounded  assurance  can  be  a  servant  to  his  slave,  I 
mean  tlie  world.  I  confess  men  may  talk  much  of  heaven,  and  of  Christ, 
and  religion,  &c.  ;  but  give  me  a  man  that  doth  really  and  clearly  live 
under  the  power  of  divine  assurance,  and  I  cannot  see  how  such  a  one 
can  be  carried  out  in  an  inordinate  love  to  these  poor  transitory  things. 
I  know  not  one  instance  in  all  the  Scripture  that  can  be  produced  to 
prove  that  ever  any  precious  saint  that  hath  lived  in  the  assurance  of 
divine  love,  and  that  hath  walked  up  and  down  this  world  with  his  par- 
don in  his  bosom,  have  ever  been  charged  Avitli  an  inordinate  love  of  the 
world.^     That  is  a  sad  word,  1  John  ii.  15. 

[4.]  Now  ?i  fourth  reason  of  this  point,  why  persons  are  to  exercise  their 
graces,  is,  because  it  is  the  best  ivay  to  preserve  their  souls  from  apostasy 
and  backsliding  from  God.  2  Pet.  i.  5  to  11,  'Add  to  your  faith  virtue, 
and  to  virtue  knowledge,  and  to  knowledge  temperance,  and  to  tempe- 
rance patience,  and  to  patience  godhness,  &c. ;  for  if  ye  do  these  things 
ye  sliall  never  fall.'  '  Add  to  your  faith  virtue.'  The  Greek  woid  i'^iyjiriy^i- 
oan^  that  is  here  rendered  add,  hath  a  gi-eat  emphasis  in  it.  It  is  taken 
from  dancing  round.  Link  them,  saith  the  apostle,  hand  in  hand,  as 
in  dancing,  virgms  take  hands ;  so  we  must  join  hand  to  hand  in  these 
measures  of  graces,  lead  up  the  dance  of  graces,  as  in  the  galliarcP  every 
one  takes  his  turn.  So  in  chap.  iii.  17, 18,  '  Ye  therefore,  beloved,  seeing 
ye  know  these  things,  beware  lest  ye  also,  being  led  aside  with  the  eiTor 
of  the  wicked,  fall  fi-om  your  own  stedfastness.'  There  are  many  turn 
aside,  and  shake  hands  with  God,  and  Christ,  and  truth,  and  the  words 
of  righteousness  ;  and  therefore  you  had  need  to  take  heed  that  you 
fall  not  as  others  have  fallen  before  you.* 

But  how  shall  we  be  kept  from  apostatising?  Why,  '  grow  in  grace, 
and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.'  It  is  a  growth 
in  grace,  it  is  the  exercise  of  grace,  that  will  make  a  man  stand  when 
others  fall,  yea,  when  cedars  fall,  &c. 

[5.]  Fifthly,  All  other  exercises  without  the  exercise  of  grace  ivill 
profit  nothing. 

Or  if  you  will,  take  it  thus: 

All  other  exercises  tvill  be  loss  to  us,  without  the  exercise  of  grace; 
therefore  we  had  need  to  improve  our  graces.     When  the  house  is  on 

'  Every  man  is  as  the  objects  are  about  which  his  soul  is  most  conversant,  &c. 
^  In  my  treatise  called  '  Heavon  on  Eartli,'  you  may   find   many  considerations  to 
evince  this,  and  to  that  I  refer  you,  &c.     [Vol.  II.  p.  301,  seq. — G.] 

'  French  dance. — G.  *  Pulchrior  in  prwlio  occisus  milet  quam  fugd  salvus. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  131 

fire,  if  a  man  should  only  pray,  and  cry,  &c.,  he  may  be  burnt  for  all 
that ;  therefore  he  must  be  active  and  stirring ;  he  must  run  from  place  to 
place,  and  call  out  for  help,  and  must  work  even  in  the  fire,  and  bestir 
himself  as  for  life,  in  the  use  of  all  means,  whereby  the  fire  may  be 
quenched.  So  if  grace  be  not  acted,  it  is  not  all  a  man's  praying  and 
crying,  &c.,  that  will  profit  him  or  better  him.  Grace  must  be  exercised 
or  all  will  be  lost  ;  prayers  lost,  tears  lost,  time  lost,  strength  lost,  soul 
lost,  &c.  1  Tim.  iv.  7,  8,  '  But  refuse  profane  and  old  wives'  fables.'' 
Shift  them  off,  as  the  word  is,  set  them  by,  say  thou  art  not  at  leisure 
to  attend  them,  make  a  fair  excuse,  as  the  word  notes,  tell  them  thou 
hast  business  of  an  eternal  concernment  to  look  after,  and  'exercise 
thyself  rather  unto  godliness;'  or  lay  aside  thy  upper  garments,  as 
runners  and  wrestlers  do,  to  which  the  apostle  alludes,  and  bestir  thyself 
lustily  ;  for  says  he,  verse  8,  'Bodily  exercise  j9rq/i^s  little,  but  godliness 
is  profitable  unto  all  things,  and  hath  the  promise  of  this  life,  and  of 
that  which  is  to  come.'^  The  Babylonians  are  said  to  make  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty  several  commodities  of  the  palm  tree  ;  but  what  are 
those  hundred  commodities  to  those  thousands  that  attend  holiness, 
that  attend  the  exercise  of  grace  ?  Nothing  makoe  a  man  rich  in 
spirituals,  like  the  frequent  and  constant  actings  of  grace.  In  Heb.  iv. 
2,  'The  word  did  not  profit  them  that  heard  it,  because  it  was  not 
mixed  with  faith.'  He  doth  not  speak  there  of  unbelievers,  but  of  those 
that  had  grace  in  the  habit,  but  not  in  the  exercise  ;  and  therefore 
the  word  did  not  turn  to  their  accounts ;  they  heard,  and  were  never 
the  better.  And  what  was  the  ground  of  it  ?  Why,  it  was  because 
they  did  not  exercise  faith  upon  the  word.  The  words  that  fell  from 
the  preacher's  lips  into  their  ears  were  a  sweet  potion,  but  they  did 
not  work  kindly,  because  there  wanted  the  ingredients  of  faith.  Faith 
is  one  of  those  glorious  ingredients,  that  must  make  every  sermon,  every 
truth,  work  for  their  souls'  advantage.  Nothing  will  ^vork  for  a  be- 
liever's good,  for  his  gain,  if  his  graces  be  asleep. 

[6.]  Sixthly,  Because  it  is  the  end  of  all  the  dignity  and  glory  that 
God  hath  conferred  upon  his  people;  therefore  they  must  exercise 
and  improve  their  grace.  In  1  Pet.  ii.  9,  '  But  ye  are  a  chosen  generation, 
a  royal  priesthood,  an  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people,  that  ye  may  shew 
forth  the  praises  of  him  who  hath  called  you  out  of  darkness  into  his 
marvellous  light.' 

*  Ye  are  a  chosen  generation.'  That  is,  a  picked  people  ;  the  dearly 
beloved  of  his  soul  ;  such  as  he  first  chose  for  his  love,  and  then  loves 
for  his  choice. 

*  A  royal  priesthood,  a  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people.'  The  Greek 
is,  '  a  people  of  purchase,'  such  as  comprehendeth,  as  it  were,  all  God's 
gettings,  his  whole  stock,  that  he  makes  any  reckoning  of,  Xa6  slg  ts^i- 
itoiriGiv. 

'That  ye  may  shew  forth,'  or,  as  it  is  in  the  Greek,  '  that  ye  may  preach 
forth,'  that  ye  may  publicly  declare  the  virtues  of  him  that  hath  'called 

'  Tu^airov,  make  a  fair  excuse. 

2  yv(/.voL<ria  w^l?  oXiytv  IS  not  to  be  taken  in  a  sense  wherein  little  signifies  nothino'  at 
all,  but  as  when  it  is  set  in  comparison  and  opposition  to  some  greater  matter,  as  here  in 
opposition  to  ^r^o;  -ravra,  for  all  things.  Let  the  patient  take  such  or  such  a  potion  that 
in  itself  is  good,  yet,  if  it  want  such  or  such  a  particular  ingredient,  it  works  not ;  it  does 
no  good.    It  is  so  here. 


132  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

you  out  of  darkness  into  his  marvellous  light ;'  that  ye  may  so  hold 
forth  the  virtues  of  him  that  hath  conferred  all  this  dignity  and  glory 
npon  you,  as  to  excite  others,  to  '  glorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven.' 
You  know  the  picture  of  a  dear  friend  is  not  to  be  thrust  in  a  corner, 
but  in  some  conspicuous  place  of  the  house.  Why,  our  graces  are  tlie 
very  image  of  Christ,  they  are  his  picture  ;  and  therefore  to  be  held 
forth  to  open  view.  These  candles  must  not  be  put  under  a  bushel,  but 
set  up  in  a  candlestick.  Jewels  are  to  wear,  not  to  hide ;  so  are  our 
graces.' 

It  was  a  capital  crime  in  Tiberius's  days,  to  carry  the  image  of  Augustus 
upon  a  ring  or  coin,  into  any  sordid  place ;  and  shall  not  Christians  be 
more  mindful  and  careful,  that  their  graces,  which  are  Christ's  image, 
be  no  ways  obscured,  but  that  they  be  kept  always  sparkling  and  shining? 
Christ's  glory  and  thy  comfort,  O  Christian  !  lies  much  in  the  sparkling 
of  thy  graces.  Pearls  are  not  to  be  thrust  in  mud  walls,  or  hung  in 
swines'  snouts,  but  to  be  hung  on  the  breasts, 

[7.]  Seventhly,  Gracious  souls  must  exercise  their  grace,  because  the 
'more  grace  is  exercised  and  improved,  witli  the  more  ease  and  delight 
will  all  religious  services  he  performed,  Ps.  xl.  7,  8;  cxix.  97-112. 
When  grace  is  improved  and  exercised,  gracious  services  are  easily  per- 
formed. As  the  more  natural  strength  is  exercised  and  improved,  with 
the  more  ease  and  pleasure  are  all  bodily  services  performed  ;  so  the 
more  grace  is  acted  and  improved,  with  the  more  ease  and  delight  all 
Christian  services  are  performed.  Such  souls  find  wages  in  their  very 
work,  they  find  not  only /o7'  keeping,  but  also  '  in  keeping  of  his  com- 
mands there  is  great  reward.'  '  All  the  ways  of  the  Lord  are  ways  of 
pleasantness  to  them,'  and  they  find  '  that  all  his  paths  drop  marrow 
and  fatness,'  Rom.  vi.  22  ;  Ps.  xix.  11  ;  Prov.  iii.  17  ;  Ps.  Ixv.  11.  Ah, 
Christians  !  as  ever  you  would  have  the  services  of  God  to  be  easy  and 
delightful  to  your  souls,  look  to  the  exercise  and  improvement  of  your 
graces,  and  then  your  work  will  be  a  joy, 

[8.]  Eighthly,  You  must  exercise  and  improve  your  gifts  and  graces, 
because  the  more  grace  is  improved,  the  more  God  ivill  be  honoured. 
Rom.  iv.  19-21,  'And  being  not  weak  in  faith,  he  considered  not  his 
own  body,  now  dead,  when  he  was  about  an  hundred  years  old  ;  neither 
the  deadness  of  Sarah's  womb ;  he  staggered  not  at  the  promise  of  God 
through  unbelief,  but  was  strong  in  faith,  giving  glory  to  God  ;  and 
being  fully  persuaded,  that  what  he  had  promised,  he  was  able  to 
perform.'^ 

'  He  gave  glory  to  God.'  But  how  did  he  give  glory  to  God  ?  Was 
it  a  dead  habit  of  faith  that  set  the  crown  of  honour  upon  the  head  of 
God  ?  No  !  It  w^as  the  lively  actings  of  his  faith  upon  the  promise  and 
the  promisor,  that  gave  glory  to  God.  All  the  honour  and  glory  that 
God  hath  from  believers  in  this  life,  is  from  the  actings  of  their  grace. 
It  was  Abraham's  acting  of  faith  that  was  his  high  honouring  of  God. 
Christians  !  I  would  entreat  this  favour  of  you,  that  you  would  be  often 
in  the  meditation  of  this  truth,  viz.  :  That  all  the  honour  that  God  hath 

•  God  himself  is  wroiigod  by  tiio  injury  tliat  is  done  to  his  image.  The  contempt  ia 
dene  to  tlie  kinfr  iiiinself  tliat  is  done  to  iiis  image  or  coin,  as  Suetonius  writes. 

*  Abraham's  faith  made  him  rejoice  and  obey,  Ileb.  xi.  Faith  is  as  the  spring  in  the 
watcli,  that  moves  the  wlieels.     Not  a  grace  stirs  till  faith  sets  it  on  work,  I\om.  iv.  3,  &c. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  133 

from  believers  in  this  life,  is  from  the  actings  and  exercise  of  their 
graces.  When  thou  goest  to  prayer,  then  think  thus  with  thyself :  Is 
it  so,  that  all  the  honour  that  God  shall  have  from  my  soul  in  prayer, 
will  be  from  the  actings  of  grace  in  prayer  ?  Oh  then,  what  cause  have 
I  to  stir  up  myself  to  lay  hold  on  God,  and  to  blow  up  all  those  sparks 
of  grace  that  be  in  me  !^  As  a  body  without  a  soul,  much  wood  Avithout 
fire,  a  bullet  in  a  gun  without  powder,  so  are  words  in  prayer  without 
the  Spirit,  without  the  exercise  of  the  graces  of  the  Spirit.  Jonah 
acted  his  faith  when  he  was  in  the  belly  of  hell ;  and  Daniel  acted  faith 
when  he  was  in  the  lions'  den  ;  and  the  thief  acted  faith  when  he  was 
on  the  cross  ;  and  Jeremiah  acted  faith  when  he  was  in  the  dungeon  ; 
and  Job  acted  faith  when  he  was  on  the  dunghill ;  and  David  acted 
faith  when  he  was  in  his  greatest  distress  ;  and  so  did  Moses  in  Exod. 
xiv.  And  you  know  the  issue  of  all  was,  much  glory  to  God,  and  much 
good  to  them.  His  heart  will  never  be  long  a  stranger  to  joy  and  peace, 
who  is  much  in  the  exercise  and  actings  of  grace.^ 

[9.]  Ninthly,  Because  the  more  grace  is  improved,  the  more  afflictions 
and  tribulations  will  be  lessened  and  sweetened  to  us  :  2  Cor.  iv.  16,  17, 
'  Though  our  outward  man  decreases,  yet  our  inward  man  is  renewed  day 
by  day,'  or  day  and  day.     [vf^'^f^  ^oci  rifMs^a.] 

When  Peter  Martyr  was  dying,  he  said,  '  My  body  is  weak,  but  my 
mind  is  well,  well  for  the  present,  and  will  be  better  for  ever  hereafter.' 
This  is  the  godly  man's  motto,  '  For  afflictions  there  is  glory,  for  light 
afflictions  a  weight  of  glory,  for  momentary  afflictions  eternal  glory.' 
So  in  Heb.  x.  and  xi.  0  friends !  if  your  graces  were  more  exercised 
and  improved,  afflictions  would  be  more  sweet.  This  would  turn  the 
cross  into  a  crown ;  this  would  turn  bitter  into  sweet,  and  long  winter 
nights  into  summer  days.  It  would  make  every  condition  to  be  a  para- 
dise to  you,  &c. 

[10.]  Tenthly,  If  grace  he  not  exercised  and  imjjroved,  the  soul  may 
be  easily  surprised,  conquered,  and  vanquished  by  a  temptimi  devil 
and  an  enticing  world.  When  the  sword  is  in  the  scabbard,  the  tra- 
veller is  easily  surprised,  and  when  the  guard  is  asleep,  the  city  is  quickly 
conquered.  The  strongest  creature,  the  lion,  and  the  wisest  creature, 
the  serpent,  if  they  be  dormant,  are  as  easily  surprised  as  the  weakest 
worms.  So  the  strongest  and  wisest  saints,  if  their  graces  be  asleep,  if 
they  be  only  in  the  habit,  and  not  in  the  exercise,  they  may  be  as  easily 
surprised  and  vanquished  as  the  weakest  Christians  in  all  the  world,  as 
you  may  see  in  David,  Solomon,  Samson,  Peter.  Every  enemy  insults 
over  him  that  hath  lost  the  use  of  his  weapons,  &c.^ 

[11.]  Eleventhly,  We  must  improve  our  graces,  because  decays  in 
grace  are  very  great  losses  to  us.  By  decaying  in  grace,  we  come  to 
lose  our  strength,  our  best  strength,  our  spiritual  strength ;  our  strength 

'  It  is  reported  in  the  life  of  Luther,  that  when  he  prayed,  it  was  Tanta  reverentia  ut 
si  Deo,  et  tanta  fiducia  ut  si  amico,  &c. 

2  So  did  the  publican  ;  he  prayed  much,  though  he  spake  little,  oratio  Irevis  penetrat 
ccelum  ;  the  hottest  springs  send  forth  their  waters  by  ebullitions.  Augustine  cries  out 
against  them  that  did  not  profit  by  afHictions,  Perdidistis  utilitatem  calamitatis — August, 
de  Civit.  lib.  ii.  c.  xxxiii. 

^  Saints  should  be  like  the  seraphim,  beset  all  over  with  eyes  and  lights,  as  Eassarian 
said.  The  fearful  hare,  they  say,  sleepeth  with  her  eyes  open.  Oh,  how  watchful,  then, 
should  a  Christian  be  ! 


134  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

to  do  for  God;  our  strength  to  wait  on  God,  and  walk  with  God;  our 
strength  to  bear  for  God;  our  strength  to  suft'er  for  God.^  By  decaying 
in  grace,  we  come  to  lose  that  'joy  that  is  unspeakable  and  full  of 
glory/  and  that  comfort  and  '  peace  that  passes  understanding,'  and  to 
lose  the  sense  of  that  '  favour  that  is  better  than  life.'  Now  our  faith 
will  be  turned  into  fear,  our  dancing  into  mourning,  our  rejoicing  into 
sighing;  and  when,  O  Christian!  thou  beginnest  to  fall,  and  to  decay, 
who  knows  how  far  tliou  may  est  fall,  how  much  thy  graces  may  be  im- 
paired, and  how  long  it  may  be  before  thy  sun  rise  when  once  it  is  set ; 
therefore  you  had  need  to  exercise  and  improve  your  graces. 

[12.]  Tivelftlihj,  and  lastly,  You  are  to  improve  your  graces,  because 
souls  truly  gracious  have  a  poiver  to  do  good.  I  do  not  say  that  a  man 
in  his  natural  estate — though  Arminians  do — hath  power  in  himself 
to  do  supernatural  acts,  as  to  believe  in  God,  to  love  God,  and  the  like, 
&c.,  for  I  think  a  toad  may  as  well  spit  cordials  as  a  natural  man  do 
supernatural  actions,  1  Cor.  ii.  14;  Jer.  xiii.  23;  James  i.  17;  Eph.  ii. 
1-3.  No  ;  I  do  not  say  that  all  the  grace  we  have  is  not  from  God,  nor 
that  man  in  his  natural  estate  is  not  dead  God-ward,  and  Christ-ward, 
and  holiness-ward,  and  heaven-ward.  But  this  I  say,  that  souls  truly 
gracious  have  a  power  to  do  good.  It  is  sad  to  think  how  many  pro- 
fessors do  excuse  their  negligence  by  pretending  an  inability  to  do  good, 
or  by  sitting  down  discouraged,  as  having  in  their  hands  no  power  at 
all.  What  can  we  do,  say  they,  if  the  Lord  do  not  breathe  upon  us,  as  at 
first  conversion  ?  We  can  do  nothing.^  I  think  in  my  very  conscience, 
that  this  is  one  reason  of  much  of  that  slifjlitness,  nesrlect,  and  omission 
of  duties,  that  is  among  professors  in  these  days,  so  that  God  may  com- 
plain, as  he  doth,  Isa.  Ixiv.  7,  '  There  is  no  man  that  stirreth  up  himself 
to  take  hold  of  me,  they  are  as  men  asleep,'  that  sit  still  and  do  nothing. 
But  certainly  they  that  are  truly  united  to  Christ,  are  not  acted  as  dead 
stocks,  as  if  every  time  and  moment  of  their  acting  God-wards  and 
holiness-ward  they  received  new  life  from  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  as  at  first 
conversion  they  did.  And  I  am  confident,  for  want  of  the  knowledge 
and  due  consideration  of  this  truth,  many  professors  take  such  liberty 
to  themselves,  as  to  live  in  the  neglect  of  many  precious  duties  of  godli- 
ness, for  which,  first  or  last,  they  will  pay  dear.  But  remembering  that 
it  is  not  a  flood  of  words,  but  weighty  arguments,  that  convince  and  per- 
suade the  souls  and  consciences  of  men,  I  shall  give  you  four  reasons  to 
demonstrate,  that  believers  have  a  power  to  do  good  ;  and  the  first  is  this. 

First,  because  they  have  life  ;  and  all  life  is  a  power  to  act  by:^ 
Natural  life  is  a  power  to  act  by  ;  spiritual  life  is  a  power  to  act  by  ; 
eternal  life  is  a  power  to  act  by.  The  philosopher  saith,  '  That  a  fly  is 
more  excellent  than  the  heavens,  because  the  fly  hath  life,  which  the 
heavens  have  not,'  &c. 

Secondly,  Else  there  is  no  just  ground  for  ChHst  to  charge  the  guilt 

'  Spiritual  losses  are  hardly  recovered.  A  man  may  easily  run  down  the  hill,  but  he 
cannot  so  easily  get  up.  Philosophers  say  that  the  way  from  the  habit  to  privation  is 
easier  than  the  way  from  tlio  jjrivation  to  the  liabit ;  as  a  man  may  soon  put  an  instru- 
ment out  of  tune,  but  not  so  soon  put  it  in  again. 

*  When  Charles  Langius  Iiad  excited  Lipsius  to  the  study  of  true  wisdom,  My  mind 
is  to  it,  said  Lipsius  ;  and  then  he  falls  to  wishing.  What,  said  Langius,  art  thou  pur- 
posing when  thou  shouldst  bo  doing? — Just.  Lip.  de  Constan.  lib.  ii.  cup.  v. 

'  Omnia  vita  eat  propter  delcctationem. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  EICHES  OF  CHRIST.  135 

of  sins  upon  them  ;  as  neglect  of  prayer,  repentance,  mortification  ;  nor 
the  guilt  of  carelessness  and  slothfulness,  &c.,  which  he  doth.  If  tliey  can 
act  no  further,  nor  no  longer  than  the  Holy  Ghost  acts  them,  as  at  their 
first  conversion,  notwithstanding  their  union  with  Christ,  and  that 
spiritual  principle  of  life  that  at  first  they  received  from  Christ,^ 
certainly  if  it  be  so,  it  will  not  stand  with  the  unspotted  justice  of  God 
to  charge  the  guilt  of  sins  of  omission  upon  believing  souls,  if  they  have 
no  power  to  act,  but  are  as  stocks  and  stones,  &c.,  as  some  dream. 

A  third  ground  is  this  :  if  there  be  not  some  power  in  believers  to  do 
good,  then  we  should  not  have  as  much  benefit  by  the  second  Adam, 
as  lue  had  by  the  first.  The  first  Adam,  if  he  had  stood,  would  have 
communicated  a  power  to  all  his  sons  and  daughters  to  have  done  good, 
as  being  corrupted  he  doth  communicate  power  to  sin,  as  all  his  children 
find  by  sad  and  woful  experience  ;  and  shall  not  Christ  much  more 
communicate  a  power  to  us  to  do  good  in  our  measure  ?  Surely  he  doth, 
though  few  mind  it,  and  fewer  improve  it  as  they  should.^  If  there  be 
not  such  a  power  in  believers,  how  have  they  gained  more  by  the  second 
Adam  than  they  lost  by  the  first  ?  and  wherein  lies  the  excellency  of 
the  second  above  the  first  ? 

Fourthly  and  lastly,  All  those  exhortations  are  void,  and  of  none 
effect,  if  there  be  not  some  poiver  in  souls  truly  gracious  to  do  good  ; 
as  all  those  exhortations  to  watchfulness,  to  stir  up  '  the  grace  of  God 
that  is  in  us,'  and  to  '  work  out  our  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trem- 
bling,' and  that  also,  'give  all  dilligence  to  make  your  calling  and 
election  sure.'  To  what  purpose  are  all  these  precious  exhortations,  if 
the  regenerate  man  have  no  power  at  all  to  act  anything  that  is  good  ? 
Nay,  then,  believers  under  the  covenant  of  grace  should  be  in  no  better 
a  condition  than  unregenerate  men  that  are  under  a  covenant  of  works, 
who  see  their  duties  discovered,  but  have  no  power  to  perform  ;  which 
is  contrary,  as  to  other  scriptures,  so  to  that  Ps.  xl.  7-9,  '  Then  said  I, 
Lo  I  come  :  in  the  volume  of  thy  book  it  is  written  of  me,  I  delight  to 
do  thy  will,  0  my  God  :  yea,  thy  law  is  within  my  heart,'  or, '  thy  law 
is  in  the  midst  of  my  bowels,'  as  the  Hebrew  reads  it ;  and  to  that  of 
Ezek.  xxxvi.  25-27,  &c.  A  soul  truly  gracious  can  sincerely  say,  '  Thy 
law,  O  Lord,  is  in  the  midst  of  ray  bowels,  and  I  delight  to  do  thy  will, 

0  Lord.'     I  confess  I  cannot  do  as  I  should,  nor  I  shall  never  do  it  as 

1  would,  till  I  come  to  heaven  ;  but  this  I  can  say  in  much  uprightness, 
that  '  Thy  law  is  in  my  heart,  and  I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  O  Father.' 
And  so  Paul,  *  With  my  mind  1  serve  the  law  of  God,  though  with  my 
flesh  the  law  of  sin,'  Rom.  vii.  25. 

And  we  have  many  promises  concerning  divine  assistance,  and  if  we 
did  but  stir  up  the  grace  of  God  that  is  in  us,  we  should  find  the  assist- 
ance of  God,  and  the  glorious  breakings  forth  of  bis  power  and  love, 
according  to  his  promise,  and  the  work  that  he  requires  of  us,Isa.  xxvi.  12 ; 
Ixiv.  5,  &c.  Though  no  believer  doth  what  he  should  do,  yet  doubtless 
every  believer  might  do  more  than  he  doth  do,  in  order  to  God's  glory,  and 
his  own  and  others'  internal  and  eternal  good,  Isa.  xli.  10  ;  Heb.  xiii. 
5,  6,  &c.     Affection  without  endeavour  is  like  Rachel,  beautiful  but 

^  Omission  of  diet  breeds  diseases,  so  dotli  omission  of  duty,  and  makes  work  either  for 
repentance,  hell,  or  the  physician  of  souls. 

2  Ipse  iinus  erit  tibi  omnia,  quia  in  ipso  uno  bono,  bona  sunt  omnia.  — Augustine. 


136  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

barren.     They  are  blessed  that  do  what  they  can,  though  they  cannot 
but  underdo.' 

Whi-u  Demosthenes  was  asked  what  was  the  first  part  of  an  orator, 
what  the  second,  what  the  third,  he  answered,  Action;  the  same  may  I 
say,  if  any  should  ask  me  what  is  the  first,  the  second,  the  third  part 
of  a  Cliristian,  I  must  answer,  J. c^io?i.  Luther  saith,  'He  had  rather 
obey  than  work  miracles.'     '  Obedience  is  better  than  sacrifice.' 

But,  sir,  you  will  say,  what  is  the  meaning  of  that  text,  that  is  so 
often  in  the  mouths  of  professors,  '  Without  me  you  can  do  nothing'  ? 
John  XV.  5. 

I  answer,  All  that  that  text  holds  forth  is  this,  that  if  a  man  hath  not 
union  with  Clirist,  if  he  be  not  implanted  into  Christ,  he  can  do  no- 
thing. '  Without  me,'  that  is,  separate  from  me,  or  apart  from  me,  as 
the  worils  may  be  read,  '  you  can  do  nothing.'^  If  you  are  not  imj^lanted 
into  me,  if  by  the  Spirit  and  faith  you  are  not  united  unto  me,  you  can 
do  nothing.  The  arm  may  do  much ;  it  may  offend  an  enemy,  and  it 
may  defend  a  man's  life,  by  virtue  of  its  union  with  the  head  ;  but  if 
you  separate  the  arm  from  the  head,  from  the  body,  what  can  it  do  ? 
Certainly  the  soul,  by  virtue  of  its  union  with  Christ,  may  do  much, 
though  such  as  are  separated  from  Christ  can  do  nothing,  at  least  as 
they  should.  Ah,  Christians  !  if  you  would  but  put  out  yourselves  to 
the  utmost,  you  Avould  find  tlie  Lord  both  ready  and  willing  to  assist 
you,  to  meet  with  you,  and  to  do  for  you  above  what  you  are  able  to 
ask  or  think.' 

Caesar,  by  continual  employment,  overcame  two  constant  diseases, 
the  headache  and  the  falling  sickness.  Oh  the  spiritual  diseases  that 
the  active  Christian  overcomes!  Among  the  Egyptians,  idleness  was  a 
capital  crime.  Among  the  Lucani,*  he  that  lent  money  to  an  idle  per- 
son was  to  lose  it.  Among  the  Corinthians,  the  slothful  were  delivered 
to  the  carnifex,  saith  Diphilus.  Oh  !  the  deadl}^  sins,  the  deadly  temp- 
tations, the  deadly  judgments,  that  idle  and  .slothful  Christians  are  given 
up  to.  Therefore  be  active,  be  diligent,  be  abundant  in  the  work  of 
the  Lord.  Idleness  is  the  very  source  of  sin.  Standing  pools  gatlier 
mud,  and  nouri.sh  and  breed  venomous  creatures  ;  and  so  do  the  hearts 
of  idle  and  slothful  Christians,  &c. 

2.  Now  the  second  thing  that  we  are  to  do  for  the  further  opening 
of  this  point  is,  to  shew  you 

Tlie  special  ends  that  the  gifts  and  graces  that  God  hath  bestowed 
'U'pon  hellevers  should  be  exercised  and  improved  to. 

And  tiiey  are  these  that  follow  : 

[].]  First,  They  are  to  be  improved  and  exercised  to  the  honour  of 
God,  to  the  lifting  up  of  God,  and  to  the  keeping  up  of  his  name  and 
glory  in  the  woiid,  1  Cor.  x.  31. 

He  that  improves  not  his  gifts  and  graces  to  this  end,  crosses  the 
grand  end  of  God's  bestowing  such  royal  favours  on  him.  Graces  and 
gifts  are  talents  that  God  hath  given  you  to  trade  with,  and  not  to  hide 
in  a  napkin.  Mat.  xxv.     The  idle  servant,  in  Christ's  account,  was  an 

*  Beati  sunt  qui prcecepta  faciunt,  etinmsi  non perficiunt. — Augustine. 

*  X^i's  'fw  is  scorshn  a  me.     Vide  Beza,  Cameron,  and  Piscator. 

*  Union  with  Christ  is  that  wlieroin  the  strength,  comfort,  and  happiness  of  the  soul 
does  consist.  *  As  before,  '  Lucaniani.'— G. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  137 

evil  servant.     The  idle  soul,  in  Christ's  account,  is  an  evil  soul,  and 
accordingly  Christ  will  deal  with  him. 

Seneca  calls  sloth  '  the  nurse  of  beggary,  the  mother  of  misery  ;'^  and 
slothful  Christians  find  it  so.  Christians,  God  hath  given  you  grace, 
that  yoLi  should  give  him  glory.  His  honour  should  be  dearer  to  you 
than  your  jewels,  than  your  crowns,  than  your  lives,  ay,  than  your  very 
souls.     Thou  livest  no  longer  than  thou  livest  to  liis  praise. 

It  is  recorded  of  Epaminondas,  ^the  commander-in-chief  of  the  The- 
bans,  that  he  did  not  glory  in  anything  but  this,  'That  his  father, 
whom  he  dearly  loved  and  honoured,  was  living  when  he  won  three 
famous  battles  against  the  Lacedaemonians,'"  that  were  then  held  for 
their  valour  to  be  invincible  ;  regarding  more  the  honour  and  content 
his  father  should  receive  of  it,  than  his  own.  Shall  a  heathen  thus 
strive  to  honour  his  earthly  father  ?  And  shall  not  Christians  strive 
more  to  honour  their  heavenly  Father  with  all  the  gifts  and  graces  that 
he  hath  conferred  upon  them. 

But  you  will  say,  How  should  we  honour  the  Lord  ? 

I  answer, 

(L)  By  a  free  and  frequent  acknowledgment  that  all  your  graces 
flow  from  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  fountain  of  grace:  John  i.  16,  '  Of  his  ful- 
ness we  all  receive  grace  for  grace.'  James  i.  17,  '  Every  good  and  perfect 
gift  comes  down  from  above,'  &c.  Thou  must  say,  O  Christian,  I  have  no- 
thing but  what  I  have  received  ;  I  have  no  light,  no  life,  no  love,  no  joy, 
no  peace,  but  from  above,  1  Qox.  iv.  7.  The  jewels  that  hang  in  my  breasts, 
and  the  chains  of  pearl  that  be  about  my  neck,  and  the  golden  crown 
that  is  upon  my  bead,  and  all  the  sparkling  diamonds  in  that  crown, 
are  all  from  above,  Ezek.  xvi.  11-15,  Ps.  xlv.  8,  seq.  All  those  princely 
ornaments  by  which  I  am  made  more  beautiful  and  lovely  than  others, 
and  all  those  beds  of  spices  and  sweet  flowers,  by  which  I  am  made  more 
desirable  and  delectable,  is  from  above.  Say,  I  am  nothing.  I  have 
nothing  of  my  own  ;  all  I  am,  and  all  I  have,  is  from  on  high.  '  We 
have  given  thee  of  thine  own,'  says  David,  1  Chron.  xxix.  14.  So  do 
thou  say.  Lord,  the  love  with  which  I  love  thee,  is  thine  own ;  and  the 
faith  by  which  I  hang  upon  thee,  is  thine  own  ;  and  the  fear  by  which 
I  fear  before  thee,  is  thine  own ;  and  the  joy  which  I  rejoice  before  thee 
with,  is  thine  own ;  and  the  patience  with  which  I  wait  upon  thee,  is 
thine  own.^  And  therefore  say,  as  David  did,  upon  the  receipt  of  mercy, 
*  Blessed  be  thou.  Lord  God  of  Israel  our  Father,  for  ever  and  ever. 
Thine,  O  Lord,  is  the  greatness,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  and  the 
victory,  and  the  majesty ;  for  all  that  is  in  the  heaven  and  in  the  earth 
is  thine  :  thine  is  the  kingdom,  O  Lord,  and  thou  art  exalted  as  head 
above  all.  Both  riches  and  honour  come  of  thee,  and  thou  reignest 
over  all ;  and  in  thine  hand  is  power  and  might ;  and  in  thine  hand 
it  is  to  make  great,  and  to  give  strength  unto  all.  Now  therefore,  our 
God,  we  thank  thee,  and  praise  thy  glorious  name.' 

(2.)  You  must  honour  him,  by  acknowledging  the  dependency  of 
your  graces  upon  the  fountain  of  grace.  And  that  your  strength  to 
stand  lies  not  so  much  in  your  graces,  as  in  their  dependency  upon  the 

1  Epist.  56  — G. 

2  Plutarch,  in  bis  Morals  [sm6  nomine ;  Epaminondas. — G.]. 
^  JJeus  nihil  coronal  nisi  dona  sua. — Augustine. 


138  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EpH.  III.  8. 

fountain  of  grace,  as  in  their  conjunction  with  the  God  of  grace.  A 
man  by  hi.s  arm  may  do  much,  but  it  is  mainly  by  reason  of  its  union 
and  conjunction  with  the  head.  It  is  so  between  a  Christian's  graces 
and  Christ.  The  stream  doth  not  more  depend  upon  the  fountain,  nor 
the  branch  upon  the  root,  nor  the  moon  upon  the  sun,  nor  the  child 
upon  the  mother,  nor  the  effect  ujion  the  cause,  than  our  graces  do 
depend  upon  the  fountain  of  grace,  Ps.  cxxxviii.  3,  Philip,  iv.  12,  13. 

Now  that  our  very  graces  do  thus  depend  upon  the  fountain  of  grace, 
and  that  our  strength  to  stand  lies  not  so  much  in  our  gi-aces  as  in 
Christ,  is  clear  by  this,  that  the  graces  of  the  saints  may  and  do  most 
fail  them  when  they  have  most  need  of  them  :  Mark  iv.  40,  '  And  he 
said,  Why  are  ye  so  fearful  ?  How  is  it  that  ye  have  no  faith  ?'  When 
the  wind  was  high,  their  faith  was  low  ;  when  the  storm  was  great, 
their  faith  was  little  ;  so  Luke  viii.  25,  '  And  he  said  unto  them,  Where 
is  your  faith  V  Are  you  now  to  seek  it,  when  you  should  use  it  ?  Peter 
denied  Christ,  when  he  had  need  by  faith  to  have  confessed  Christ. 
Moses's  faith  failed  him,  when  it  should  have  been  nio.st  serviceable  to 
him.  Num.  xx.  12.  And  David's  courage  failed  him,  when  it  should 
have  been  a  buckler  to  him,  1  Sam.  xxi.  13,  14.  And  the  disciples' 
love  failed  them,  when  it  should  have  been  most  useful  to  them,  John 
xiv.'  28.  And  Job's  wisdom  and  patience  failed  him,  when  they  should 
have  been  greatest  supporters  to  him.  By  all  which  it  is  most  clear, 
that  not  only  ourselves,  but  also  our  very  graces,  must  be  supported  by 
the  God  of  grace,  the  fountain  of  grace,  or  else  they  will  be  to  seek 
when  we  most  need  them.^  Though  grace  is  a  glorious  creature,  it 
is  but  a  creature,  and  therefore  must  be  upheld  by  its  Creator.  Though 
grace  be  a  beautiful  child,  yet  it  is  but  a  child,  that  must  be  upheld  by 
the  Father's  arms.  This,  Christians,  you  must  remember,  and  give  glory 
to  God. 

(3.)  You  must  honour  him  by  uncrowning  your  graces,  to  crown 
the  God  of  your  graces.  By  taking  the  crown  off  from  your  own  heads, 
and  putting  it  upon  his,  or  by  laying  it  down  at  his  feet,  as  they  did 
theirs,  in  Rev.  iv.  10,  Acts  iii.  11,  12,  16,  and  iv.  7-10.  These  scrip- 
tures are  wells  of  living  waters  ;  they  are  bee-hives  of  living  honey  ;  see 
and  taste.^  The  Lord  hath  often  uncrowned  himself,  to  crown  his 
people's  graces,  as  you  may  see  in  these  following  scriptures.  Mat.  ix.  22, 
and  XV.  28,  Mark  x.  52,  Luke  vii.  50.  And  why,  then,  should  not  his 
people  uncrown  tlicir  graces  to  crown  him  ?  Cant.  v.  10,  seq.  That  which 
others  attribute  to  your  graces,  do  you  attribute  to  the  God  of  grace. 
You  must  say,  Though  our  graces  are  precious,  yet  Christ  is  more  pre- 
cious ;  though  they  are  sweet,  yet  Christ  is  most  sweet ;  though  they 
are  lovely,  yet  Ciirist  is  altogether  lovely.  Your  gi-aces  are  but  Christ's 
picture,  Christ's  image  ;  and  therefore  do  not  you  worship  his  image, 
and  in  the  mean  while  neglect  his  person.  Make  much  of  his  picture, 
but  make  more  of  himself  Let  his  picture  have  your  eye,  but  lot  him- 
self have  your  heart,  John  i.  39,  seq.     Your  graces  are  but  Christ's 

'  Tliough  our  graces  be  our  best  jewels,  yet  they  are  imperfect ;  and  as  the  moon 
sliiiics  by  a  borrowed  light,  so  do  our  graces.  If  it  were  not  for  the  Sun  of  righteousness 
all  our  graces  would  give  no  liglit. 

*  Ccrtum  est  mis  facerc  quod  facimus,  sed  Ule  facit,%U  facmmn!i,?,^\i\\  Augustine.  True 
it  is  that  we  do  what  we  do,  but  it  is  as  true  that  Christ  makes  us  to  do  what  we  do. 


EpH.  III.  8. J  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  1 39 

hands,  by  which  he  works  ;  be  you  therefore  careful  that  you  do  not 
more  mind  the  workman's  hands  than  the  workman  himself.  Your 
graces  are  but  Christ's  servants,  therefore  do  not  smile  upon  the  ser- 
vant, and  look  asquint  upon  the  Master.  Your  graces  are  but  Christ's 
favourites  ;  therefore  do  not  so  stare  upon  them,  and  be  taken  with 
them,  as  to  forget  the  Prince  on  whom  they  wait,  &c.  All  I  drive  at 
is  this,  that  not  your  graces  but  Christ,  may  be  all  in  all  unto  you,  &c. 

[2.]  The  second  end  to  which  you  must  improve  your  gifts  and  graces, 
is  to  the  good  of  others  :  Ps.  Ixvi.  16,  '  Come  and  hear,  all  ye  that  fear 
God,  and  I  will  declare  what  he  hath  done  for  my  soul ;'  Ps.  xxxiv.  8, 
'  Oh  taste  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  good  :  blessed  is  the  man  that  trust- 
eth  in  him  ;'  Isa.  ii.  3  ;  Acts  v.  26-29.  Bonum  est  cominunicativum. 
God  hath  given  you  gifts  and  grace,  to  that  very  end,  that  you  should 
improve  them  for  others'  good.  It  is  the  very  nature  of  grace  to  be 
diffusive  and  communicative.  Grace  cannot  be  long  concealed.  The 
better  anything  is,  the  more  communicative  it  will  be.  Grace  is  as  fire 
in  the  bones,  as  new  wine  in  the  bottles  ;  you  cannot  hide  it,  you  must 
give  vent  to  it :  Acts  iv.  28,  '  We  cannot  but  speak  the  things  that  we 
have  heard  and  seen  ;'  as  Croesus  his  dumb  son  did  for  his  father.^  Can 
the  fire  cease  to  turn  all  combustible  matter  into  fire  ?  can  the  candle, 
once  thoroughly  lighted,  cease  to  spend  itself  for  the  enlightening  of 
others  ?  Then  may  the  precious  sons  of  Zion  cease  to  give  light  to  others, 
by  their  examples,  counsels,  and  communicating  their  experiences.  No 
way  to  honour  God,  no  way  to  win  souls,  nor  no  way  to  increase  your 
own  gifts  and  graces,  than  to  exercise  them  for  the  good  of  others. 
Grace  is  not  like  to  worldly  vanities,  that  diminish  by  distribution  ;  nor 
like  candles  which  keep  the  same  light,  though  a  thousand  are  lighted 
by  them.  Grace  is  like  the  widow's  oil,  which  multiplied  by  pouring 
out,  2  Kings  iv  ;  and  like  those  talents  which  doubled  by  employment, 
Mat.  XXV. 

It  was  a  good  saying  of  one,  '  For  insensible  riches  those  who  pay 
their  money  do  diminish  their  substance,  and  they  who  receive  are 
made  richer,^  but  these  not  so,  but  both  he  who  numbereth  doth  much 
increase  his  substance,  and  doth  add  much  to  the  riches  of  the  receiver. 

Again,  by  how  much  more  we  pour  out  of  these  flowing  spiritual 
things,  by  so  much  those  spreading  in  abundance  are  greater  to  us  ;  for 
in  this  case  it  doth  not  happen  as  in  money,  for  there  they  who  tell  out 
to  their  neighbour  diminish  their  own  substance,  and  by  how  much 
the  more  he  spendeth,  by  so  much  the  less  money  he  possesseth  ;  but 
in  spirituals  it  is  quite  otherwise.^ 

No  way  to  advance  the  kingdom  of  Christ  in  the  world  like  this,  of 
improving  your  gifts  and  graces  to  the  advantage  and  profit  of  others  ; 
no  love  nor  pity  to  the  precious  souls  of  men  like  this;  no  way  to  abound 
in  grace,  to  be  rich  in  grace  like  this  ;  nor  no  way  to  be  high  in  heaven 
like  this.^  Art  thou,  O  Christian,  bound  to  do  good  to  others,  by  com- 
municating earthly  things  ?     And  art  thou  not  much  more  bound  to  do 

'  .As  before.     See  Index  under  Croesus. —  G. 

2  Chrysost.  Horn.  Gen.  xv.  ^  Chrysost.  [Horn,  in  Gen.  viii G.] 

*  Rom.  i.  11,  12  ;  2  Cor.  ix.  6.  Suetonius  tells  of  Augustus,  that  in  reading  all  sorts 
of  good  authors,  he  skilfully  picked  out  the  prime  precepts  and  patterns  of  valour  and 
virtue,  and  sent  the  same  to  such  of  his  servants  and  under-officers  for  tokens,  as  he 
thought  they  might  do  most  good  unto.     [Historise  Caesarum  :  Augustus. — G.] 


1  to  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  "      [EPH.  III.  8. 

them  good  by  communicating  of  spiritual  things  ?  Surely  thou  art. 
Why  are  Christians  so  often  in  Scripture  compared  to  trees,  but  because 
of  their  fruitfulness  and  usefulness  to  others  ?  And  why  are  they  called 
'  stewards  of  the  manifold  gifts  of  God,'  but  to  note  to  us,  that  tlieir  gifts 
are  not  to  be  enclosed,  but  employed  for  the  good  of  others  ?  And 
why  hath  Christ  put  a  box  of  precious  ointment  into  every  Christian's 
hand,  but  that  it  should  be  opened  for  the  benefit  of  others  ?  Certainly, 
he  that  is  good  is  bound  to  do  good ;  for  gifts  and  graces  are  given,  not 
only  to  make  us  good,  and  keep  us  good,  but  also  to  make  us,  yea,  to 
provoke  us  to  do  good.  Lilmod  lelanwied,  '  We  therefore  learn  that 
we  may  teach,'  is  a  proverb  among  the  rabbins.  '  And  I  do  therefore 
lay  in,  and  lay  up,'  saith  the  heathen,  '  that  I  may  draw  forth  again,  and 
lay  out  for  the  good  of  many.'  I  think  tliey  are  no  good  Christians 
that  shall  scorn  to  learn  this  good  lesson,  though  of  a  heathen.  And 
oh  that  all  that  write  themselves  Christians,  were  so  good  as  to  imitate 
the  good  that  shined  in  many  heathens  !  To  me  it  is  very  sad,  that 
Christians  that  live  and  act  below  the  very  heathens,  should  be  offended 
to  hear  now  and  then  of  those  excellencies  that  sparkled  in  the  very 
heathens.  I  think  that  is  a  very  evil  spirit,  that  cannot  endure  to  hear 
of  those  excellencies  in  others  that  he  wants  himself.  Certainly  he  is 
a  brave  Christian,  and  hath  much  of  Christ  within,  that  accounts  no- 
thing liis  own  that  he  doth  not  communicate  to  others.  The  bee  doth 
store  her  hive  out  of  all  sorts  of  flowers  for  the  common  benefit,  and 
why  then  in  this  should  not  every  Christian  be  like  a  bee  ? 

Synesius  speaks  of  some,  who  having  a  treasure  of  rare  abilities  in 
them,  would  as  soon  part  with  their  hearts  as  their  corruptions.  I  think 
they  are  rather  monsters  than  real  Christians,  that  are  of  such  a  spirit. 

[3.]  The  third  and  last  thing  to  which  you  are  to  improve  your  gifts 
and  graces  is,  to  the  benefit  and  profit  of  your  oivn  soids.  Not  to  im- 
prove them  to  your  own  internal  and  eternal  good,  is  with  a  high  hand 
to  cross  the  main  end  of  God's  conferring  them  upon  you.  Ah,  Chris- 
tians !  you  must  improve  them  to  the  strengthening  of  you  against 
temptations,  to  the  supporting  of  you  under  afflictions,  to  the  keeping 
under  of  strong  corruptions,  to  the  sweetening  of  all  mutations,  and  to 
the  preparing  and  fitting  of  you  for  the  days  of  your  dissolution.' 

I  shall  content  myself  with  giving  you  this  hint,  because  I  have  be- 
fore spoken  more  fully  to  this  head. 

And  thus  we  have  done  with  the  doctrinal  part. 

We  shall  come  now  to  make  some  use  and  application  of  this  point 
to  ourselves. 

If  this  be  so,  that  it  is  the  duty  of  Christians  to  improve  and  exercise 
the  gifts  and  graces  that  the  Lord  hath  given  them. 

Then,  in  the  first  place,  this  looks  very  sourly  and  wishly  upon  all 
lazy,  idle,  negligent  Christians,  that  do  not  stir  up  themselves  to  lay 
hold  on  God,  that  do  not  stir  up  the  grace  of  the  Lord  in  them.  It  is 
sad  to  consider  how  many  Christians  can  stir  up  themselves  to  lay  hold 
on  all  opportunities  to  make  themselves  great  and  rich  in  the  world,  and 
yet  suffer  their  golden  gifts  and  graces  even  to  grow  rusty  for  want  of 

'  Tho  good  of  the  soul  is  specially  to  be  minded  :  (1.)  because  it  is  the  most  notable 
part  of  man  ;  (2.)  because  tho  im:i.!;o  of  God  is  most  fairly  stumped  upon  it ;  (3.)  because 
it  is  first  converted  ;  (4.)  because  it  shall  be  first  glorified. 


EpH.  in.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  141 

exercise.^  It  is  sad  to  see  how  busy  many  men  are  to  exercise  and  im- 
prove a  talent  of  riches,  who  yet  bind  up  their  talents  of  gifts  and  grace 
in  a  napkin.  By  these  God  loses  much  honour  and  praise,  and  them- 
selves lose  much  comfort  and  content,  and  others  lose  much  jDrofit  and 
benefit,  and  the  gospel  loses  much  credit  and  glory. 

But  the  main  use  that  I  shall  make  of  this  point,  shall  be  to  exhort 
and  stir  you  all  up,  to  make  a  blessed  improvement  of  your  graces. 

And  indeed  it  is  a  point  of  most  singular  use  to  us  all  our  days,  a 
truth  that  is  every  day  of  very  great  concernment  to  our  souls. 

Now  there  are  seven  considerations  that  t  shall  propound  by  way  of 
motive,  to  stir  up  your  souls  to  make  a  blessed  improvement  of  the 
grace  and  gifts  you  have  received. 

[1.]  And  the  first  is  this :  seriously  consider,  that  the  exercise  and 
imiwovement  of  grace  in  your  souls,  will  be  more  and  more  the  death 
and  ruin  of  sin  in  your  souls. 

Take  it  from  experience  ;  there  is  not  a  choicer  way  than  this  for  a 
man  to  bring  under  the  power  of  his  sin,  than  to  keep  up  the  exercise 
of  his  grace.  Sin  and  grace  are  like  two  buckets  at  a  well,  when  one  is 
up  the  other  is  down  ;  they  are  like  the  two  laurels  at  Rome,  when  one 
flourishes  the  other  withers.  Certainly,  the  readiest  and  the  surest  way 
to  bring  under  the  power  of  sin,  is  to  be  much  in  the  exercise  of  grace  : 
Rom.  viii.  10,  '  And  if  Christ  be  in  you,  the  body  is  dead  because  of 
sin  :  but  the  spirit  is  life  because  of  righteousness.'  The  life  and 
activity  of  Christ  and  grace  in  the  soul,  is  the  death  and  destruction  of 
sin  in  the  soul.  The  more  grace  acts  in  the  soul,  the  more  sin  withers 
and  dies  in  the  soul.  The  stronger  the  house  of  David  grew,  2  Sam.  iii., 
the  weaker  the  house  of  Saul  grew.  As  the  house  of  David  grew  every 
day  stronger  and  stronger,  so  the  house  of  Saul  every  day  grew  weaker 
and  weaker.  So  the  activity  of  the  new  man  is  the  deatli  of  the  old 
man.  When  Christ  began  to  bestir  himself  in  the  temple,  the  money- 
changers quickly  fled  out,  Mat.  xxi.  12-14.  So  when  grace  is  active 
and  stirring  in  the  soul,  corruption  quickly  flies.  A  man  may  find  out 
many  ways  to  hide  his  sin,  but  he  will  never  find  out  any  way  to  subdue 
his  sin,  but  by  the  exercise  of  grace.  Of  all  Christians,  none  so  morti- 
fied as  those  in  whom  grace  is  most  exercised.  Sin  is  a  viper  that  must 
be  killed,  or  it  will  kill  you  for  ever  ;  and  there  is  no  way  to  kill  it  but 
by  the  exercise  of  grace. 

[2.]  Secondly,  Consider  this  by  way  of  motive  to  provoke  you  to 
exercise  and  improve  your  graces.  The  exercise  and  imiirovement  of 
your  graces  will  provoke  others  to  bless  and  admire  the  God  of  grace. 
'  Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men,  that  they  may  see  your  good  works, 
and  glorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven,'^  Mat.  v.  16, — the  light  of 
your  conversation,  and  the  light  of  your  graces.     Oh  how  many  thou- 

1  Cupid  complained  he  could  never  fasten  upon  the  muses,  because  he  could  never  find 
them  idle.  No  Christians  so  free  from  Satan's  assaults  as  active  Christians  are,  nor  none 
so  templed  as  idle  Christians.  The  Jewish  Rabbins  report,  that  the  same  night  that 
Israel  departed  out  of  Egypt  towards  Canaan,  all  the  idols  and  idolatrous  temples  in 
Egypt,  by  lightning  and  earthquakes,  were  broken  down.  So  when  grace  and  holiness 
is  set  up  in  the  heart,  all  the  idols  of  Satan,  which  are  men's  lusts,  are  thrown  down. 

^  The  exercise  of  virtue  will  draw  love  from  a  man's  very  enemies.  Tilligny,  for  his 
rare  virtues,  was  reserved  from  death  by  his  greatest  enemies  at  tlie  massacre  of  Paris  ; 
as  you  may  see  in  the  French  history  in  the  Life  of  Charles  the  Ninth. 


142  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

sand  souls  be  there  now  triumphing  in  lieaven,  whose  gifts  and  graces 
shined  gloriously  when  they  were  on  earth.  And  ah  !  how  many  thou- 
sands are  there  now  on  earth,  that  bless  and  admire  the  Lord  for  the 
shine  of  their  graces  who  are  now  in  heaven  ;  that  bless  the  Lord  for 
the  faith  of  Abraham,  and  the  zeal  of  David,  and  the  meekness  of 
Moses,  and  the  patience  of  Job,  and  the  courage  of  Joshua,  &c.  Ah, 
Christians  !  as  you  would  stir  up  others  to  exalt  the  God  of  grace,  look 
to  the  exercise  and  improvement  of  your  graces.  When  poor  servants 
shall  live  in  a  family,  and  see  the  faith  of  a  master,  and  the  love  of  a 
master,  and  the  wisdom  of  a  master,  and  the  patience  of  a  master,  and 
the  humility  of  a  master,  &c.,  sliiuing  like  so  many  stars  of  heaven,  oh 
how  doth  it  draw  forth  their  hearts  to  bless  the  Lord,  that  ever  they 
came  into  such  a  family  !  It  is  not  a  profession  of  religion,  but  the 
exercise  and  improvement  of  grace,  that  contributes  so  much  to  the 
lifting  up  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  and  to  the  greatening  of  his  praise  in 
the  world.  Many  saints  have  had  their  hearts  warmed  and  heated  by 
sitting  by  other  saints'  fires,  by  eyeing  and  dwelling  upon  other  saints 
graces.  Ah  !  when  men's  graces  shine  as  Moses  his  face  did,  when  their 
lives,  as  one  spcaketh  of  Joseph's  life,  is  a  very  heaven,  sparkling  with 
variety  of  virtues,  as  with  so  many  bright  stars  ;  ah  !  how  are  others 
stirred  up  to  glorify  God,  and  to  cry  out.  These  are  Christians  indeed ! 
These  are  an  honour  to  their  God,  a  crown  to  their  Christ,  and  a  credit 
to  their  gospel.  Oh  !  if  they  were  all  such,  we  would  be  Christians  too. 
It  is  a  very  great  stumbling-block  to  many  poor  sinners,  to  see  men 
that  make  a  very  great  and  large  profession  of  Christ,  never  to  exercise 
and  shew  forth  the  virtues  of  Christ.  They  profess  they  know  him,  and 
yet  by  the  non-exercise  of  his  virtues  they  deny  him.^ 

It  was  one  of  Machiavel's  principles,  that  the  appearance  of  virtue  was 
only  to  be  sought,  because  the  use  of  it,  saith  he,  is  a  trouble,  but  the 
credit  of  it  a  help.  I  am  afraid  that  this  cursed  soul-darnning  principle 
is  the  best  flower  that  grows  in  many  men's  gardens  in  these  days. 
Thouo-h  there  is  no  virtue  but  is  as  a  bright  stone  in  a  dark  night,  it 
shines  and  shews  its  clearness  and  beauty  ;  it  is  as  pure  gold,  the 
brighter -for  passing  through  the  fire;  yet  how  do  most  covet  rather  the 
name  of  virtue,  than  to  be  really  virtuous  !  Such,  I  believe,  shall  have 
the  hottest  and  the  lowest  place  in  hell.^  Well,  Christians,  remember 
this,  it  is  not  a  show  of  grace,  but  the  exercise  of  grace,  that  will  pro- 
voke others  to  glorify  the  fountain  of  grace.  That  is  a  very  remarkable 
scripture,  1  Thcs.  i.  2,  3,  8,  compared,  '  We  give  thanks  to  God  always 
for  you,  making  mention  of  you  in  our  prayers  ;  remembering  without 
ceasing  your  work  of  faith,  and  labour  of  love,  and  patience  of  hope  in 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  our  Father.  For  from 
you  sounded  out  the  word  of  the  Lord,  not  only  in  Macedonia  and 
Achaia,  but  also  in  every  place  your  f.iith  to  God-ward  is  spread  abroad.' 
In  this  eighth  verse  you  have  an  elegant  metaphor,  which  signifies, 
that  their  faith  was  so  lively,  that  with  its  sound,  as  it  were,  it  stirred 
up  other  nations.     The  Greek  word  is  to  sound  as  with  the  sound  of  a 

*  Those  in  whom  virtue  is  extinguished  are  like  unto  painted  and  printed  papers,  which 
ignorant  men  honour  and  worship  instead  of  Christ. — lialei(ih. 

*  Jli/jiocritis  niliil  est  cnidding,  impntientius  ct  vindicta  cupidius,  there  is  not  a  more 
crur-l  creature,  more  impatient  and  vindictive,  than  an  liypocrite,  saith  Luther,  who  had 
the  experience  of  it ;  therefore  trust  not  to  the  Machiavels  of  the  times. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  EICHES  OF  CHRIST.  143 

trumpet,  to  make  to  sound  afar  off.  Says  the  apostle,  your  graces  made  a 
noise  like  a  trumpet ;  they  stirred  up  others  to  be  gi'acious  and  active, 
as  the  trumpet  stirs  up  men  to  war.  So  in  2  Peter  i.  3,  4,  '  We  are 
bound  to  give  thanks  to  God  always  for  you,  brethren,  as  it  is  meet,  be- 
cause that  your  faith  groweth  exceedingly,  and  the  charity  of  every  one 
of  you  all  towards  each  other  abound eth.  So  that  we  ourselves  glory 
in  you  the  churches  of  God,  for  your  patience  and  faith,  in  all  your  per- 
secutions and  tribulations  that  you  endure.'  Hoc  enim  angelicum, 
this  is  the  character  of  the  angelical  nature,  to  rejoice  in  the  graces  and 
gracious  actings  of  others.  He  that  acts  otherwise  holds  forth  the 
image  of  the  devil,  and  declares  himself  a  native  of  hell.^ 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Consider  that  the  exercise  and  improvement  of  grace, 
may  be  a  special  means  to  stir  wp  the  exercise  of  grace  in  others.^ 

Your  improvement  of  grace  may  be  a  special  means  to  stir  up  others 
to  improve  their  graces  also.  1  Thes.  i.  7,  '  So  that  we  were  ensamples 
to  all  that  believe  in  Macedonia  and  Achaia.'  Or  as  the  Greek  is,  '  you 
were  types,  moulds,'  rvitovg,  patterns  of  piety  to  them  that  were  in 
Christ  long  before  you.  So  in  2  Cor.  ix.  2,  '  For  I  know  the  forwardness 
of  your  mind,  for  which  I  boast  of  you  to  them  of  Macedonia,  that  Achaia 
was  ready  a  year  ago,  and  your  zeal  hath  provoked  very  many.'  I  knew 
you  were  forward,  and  this  I  boasted  of;  I  made  it  my  glory  to  tell  how 
grace  shined  in  your  souls.  '  And,'  saith  he,  '  your  zeal  hath  provoked 
many.'  When  they  saw  how  warm  and  lively,  and  active,  how  open- 
handed  and  open-hearted  you  were  to  the  poor  saints,  their  hearts  were 
stirred  up  to  acts  of  charity  also.  Stories  speak  of  some  that  could  not 
sleep  when  they  thought  of  the  trophies  of  other  worthies  that  went 
before  them.  The  highest  examples  are  very  quickening  and  pro- 
voking.^ 

That  this  may  stick  upon  your  souls,  I  beseech  you  bed  and  board, 
rise  and  walk  with  this  one  consideration,  viz.,  that  all  the  good  you 
provoke  others  to  by  counsel  or  example,  shall  be  put  down  to  your 
account.  It  shall  certainly  turn  to  your  internal  and  eternal  advantage. 
In  the  great  day,  Christ  will  make  honourable  mention  of  all  the  good 
that  thou  hast  stirred  and  provoked  others  to,  and  will  reward  thee 
for  it  before  angels  and  men.  The  faith,  the  love,  the  hope,  the  charity, 
the  patience,  &c.,  that  thou  hast  provoked  others  to,  shall  be  put  down 
to  thy  account,  as  if  thou  hadst  been  the  only  actor  of  them,  &c.  As 
all  the  sins  that  men  provoke  or  stir  up  others  to  by  their  counsel  or 
example,  shall  be  put  down  to  their  accounts,  as  you  may  see  in  David. 
David  did  but  send  a  letter  concerning  the  death  of  Uriah,  and  yet  the 
charge  cometh,  '  Thou  hast  slain  Uriah  with  the  sword,'  2  Sam.  xii.  9. 
As  whatsoever  is  done  by  letter,  counsel,  or  example,  to  provoke  others 
to  sin,  shall  certainly  be  charged  upon  men's  accounts  at  last,  so  what- 

'  Pliny  tells  of  some  in  the  remote  parts  of  India,  that  they  have  no  mouths.  "We  have 
many  such  monsters  among  us,  that  have  no  mouths  to  bless  God  for  the  good  that  shines 
in  others.     [The  Psylli,  as  before. — G.] 

2  The  complaint  is  ancient  in  Seneca,  that  commonly  men  live  not  ad  rationem,  but 
ad  siinilitudinem. — Seneca,  de  vita  beati,  cap.  1. 

3  Prcecepta  docent,  exempla  movent,  precepts  may  instruct,  but  examples  do  persuade. 
[A  reminiscence  of  St  Leo,  '  Validiora  sunt  exempla,  quam  verba'  (Ve  Jejun)  ;  or  Bernard 

'  Validior  operis  quam  oris  vox — vox  oris  sonat,  vox  operis  tonat.'  (Serm.  on  Canticles, 
as  before,  5. — G.] 


144  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

soever  jjood  thou  dost  stir  up  othors  to,  that  shall  be  sot  upon  thy  score, 
aiul  sliall  turn  to  thy  eternal  account  in  the  day  of  Christ.  Oh  !  who 
would  not  then  labour  with  all  tlieir  might,  even  day  and  night,  to  stir  up 
the  grace  of  the  Lord  in  themselves  and  others,  seeing  it  shall  turn  to 
such  a  glorious  account  in  that  day  wherein  Christ  shall  say  to  his 
Father,  '  Lo,  here  am  I,  and  the  children  that  thou  hast  given  me,'  &c.' 

[4.]  Fourthly,  consider  this,  tlie  exercise  and  im2)rovement  of  r/race, 
conivibutes  very  much  both  fo  the  stopping  the  moutlis  of  your  enemies, 
and  to  the  rendering  of  you  lovely  in  the  very  eyes  of  your  enemies. 
Oh  !  there  is  nothing  in  all  the  world  that  contributes  so  much  to  the 
stopping  of  the  mouths  of  your  enemies,  and  to  the  rendering  of  your 
souls  lovely  in  the  eyes  of  your  enemies,  as  the  exercise  and  improve- 
ment of  your  graces.  As  you  may  see  in  David,  David  improved  his 
grace  to  a  glorious  heiglit,  and  says  Saul,  '  Thou  art  more  righteous 
than  I,'  1  Sam.  xxiv.  17.  John  improved  his  grace  to  a  glorious  height, 
and  was  much  in  the  exercise  of  it,  and  what  follows  ?  why,  '  Herod 
feared  and  reverenced  him,  knowing  that  he  was  a  just  and  a  holy  man,' 
Mark  vi.  20.  Oh  !  how  did  the  wisdom,  faith,  and  hohness  of  Joseph, 
Daniel,  and  the  three  children  silence  their  most  enraged  adversaries  ! 
yea,  what  a  deal  of  honour  did  the  exercise  of  their  graces  cause  those 
heathen  princes  to  put  upon  them  ?^  1  Peter  ii.  15,  '  For  so  is  the  will 
of  God,  that  by  well-doing  ye  may  put  to  silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish 
men/  It  is  not  all  the  talking  and  profession  in  the  world  that  can 
stop  the  mouths  of  foolish  men  ;  it  must  be  well-doings,  grace  improved, 
grace  exercised  and  manifested  in  ways  of  holiness,  that  must  work  so 
great  a  wonder  as  to  stop  the  mouths  of  wicked  men. 

Tiie  Greek  w^ord  that  is  here  translated  iveU-doing,  dyadovoiovvTuc  is 
a  participle  of  the  present  tense,  and  notes  the  continual  custom  of 
well-doing.  And  indeed,  nothing  but  a  continual  course  of  well-doing 
will  be  able  to  stop  the  mouths  of  wicked  persons.  It  is  not  a  fit  of 
holiness,  but  a  course,  that  can  produce  so  great  a  miracle  as  to  stop  the 
mouths  of  wicked  men  :  '  That  ye  might  stop  the  mouths  of  ungodly 
men.' 

The  Greek  is,  'that  ye  may  muzzle,'  or,  'halter  up,'  <pi,aoiJv,  from 
f//iow.  There  is  no  way  in  the  world  to  button,  muzzle,  or  halter  up 
the  moutlis  of  wicked  men,  but  by  the  exercise  of  your  graces  in  ways 
of  well-doing.  Oh  !  this  will  cause  you  to  be  well  thought  of,  and  well 
spoken  of ;  this  is  that  tliat  will  make  even  wicked  men  to  say.  These 
are  Christians  indeed !  these  are  they  that  have  not  only  a  name  to 
live,  but  are  alive  ;  that  have  not  only  a  form  of  godliness,  but  the 
power.  A  Christian's  exercise  of  faith  in  times  of  wants,  and  of  patience 
in  times  of  affliction,  and  of  courage  in  times  of  temptation,  and  of  con- 
tentation^  in  times  of  opposition,  &c.,  doth  mightily  silence  and  stop  the 
mouths  of  the  worst  of  men. 

Henry  the  Second  of  France,  being  present  at  the  martyrdom  of  a 
certain  tailor  burnt  by  him  for  religion,  was  so  terrified  by  beholding 
the  wisdom,  courage,  faitli,  and  constancy  of  the  said  martyr,  that  he 

'  They  shall  shine  as  so  many  suns  in  heaven,  who  are  mnch  in  stirring  and  provoking 
of  others  to  the  exercise  of  grace  antl  holiness,  Dan.  xii.  3,  vi.  1,  2. 

*  So  what  a  deal  of  respect  and  lionour  did  Alexander  the  Great  put  upon  Judas  the 
hif:h  priest,  Tlieodosius  upon  Ambrose,  and  Constantino  upon  Paphnutius,  kissing  that 
eyo  of  his  that  was  bored  out  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  &c.         ^  Qu.  '  contestation '  ? — Ed. 


I 


EpH.  III.  8.]  EICHES  OF  CHRIST.  145 

swore  at  his  going  away,  '  that  he  would  never  be  any  more  present  at 
such  a  sight.'' 

[5.]  Fifthly,  Dwell  much  upon  the  sweet  nature  of  grace,  if  you 
would  have  your  souls  carried  out  to  the  exercise  and  improvement  of 
grace. 

The  name  of  grace  and  the  nature  of  grace  is  very  sweet.  The 
Hebrew  word  that  is  rendered  grace  signifies  favour  and  mercy  ;  and 
it  answers  to  the  Greek  word  %af' ?,  that  signifies  favour  and  mercy ; 
and  some  derive  the  Greek  word  from  a  word  that  signifies  joy,^  because 
grace  begets  the  greatest  joy  and  sweetness  in  the  spirits  of  men  that 
possibly  can  be.^ 

Grace  is  compared  to  the  sweetest  things;  to  sweet  spices,  to  wine 
and  milk.  Grace  is  a  beam  of  the  Sun  of  righteousness,  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  Grace  is  a  sweet  flower  of  paradise,  a  spark  of  glory,  &c.  It 
is  cherished  and  maintained  by  that  sweet  word,  that  is  sweeter  than 
the  honey  or  the  honey-comb,  and  by  sweet  union  and  communion  with 
the  Father  and  the  Son.^  It  is  exercised  about  the  sweetest  objects, 
viz.,  God,  Christ,  promises,  and  future  glory.  It  sweetens  all  your  ser- 
vices and  duties.  Your  best  performances  are  but  stinking  sacrifices,  if 
they  are  not  attended  with  the  exercise  of  grace.  Grace  is  that  heavenly 
salt  that  makes  all  our  services  savoury  and  sweet  in  the  nostrils  of  God. 
Grace  is  of  the  greatest  and  sweetest  use  to  the  soul ;  it  is  an  anchor  at 
sea,  and  a  shield  at  land ;  it  is  a  staff  to  uphold  the  soul,  and  a  sword  to 
defend  the  soul ;  it  is  bread  to  strengthen  the  soul,  and  wine  to  cheer 
the  soul ;  it  is  physic  to  cure  all  diseases,  and  a  plaster  to  heal  all 
wounds,  and  a  cordial  to  strengthen  the  soul  under  all  faintings,  &c. 
Grace  is  thy  eye  to  see  for  Christ,  thy  ear  to  hear  for  Christ,  thy  head 
to  contrive  for  Christ,  thy  tongue  to  speak  for  Christ,  thy  hand  to  do  for 
Christ,  and  thy  feet  to  walk  with  Christ.  Grace  makes  men  of  the  fro- 
wardest,  sourest,  crabbedest  natures,  to  be  of  a  sweet,  lovely,  amiable, 
pleasing  temper,  Isa.  xi.  7-9.  It  turns  lions  into  lambs,  wolves  into 
sheep,  monsters  into  men,  and  men  into  angels,  as  you  may  see  in 
Manasseh,  Paul,  Mary  Magdalene,  Zaccheus,  and  others.  Yet  sometimes 
grace,  in  a  rugged  unhewn  nature,  is  like  a  gold  ring  on  a  leprous  hand, 
or  a  diamond  set  in  iron,  or  a  jewel  in  a  swine's  snout,  &c.^ 

[6.]  Sixthly,  By  way  of  motive,  consider  this,  that  tvicked  men  do 
exercise  and  improve  to  the  uttermost,  all  those  iwinciples  of  wicked- 
ness that  he  in  them,  against  the  ways  of  God,  the  honour  of  God,  and 
the  comforts  of  the  saints. 

Now  shall  wicked  men  improve  all  their  principles  to  the  uttermost 
against  God,  his  truth,  and  saints,  &c. ;  and  shall  not  saints  improve 
their  graces  to  the  honour  of  God,  the  advancement  of  truth,  and  the 
joy  and  benefit  one  of  another  ?  You  may  see  the  activity  of  wicked 
men's  spirits  in  Prov.  iv.  16,  '  They  sleep  not  unless  they  have  done  mis- 
chief, and  their  sleep  is  taken  away,  unless  they  cause  some  to  fall.' 

*  Epit.  Hist.  Gal.  82. 

*  Cf.  Sibbes,  note  e,  vol.  iii.  p.  529,  on  x^?'^  ^^^  X'^Sf*'^- — G, 

3  Grace  is  a  panoply  against  all  troubles,  and  a  paradise  of  all  pleasures. 

*  Cant.  iv.  10,  14,  16,  vi.  2  ;  Isa.  Iv.  1,  2  ;  Ps.  cxix.  103  ;  1  John  i.  3,  4. 

^  Latimer  told  the  clergy  and  the  bishops,  that  if  they  would  not  learn  diligence  and 
vigilance  of  the  prophets  and  apostles,  they  should  learn  it  of  the  devil,  who  goes  up  and 
down  his  diocese. 

VOL.  III.  K 


1  to  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

Oh,  tlicy  cannot  rest !  '  The  wicked  are  like  the  troubled  sea,'  as  Isaiah 
speaks,  •  when  it  cannot  rest,  whose  waters  cast  up  mire  and  dirt,'  Isa. 
Ivii.  20,  21.'  So  in  2  Pet.  ii.  14,  '  Having  eyes  full  of  adultery,  that  can- 
not cease  from  sin,  beguiling  unstable  souls,'  An  heart  they  have,  exer- 
cised with  covetous  practices  ;  ciirsed  children,'  they  break  all  promises 
and  covenants  with  (iod  and  man,  as  Samson  did  the  new  ropes.  So 
in  Prov.  xix.  19,  '  A  man  of  great  wrath  shall  suffcr  punishment,  for  if 
thou  deliver  him,  yet  thou  must  do  it  again,'  The  Hebrew  word 
tosij^fi  signifies  to  add.  Saith  he.  Thou  must  add  deliverance  to  deliver- 
ance, for  he  will  still  be  a-adding  sin  to  sin.  So  the  Radix,  jasaph,  is 
used,  Deut.  xxix.  19,  and  in  several  other  scriptures.  Such  sinners  make 
God  a  god  of  clouts,  one  that  will  not  do  as  he  saith.  Ahab,  after  he 
was  throatencd  with  utter  rooting  out,  begat  fifty  sons,  as  it  were  to 
cross  God,  and  to  try  it  out  with  him.  Let  God  thunder  in  his  judg- 
ments, yet  he  will  add  sin  to  sin,  he  will  proceed  from  evil  to  evil,  till 
he  comes  to  the  very  top  of  evil,  viz.,  to  be  hardened  in  sin,  and  to  scoff 
at  holiness,  &c.,  Jer.  ix.  3. 

The  old  Italians  were  wont,  in  time  of  thunder,  to  shoot  off  their 
greatest  ordnance,  and  to  ring  their  greatest  bells,  to  drown  the  noise 
of  the  heavens.  So  let  God  thunder  from  heaven,  yet  wicked  men  will 
so  improve  their  wicked  principles,  that  tlieir  consciences  may  not  hear 
the  noise  of  the  thunder-claps  of  divine  displeasure,^  The  covetous  man 
will  improve  his  earthly  principles,  and. the  ambitious  man  his  ambitious 
principles,  and  the  voluptuous  man  his  voluptuous  principles,  and  the 
unchaste  man  his  unclean  principles,  and  the  erroneous  man  his  en'one- 
ous  principles,  and  the  blasphemous  man  his  blasphemous  principles,  &c. 
Ah  sirs  !  shall  wicked  men  thus  improve  their  wicked  principles  to  the 
uttermost  against  God,  Christ,  and  religion,  and  against  the  prosperity, 
peace,  joy,  and  happiness  of  the  saints  ?  And  shall  not  saints  improve 
their  graces  to  the  uttermost  for  the  honour  of  the  Lord,  the  advance- 
ment of  religion,  and  the  mutual  profit  and  benefit  of  each  other  ? 

[7.]  SeventJily,  The  more  high  mid  excellent  any  man  is  in  grace, 
the  more  high  ly  he  shall  he  exalted  in  glory. 

Oh  !  therefore,  exercise  your  grace,  improve  your  grace.  As  you 
would  be  high  in  heaven,  labour  to  improve  your  gi-aces  much  while  you 
are  here  on  earth  ;  for  glory  will  be  given  out  at  last  according  to  the 
exercise  and  improvement  of  your  grace. 

The  more  high  and  improved  a  man's  graces  be,  the  more  that  man  will 
do  for  God  ;  and  the  more  any  man  doth  for  God,  the  more  at  last  shall 
he  receive  from  God  :  1  Cor.  xv.  58,  '  Therefoi-e,  my  beloved  brethren,  be 
ye  stedfast,  unmoveable,  always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord, 
forasmuch  as  you  know  that  your  labour  is  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord.' 
So  Gal.  vi.  7,  seq.,  '  He  that  sows,  sparingly  shall  reap  sparingly  ;  but  he 
that  sows  liberally  shall  reap  liberally.'^     The  more  any  man  hath  im- 

'  The  Hebrew  word  yijn,  rashang,  signifies  properly  ^avn^if,  a  laborious  sinner,  a  prac- 
titioner in  sin.  The  verb  rashang  signifies  to  make  a  stir,  to  be  exceeding  busy,  unquiet, 
or  troublpsome,  &c. 

*  Witness  Ahab,  Haman,  Jehu,  Jeroboam,  the  fool  in  the  Gospel,  and  those  in  Mat. 
xxiii.  14-16. 

3  Darius,  before  he  came  to  the  kingdom,  received  a  garment  for  a  gift  of  one  Syloson, 
and  win  II  he  became  king,  he  rewarded  him  with  the  command  of  his  country,  Samos, 
&c.     [As  before.     See  Index,  sub  nomine. — G.] 


EpH.  III.  8.]  EICHES  OF  CHRIST.  147 

proved  his  grace,  the  more  that  man  will  be  able  to  bear  and  suffer  for 
God  ;  and  the  more  any  man  bears  and  suffers  for  God,  the  more  glory 
shall  that  man  have  at  last  from  God :  Mat.  v.  11,  12,  '  Blessed  are  ye 
when  men  shall  revile  you,  and  persecute  you,  and  shall  say  all  manner 
of  evil  against  you  falsely  for  my  sake  ;  rejoice  and  be  exceeding  glad,' 
or  *  leap  and  dance  for  joy,  leap  and  skip  for  joy,'  &c.  Why  so  1  'For 
great  is  your  reward  in  heaven.'  God  is  a  liberal  paymaster,  and  no 
small  things  can  fall  from  so  great  and  so  gracious  a  hand  as  his.  The 
more  excellent  any  man  is  in  grace,  the  more  he  is  the  delight  of  God. 
Ps.  xvi.  3,  4,  '  My  goodness  extendeth  not  to  thee,  but  to  the  saints  that 
are  in  the  earth,  and  to  the  excellent,  in  whom  is  all  my  delight.'  Now 
this  is  spoken  in  the  person  of  Christ,  for  the  apostle  applies  these  words 
to  Christ,  Acts  ii.  25.  Now  saith  Christ,  '  My  goodness  reaches  not  to 
thee,'  O  Father  !  ■'  but  to  the  saints,  and  to  the  excellent,  in  whom  is  all 
my  delight.'  And  doubtless,  they  that  are  his  greatest  delight  on  earth, 
shall  be  possessed  of  the  greatest  glory  in  heaven.  If  fathers  give  the 
greatest  portions  to  those  children  in  whom  they  delight,  why  should 
not  Christ  ?  Is  it  equity  in  the  one,  and  iniquity  in  the  other  ?  Surely 
no.     Christ  may  do  with  his  own  as  he  pleases/ 

Again,  the  more  any  man  improves  his  grace,  the  clearer,  sweeter, 
fuller,  and  richer  is  his  enjoyments  of  God  here.  There  is  no  man  in  all 
the  world  that  hath  such  enjoyments  of  God,  as  that  man  hath  that 
most  improves  his  graces.  It  is  not  he  that  knows  most,  nor  him  that 
hears  most,  nor  yet  he  that  talks  most,  but  he  that  exercises  grace  most, 
that  hath  most  communion  with  God,  that  hath  the  clearest  visions  of 
God,  that  hath  the  sweetest  discoveries  and  manifestations  of  God. 
Now  certainly  if  they  that  improve  their  graces  most,  have  most  of  God 
here,  then  without  controversy,  they  shall  have  most  of  God  hereafter. 
Doubtless  a  man  may  as  well  plead  for  equal  degrees  of  grace  in  this 
world,  as  for  equal  degrees  of  glory  in  the  other  world. 

Again,  if  those  who  are  most  graceless  and  wicked  shall  be  most  tor- 
mented, then  certainly  they  that  are  most  gracious  shall  be  most  exalted 
in  the  day  of  Christ.  But  the  more  wicked  any  man  is,  the  more  shall 
he  be  tormented  in  the  day  of  vengeance  :  '  Woe  to  you,  Scribes  and 
Pharisees,  hypocrites,  for  ye  shall  receive  the  greater  damnation,'  Mat. 
xxiii.  14,  Luke  xii.  47,  48.  The  darkest,  the  lowest,  the  hottest  place 
in  hell  is  provided  for  you  ;  therefore  it  roundly  follows,  that  those  that 
are  most  gracious  shall  at  last  be  most  glorious. 

And  thus  much  for  the  motives  that  tend  to  provoke  all  the  precious 
sons  of  Zion,  to  make  a  thorough  improvement  of  the  gifts  and  graces 
that  the  Lord  hath  bestowed  upon  them. 

I  shall  now  come  to  the  resolution  of  a  weighty  question,  and  so  con- 
clude this  point,  which  I  have  been  the  longer  upon,  by  reason  of  its 
very  great  usefulness  in  these  days,  wherein  men  strive  to  exercise  any- 
thing, yea,  everything,  but  grace  and  holiness,  &c. 

Now  this  question  is  this. 

Quest  When  may  a  soul  he  said  to  be  excellent  in  grace,  or  to  have 
highly  imvproved  grace  ? 

Now  to  this  question  I  shall  give  these  following  answers  : 

'  The  father  delights  in  all  his  children,  yet  sometimes  he  delights  more  in  one  than 
in  another,  &c. 


14-8  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

[1.]  First,  A  soul  that  is  high  and  excellent  in  grace,  that  hath 
improved  his  graces  to  a  considc'ra))le  heiglit,  will  keej)  huinhh  and 
idLspotted  under  great  outward  ei^joyments.  It  is  said  of  Daniel,  that 
he  had  *  an  excellent  spirit ;'  and  herein  did  his  excellent  spirit  appear, 
in  that  he  was  holy  and  humble  in  heart,  tliough  high  in  place  and  worth', 
&c.,  Dan.  vi.  3-7.  Daniel  keeps  humble  and  holy  when  he  is  lifted 
high,  yea,  made  the  second  man  in  the  kingdom.  Malice  itself  could 
not  find  anything  against  him,  but  '  in  the  matter  of  his  God.''  It  is 
much  to  be  very  gracious  when  a  man  is  very  great,  and  to  be  high  in 
lioliuess  when  advanced  to  high  places.  Usually  men's  blood  rises  with 
their  outward  good.  Certainly,  they  are  worthy  ones,  and  shall  walk 
with  Christ  in  white,  whose  garments  are  not  defiled  with  greatness  or 
riches,  &c.,  Rev.  iii.  4. 

[2.]  iSecondbj,  They  that  have  highly  improved  their  graces,  tvill 
comply  with  those  commands  of  God  tliat  cross  nature,  tliat  are  con- 
trary to  nature.  And  doubtless  that  man  hath  improved  his  graces  to 
a  very  high  rate,  whose  heart  complies  with  those  commands  of  God 
that  are  cross  and  contrary  to  nature  ;  as  for  a  man  to  love  them  that 
loathe  him,  to  bless  them  that  curse  him,  to  pray  for  them  that  perse- 
cute him,  &c.,  Mat.  v.  44,  It  is  nothing  to  love  them  that  love  us,  and 
to  .speak  well  of  them  that  speak  well  of  us  ;  and  to  do  well,  and  carry 
it  well  towards  them,  that  carry  it  well  towards  us.  Oh,  but  for  a  man 
to  love  those  that  hate  him,  to  be  courteous  to  them  that  are  currish  to 
him,  to  be  sweet  to  them  that  are  bitter  to  him,  &c.,  this  strongly 
demonstrates  a  high  improvement  of  grace.^  Certainly  that  man  is 
very,  very  good,  who  hath  learned  that  holy  lesson  of '  overcoming  evil 
with  good,'  Rom.  xii.  21.  Such  a  one  was  Stephen,  Acts  vii.  55,  xx.  9. 
He  was  a  man  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  is,  of  the  gifts  and  graces  of 
the  Holy  Ghost ;  he  was  much  in  the  exercise  of  grace,  he  can  pray  and 
sigh  for  them,  yea,  even  weep  tears  of  blood  for  them,  who  rejoiced  to 
shed  his  blood.  So  did  Christ  weep  over  Jerusalem,  so  did  Titus,  so 
did  Marcellus  over  Syracuse,  so  did  Scipio  over  Carthage  ;  but  they 
shed  tears  for  them,  whose  blood  they  were  to  shed,  but  Christ  shed 
tears  for  them  who  were  to  shed  his  blood.  So  Abraham  'being  strong 
in  faith  gave  glory  to  God,'  Rom.  iv.  20.  How  ?  Wliy,  by  complying 
with  those  commands  of  God  that  were  contrary  to  flesh  and  blood,  as 
the  offering  up  of  his  son,  his  only  son,  his  beloved  son,  his  son  of  the 
promise,  and  by  leaving  his  own  country,  and  his  near  and  dear  rela- 
tions, upon  a  word  of  command.  The  commands  of  God  so  change  the 
whole  man  and  make  him  new,  that  you  can  hardly  know  him  to  be 
tlie  same  one,  saith  one.^  Well,  sirs,  remember  this,  it  is  a  dangerous 
thing  to  neglect  one  of  his  commands,  though  it  be  never  so  cross  to 
flesh  and  blood,  who  by  another  is  able  to  command  you  into  nothing 
or  into  hell.  '  Let  Luther  hate  me,  and  in  his  wrath  call  me  a  thousand 
times  devil,  yet  I  will  love  him,  and  acknowledge  him  to  be  a  most 
])recious  servant  of  God,'  saith  Calvin.* 

'  Many  are  seemingly  good  till  they  come  to  be  great,  and  then  they  prove  stark 
iiauglil,  like  the  monk  iu  the  fable.     [iSeo  Index  under  '  monk.' — 0.] 

*  They  use  to  say,  If  any  man  would  have  Mr  Foxe  do  him  a  good  turu,  let  him  do 
him  an  injury,  &c.     [The  Martyrologist,  as  before. — G.] 

•'  Lactant.  dc  falsa  sapient,  lib.  iii.  cap.  27. 

*  One  of  the  precious  m  morahilia  of  Calvin's  Letters,  and  of  every  Life  of  him. — G. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHETST.  J  49 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Consider  this,  swc/i  souls  luill  follow  the  Lord  fully, 
that  have  made  an  improvement  of  their  graces.  Oh,  this  was  the 
glorious  commendations  of  Caleb  and  Joshua  in  Numb.  xiv.  24,  that 
'  they  followed  the  Lord  fully,'  in  the  face  of  all  difficulties  and  dis- 
couragements. '  They  had  another  spirit  in  them,'  says  the  text,  they 
would  go  up  and  possess  the  land  ;  though  the  walls  were  as  high  as 
heaven,  and  the  sons"  of  Anak  were  there,  they  made  no  more  of  it  than 
to  go,  see,  and  conquer.^ 

'  They  followed  the  Lord  fully.'  In  the  Hebrew  it  is,  '  They  fulfilled 
after  me.'  The  Hebrew  word  is  a  metaphor  taken  from  a  ship  under 
sail,  that  is  carried  with  a  strong  wind,  as  fearing  neither  sands,  nor 
rocks,  nor  shelves,  &c.  Such  have  little  if  anything  of  Christ  within, 
who  follow  him  by  halves  or  haltingly. 

I  remember  Cyprian  brings  in  the  devil  triumphing  over  Christ  thus  : 
'  As  for  my  followers,  I  never  died  for  them  as  Christ  did  for  his  ;  I 
never  promised  them  so  great  reward  as  Christ  hath  done  to  his,  and 
yet  I  have  more  followers  than  he,  and  they  do  more  for  me  than  his 
do  for  him.'  Oh,  where  is  that  spirit  in  these  days  that  was  upon  those 
worthies  ?  Ps.  xliv.  7,  '  All  this  is  come  upon  us,  yet  have  we  not  for- 
gotten thee,  neither  have  we  dealt  falsely  in  thy  covenant ;  our  heart  is 
not  turned  back,  neither  have  our  steps  declined  from  thy  way, 
though  thou  hast  sore  broken  us  in  the  place  of  dragons,  and  covered 
us  with  the  shadow  of  death.' 

[4.]  Fourthly,  Such  souh  that  have  im'proved  their  graces  to  a  con- 
siderable height,  will  bless  God  as  well  when  he  froiuns  as  when  he 
smiles. 

As  well  when  he  takes  as  when  he  gives,  when  he  strikes  as  when  he 
strokes,  as  you  may  see  by  comparing  'the  scriptures  in  the  margin 
together.2  When  the  Lord  had  stripped  Job  of  all,  and  had  set  him 
naked  upon  the  dunghill,  why  then  says  Job,  '  The  Lord  gives,  and  the 
Lord  taketh  away,  and  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord.'  Where  grace 
is  improved  to  a  considerable  height,  it  will  v/ork  a  soul  to  sit  down 
satisfied  with  the  naked  enjoyment  of  God,  without  other  things  :  John 
xiv.  8,  '  Shew  us  the  Father,  and  it  sufficeth  us.'  The  sight  of  the 
Father,  without  honours,  the  sight  of  the  Father,  without  riches,  the 
sight  of  the  Father,  without  men's  favour,  will  suffice  the  soul.  As 
Jacob  said,  '  It  is  enough  that  Joseph  is  alive  ;'  so  says  the  soul  that  is 
high  in  grace.  It  is  enough  that  Jesus  is  alive,  &c.^ 

[5.]  Fifthly,  Souls  that  have  improved  their  graces  to  a  considerable 
height,  ivill  be  good  in  bad  times  and  in  bad  places. 

Such  souls  will  bear  up  against  the  stream  of  evil  examples,  in  the 
worst  of  times  and  in  the  worst  of  places.*  Abraham  was  righteous  in 
Chaldea  ;  Lot  was  just  in  Sodom  ;  Daniel  holy  in  Babylon  ;  Job  upright 
and  fearing  God  in  the  land  of  Uz,  which  was  a  profane  and  most 
abominable  superstitious  place  ;  Nehemiah  zealous  in  Damascus.  Oh, 
take  me  a  man  that  hath  improved  his  grace,  and  the  worser  the  times 

'   Veni,  vidi,  vici,  I  came,  I  saw,  I  overcame,  said  that  emperor.     [Julius  Cfesar.— G.l 
2  Job  i.  21 ;  Lev.  x.  3  ;  2  Sam.  xv.  25,  26  ;  Isa.  Ixiii.  14,  15. 

^  Christus  est  mihi  pro  omnibus,  says  a  Christian  ;  as  he  said,  Plato  est  mihi  pro  omni- 
bus. 

■•  Though  the  fishes  live  in  the  salt  sea,  yet  they  are  fresh.    So  though  souls  eminently 
racious  live  among  the  wicked,  yet  they  retain  their  spiritualness,  freshness,  and  life. 


150 


THE  UNSEARCHABLE 


[Eph.  Ill  8. 


iire  the  bettor  that  man  will  be ;  he  will  bear  up  bravely  against  the 
stream  of  evil  examples,  he  will  be  very  good  when  times  and  all  round 
about  him  are  very  bad. 

Some  say  that  roses  grow  the  sweeter  when  they  are  planted  by 
garlic.  Verily,  Christians  that  have  gloriously  improved  their  graces 
are  like  those  roses,  they  grow  sweeter  and  sweeter,  holier  and  holier, 
by  wicked  men.  The  best  diamonds  shine  most  in  the  dark,  and  so  do 
the  best  Christians  shine  most  in  the  worst  times. 

[G.]  Sixthly,  Such  turn  their  principles  into  practice.  They  turn 
their  speculations  into  power,  their  notions  into  spirit,  their  glorious 
inside  into  a  golden  outside,  Ps.  xlv.  1 3. 

[7.]  Seventhly,  Such  as  have  made  a  considerable  improvement  of 
their  gifts  and  graces,  have  hearts  as  large  as  their  heads;  whereas 
most  men's  heads  have  outgrown  their  hearts,  &c. 

[8.]  Eighthly,  Such  are  always  most  busied  about  the  highest  things, 
viz.,  God,  Christ,  heaven,  &c.,  Philip,  iii. ;  2  Tim.  iv.  8;  2  Cor.  iv.  18; 
Rom.  viii.  18. 

[9.]  Ninthly,  Such  are  always  a-doing  or  receiving  good.  As  Christ 
went  up  and  down  doing  good,  Mat.  iv.  23 ;  chap.  ix.  35  ;  Mark  vi.  6. 

[10.]  Tenthly  and  lastly.  Such  will  mourn  for  wicked  men's  sins  as 
well  a^  their  own.  Oh  the  tears,  the  sighs,  the  groans,  that  others'  sins 
fetch  from  these  men's  hearts  !  Pambus,  in  the  ecclesiastical  history, 
wept  when  he  saw  a  harlot  dressed  with  much  care  and  cost,  partly  to 
see  one  take  so  much  pains  to  go  to  hell,  and  partly  because  he  had  not 
been  so  careful  to  please  God,  as  she  had  been  to  please  a  wanton  lover, 
Jer.  ix.  1,  2;  2  Pet.  ii.  7-9.i 

I  have  at  this  time  only  given  you  some  short  hints,  whereby  you 
may  know  whether  you  have  made  any  considerable  improvement  of 
that  grace  the  Lord  hath  given  you.  I  do  intend,  by  divine  permission, 
in  a  convenient  time  to  declare  much  more  of  this  to  the  world,  I 
shall  follow  all  what  hath  been  said  with  my  prayers,  that  it  may  help 
on  your  internal  and  eternal  welfare. 

'  The  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.' — Eph.  iii.  8. 

Now,  the  next  observation  that  we  shall  begin  with  is  this: 

That  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  very  rich. 

And  the  second  will  be  this  : 

That  the  great  business  and  work  of  the  ministry  is  to  hold  forth  to 
the  people  the  riches  of  Christ. 

We  shall  begin  with  the  first  point  at  this  time,  namely,  that  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  is  very  rich. 

For  the  opening  of  this  point,  we  shall  attempt  these  three  things  : 

I.  To  demonstrate  this  to  be  a  truth,  that  the  Lord  Jesus  is  very  rich. 

IL  The  grounds  why  he  is  thus  held  forth  m  the  word,  to  be  one  full 
of  unsearchable  riches. 

IIL  To  shew  you  the  excellency  of  the  riches  of  Christ,  above  all 
other  riches  in  the  world. 

IV.  And  then  the  use  of  the  point. 

I.  For  the  first,  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  very  rich. 

[1.]  First,  Express  scripture  sx)eaks  out  this  truth.  He  is  rich  in 
^  Socrates:  H.  E.  iv.  28.— G. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  EICHES  OF  CHRIST.  151 

goodness:  Rom.  ii.  4,  'Or  despisest  thou  the  riches  of  his  goodness,'  his 
'  native  goodness,'  &lc.,  that  is  ready  to  be  employed  for  thy  internal  and 
eternal  good,  &c. 

Again,  He  is  rich  in  wisdom  and  knowledge:  Col.  ii.  3,  'In  whom,' 
speaking  of  Christ,  '  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge.' 
Christ  was  content  that  his  riches  should  be  hid  from  the  world ;  there- 
fore do  not  tliou  be  angry  that  thine  is  no  more  known  to  the  world. 
What  is  thy  one  mite  to  Christ's  many  millions  1  &c} 

Again,  He  is  rich  in  grace:  Eph.  i.  7,  'By  whom  we  have  redemption 
through  his  blood,  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  according  to  the  riches  of  his 
grace.' 

Again,  He  is  rich  in  glory:  Eph.  i.  18,  '  That  ye  may  know  what  is 
the  hope  of  his  calling,  and  what  is  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  his  inheri- 
tance in  the  saints.'  So  in  chap.  iii.  16,  '  That  he  would  grant  unto  you, 
according  to  the  riches  of  his  glory,  to  be  strengthened  with  might  by 
his  Spirit  in  the  inner  man.'  So  in  Philip,  iv.  19,  '  But  my  God  shall 
supply  all  your  need,  according  to  his  riches  in  glory  by  Jesus  Christ. 
The  riches  of  glory  are  unconceivable  riches.  Search  is  made  through 
all  the  bowels  of  the  earth  for  something  to  shadow  it  by.  The  riches 
of  this  glory  is  fitter  to  be  believed  than  to  be  discoursed  of,  as  some  of 
the  very  heathens  have  acknowledged.^ 

[2.]  But,  secondly,  as  express  scripture  speaks  out  this  truth,  that 
Christ  is  very  rich,  so  there  are  eight  things  more  that  do  with  open 
mouth  speak  out  Christ  to  he  very  rich. 

(1.)  First,  You  may  judge  of  his  riches,  hy  the  dowry  and  portion 
that  his  Father  hath  given  him.  In  Ps.  ii.  7,  '  Thou  art  my  Son,  this 
day  have  I  begotten  thee  ;  ask  of  me,  and  I  will  give  thee  the  heathen 
for  thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy  pos- 
session.' He  is  the  heir  of  all  things  ;  all  things  above  and  below,  in 
'  heaven  and  earth,  are  his.  Heb.  i.  2,  '  God  hath  in  these  last  days 
spoken  to  us  by  his  Son,  whom  he  hath  appointed  heir  of  all  things.' 
Christ  is  the  richest  heir  in  heaven  and  earth.  Men  cry  up  this  man 
to  be  a  good  match  and  that ;  and  why  so,  but  because  they  are  great 
heirs  ?  Ah  !  but  what  are  all  the  great  heirs  of  the  world  to  this  heir, 
the  Lord  Jesus  ?  Joseph  gave  portions  to  all  his  brethren,  but  to  Ben- 
jamin a  portion  five  times  as  good  as  what  he  gave  the  residue.  So  the 
Lord  scatters  portions  among  the  sons  of  men.  He  gives  brass  to  some, 
gold  to  others  ;  temporals  to  some,  spirituals  to  others  ;  but  the  great- 
est portion  of  all  he  hath  given  into  the  hands  of  Christ,  whom  he  hath 
made  the  heir  of  all  things  :  Rev.  xi.  15,  '  And  the  seventh  angel  sounded, 
and  there  were  great  voices  in  heaven,  saying,  The  kingdoms  of  this 
world  are  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord,  and  of  his  Christ ;  and  he 
shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever.'  So  in  chap.  xix.  11,  12,  'And  I  saw 
heaven  opened,  and  behold  a  white  horse,  and  he  that  sat  upon  him  was 
called  faithful  and  true,  and  in  righteousness  he  doth  judge  and  make 
war.  His  eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire,  and  on  his  head  were  many 
crowns.'     Mark  that !     What  are  princes'  single  crowns,  and  the  pope's 

1  As  man  is  an  epitome  of  the  whole  world,  so  is  Christ  of  all  wisdom  and  knowledge 
&c. 

^  Nee  Christus  nee  caelum  patitur  hr/perbolem,  ueith&T  Christ  nor  heaven  can  be  hyper- 
bolised.    ^Augustine. — G.] 


1 52  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8 

triple  crown,  to  Christ's  many  crowns  ?  Certainly  he  must  be  very  rich, 
that  hath  so  many  kingdoms  and  crowns.  Wait  but  a  while,  and  you 
shall  see  these  scriptures  made  good,  &c. 

(2.)  Secoudli/,  You  may  judge  of  his  riches,  by  his  keeping  open  house 
for  the  relief  and  supply  of  all  created  creatures,  both  in  heaven  and 
in  earth. 

You  look  upon  those  as  very  rich  that  keep  open  house  for  all  comers 
and  goers;  why,  such  a  one  is  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  he  keeps  open 
house  for  all  comers  and  goers,  for  all  created  creatures  both  in  heaven 
and  earth.  Ps.  civ.  24,  '  The  earth  is  full  of  thy  riches,  so  is  the  great 
and  wide  sea,  where  are  things  creeping  innumerable,  both  small  and 
great.'  'He  opens  his  hand,  and  he  satisfies  every  living  creature,' 
says  the  Psalmist,  Ps.  cxlv.  16.  So  Isa.  Iv.  1,  'Ho,  every  one  that 
thirsteth,  let  him  come  and  buy  wine  and  milk,  without  money  and 
without  price.  Wherefore  dost  thou  lay  out  thy  money  for  that  which 
is  not  bread,  and  tiiy  strength  for  that  which  doth  not  profit  ?''  All 
creatures,  high  and  low,  honourable  and  base,  noble  and  ignoble,  blessed 
and  cursed,  are  fed  at  the  cost  and  charge  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
They  are  all  fed  at  his  table,  and  maintained  by  what  comes  out  of 
his  treasury,  his  purse.  All  angels  and  saints  above,  and  all  saints  and 
sinners  below,  are  beholden  to  Christ  for  what  they  enjoy.  Oh  !  the 
multitudes,  the  numberless  number  of  those  that  live  upon  the  cost  and 
charge  of  Christ.  Can  you  number  the  stars  of  heaven  ?  can  you  num- 
ber the  sands  upon  the  sea-shore  ?  then  may  you  number  the  multitudes, 
the  millions  of  angels  and  men  that  are  maintained  upon  the  cost  and 
charge  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  In  Col.  i.  IG,  17,  '  For  by  him  were  all  things 
created  that  are  in  heaven  and  that  are  in  earth,  visible  and  invisible, 
whether  they  be  thrones  or  dominions,  or  principalities,  or  powers,  all 
things  were  created  by  him,  and  for  him.  And  he  is  before  all  things, 
and  by  him  all  things  consist.' 

(3.)  Thirdly,  You  may  judge  of  the  riches  of  Christ  by  the  time  that 
he  hath  fed  and  clothed,  cherished  and  maintained,  so  many  innu- 
merable millions  of  angels  and  men. 

He  hath  maintained  his  court  above  and  below,  upon  his  own  cost 
and  charge,  for  almost  six  thousand  years.  Oh,  to  keep  such  a  multi- 
tude, if  it  were  but  for  a  day,  would  speak  him  out  to  be  richer  than 
all  the  princes  in  the  world  ;  but  to  keep  so  many  millions,  and  to  keep 
them  so  long,  what  doth  this  speak  out,  but  that  Christ  is  infinitely 
rich,  rich  in  goodness  and  mercy  ?  It  would  beggar  all  the  princes  on 
earth,  to  keep  but  one  day  the  least  part  of  those  that  Christ  maintains 
every  day,  &c. 

(4.)  But,  fourthly,  you  may  judge  of  the  riches  of  Christ  by  this,  that 
he  doth  not  only  enrich  all  the  saints,  bid  all  of  the  saints. 

That  is,  he  enriches  all  the  faculties  of  their  soids  ;  he  enriches  their 
understandings  with  glorious  light  ;  their  consciences  with  quickness, 
pureness,  tenderness  and  quietness;  and  their  wills  with  holy  intentions 
and  heavenly  resolutions  ;  and  their  affections  of  love,  joy,  fear,  &c.,  with 
life,  heat,  and  warmth,  and  with  the  beauty  and  glory  of  the  most  soul- 
enriching,  soul-delighting,  soul-ravishing,  and  soul-contenting  objects 

Crnssius  wa.s  so  rich,  tlmt  he  maintained  a  whole  army  with  his  own  revenues.  But 
what  is  this  to  what  Jesus  dotli  ?  &c.     [As  before.     See  Index,  sub  nomine.— G.] 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  153 

&c.  All  saints'  experiences  seal  to  this  truth,  and  therefore  a  touch  shall 
suffice,  &c. 

(5.)  Fifthly,  Judge  of  the  riches  of  Christ  by  this,  that  notwith- 
standing all  the  vast  expense  and  charge  that  he  is  at,  and  hath' been 
at  for'  so  many  millions  of  thousands,  and  that  f 07-  near  six  thousand 
years,  yet  he  is  never  the  poorer  ;  his  purse  is  never  the  emptier. 

There  is  still  in  Christ  a  fulness  of  abundaDce,  and  a  fulness  of  redun- 
dance, notwithstanding  all  that  he  hath  expended.  It  were  blasphemy 
to  think  that  Christ  should  be  a  penny  the  poorer  by  all  that  he  hath 
laid  out  for  the  relief  of  all  those  that  have  their  dependence  upon  him. 
Col.  i.  19,  '  It  pleased  the  Father  that  in  him  should  all  fulness  dwell.' 
Not  stay  or  abide  a  night  or  a  day  and  away,  but  should  dwell.  The  sun 
hath  not  the  less  light  for  filling  the  stars  with  light.  A  fountain  hath 
not  the  less  for  filling  the  lesser  vessels.  There  is  in  Christ  plenitudo 
fontis,  the  fulness  of  a  fountain.  The  overflowing  fountain  pours  out 
water  abundantly,  and  yet  remains  full.  Why,  the  Lord  Jesus  is  such 
an  overflowing  fountain  ;  he  fills  all,  and  yet  remains  full.  Christ  hath 
the  greatest  worth  and  wealth  in  him.  As  the  worth  and  value  of 
many  pieces  of  silver  is  in  one  piece  of  gold,  so  all  the  petty  excellencies 
scattered  abroad  in  the  creature  are  united  to  Christ ;  yea,  all  the  whole 
volume  of  perfections  which  is  spread  through  heaven  and  earth,  is 
epitomised  in  him,  &c.' 

(6.)  Sixthly,  The  Lord  Jesus  is  generally  rich,  and  that  speaks  him 
out  to  be  rich  indeed.  He  is  generally  rich.  You  have  few  per- 
sons that  are  generally  rich.  That  is  a  rich  man  indeed,  that  is 
generally  rich  ;  that  is,  that  is  rich  in  money  and  rich  in  laud,  and 
rich  in  commodities,  and  rich  in  jewels,  &c.  Now  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  is  one  that  is  generally  rich  ;  he  is  rich  in  all  spirituals ; 
he  is  rich  in  goodness,  rich  in  wisdom  and  knowledge  ;  he  is  rich  in 
grace,  and  rich  in  glory.^  Yea,  he  is  generally  rich  in  respect  of  tem- 
porals. '  He  is  the  heir  of  all  things.'  He  is  the  heir  of  all  the  gold  in 
the  world,  and  of  all  the  silver,  and  of  all  the  jewels,  and  of  all  the  land, 
and  of  all  the  cattle  in  the  world,  as  you  may  see  by  comparing  some 
scriptures  together.  Hos.  ii.  5,  8,  9,  '  For  their  mother  hath  played  the 
harlot,  she  that  conceived  them  bath  done  shamefully  ;  for  she  said,  I 
will  go  after  my  lovers  that  gave  me  my  bread  and  my  water,  and  my 
wool,  and  my  flax,  and  my  oil,  and  my  drink.'  But  mark  what  follows  : 
verses  8,  9,  '  For  she  did  not  know  that  I  gave  her  corn,  and  wine,  and 
oil,  and  multiplied  her  silver  and  gold,  which  they  prepared  for  Baal; 
therefore  will  I  return,  and  take  away  my  corn  in  the  time  thereof,  and 
my  wine  in  the  season  thereof,  and  will  recover  my  wool  and  my  flax, 
given  to  cover  her  nakedness.'  So  in  Ps.  xxiv.  1,  '  The  earth  is  the 
Lord's,  and  the  fulness  thereof,  the  round  world,  and  all  that  dwell 
therein.'  All  others  are  either  usurpers  or  stewards  ;  it  is  the  Lord 
Jesus  that  is  the  great  landlord  of  heaven  and  earth.  So  in  Ps.  1.  8-10, 
I  will  not  reprove  thee  for  thy  saci-ifices,  or  thy  burnt-offerings  ;  I  will 
take  no  bullock  out  of  thy  house,  nor  he-goats  out  of  thy  folds  :  for  every 

^  They  say  it  is  true  of  the  oil  at  Rhemes  that,  though  it  be  continually  spent  in  the 
inauguration  of  their  kings  of  France,  yet  it  never  wastes.  I  am  sure,  though  all  creatures 
spend  continually,  on  Christ's  stock,  yet  it  never  wasteth. 

^  The  philosopher  once  said.  Solus  sapiens  dives,  only  the  wise  man  is  the  rich  man,  &c. 


154  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

beast  of  tlie  forest  is  mine,  and  the  cattle  upon  a  thousand  hills.  T 
know  all  the  fowls  of  the  mountains,  and  the  wild  beasts  of  the  held 
are  mine.  If  I  were  hungry,  I  would  not  tell  thee;  for  the  world  is  mine, 
and  the  fulness  thereof.'     It  is  all  mine,  saith  the  Lord. 

Thus  you  see  that  the  Lord  is  generally  rich,  rich  in  houses,  in  lands, 
in  gold,  in  silver,  in  cattle,  &c.,  in  all  temporals  as  well  as  in  spirituals  ; 
but  where  will  you  find  a  man  that  is  generally  rich  either  in  spirituals 
or  temporals  ?  It  is  true,  you  may  find  one  Christian  rich  in  one 
grace,  and  another  Christian  rich  in  another  ;  but  where  will  you  find  a 
Christian  that  is  generally  rich,  that  is  rich  in  every  grace  :  that  is 
rich  in  knowledge,  in  faith,  in  love,  in  wisdom,  in  humility,  in  meek- 
ness, in  patience,  in  self-denial  ?  Abraham  was  rich  in  faith,  and 
Moses  was  rich  in  meekness,  and  Job  was  rich  in  patience,  and  Joshua 
was  rich  in  courage,  and  David  was  rich  in  upriglitness,  &c.  But  where 
will  you  find  a  saint  that  is  rich  in  all  these  graces  ?  Or  where  will 
you  find  a  man  that  is  generally  rich,  in  respect  of  temporals,  as  to  be 
rich  in  lands,  and  rich  in  moneys,  and  rich  in  wares,  and  rich  in  jewels, 
&c.  But  now  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  generally  rich,  both  in  respect 
of  spirituals  and  temporals.  '  In  having  nothing  I  have  all  things,'  saith 
one,  '  because  I  have  Christ ;  having  therefore  all  things  in  him,  I  seek 
no  other  reward,  for  he  is  the  universal  reward,''  &c. 

(7.)  Seventhly,  You  may  judge  of  the  riches  of  Christ,  by  the  tribute 
and  rent  that  is  due  to  liim. 

He  is  the  great  landlord  and  owner  of  all  that  angels  and  men  pos- 
sess above  and  below.^  All  created  creatures  are  but  tenants-at-will  to 
this  rich  landlord,  the  Lord  Jesus.  He  puts  out  and  puts  in  as  he 
pleases  ;  he  lifts  up  one,  and  casts  down  another ;  he  throws  down  the 
mighty,  and  sets  up  the  needy,  according  to  the  jDleasure  of  his  own 
will.  '  Whom  he  will  he  destroys,  and  whom  he  will  he  saves  alive,' 
Ps.  cxiii.  7  ;  cxlviii.  14  ;  Luke  i.  52.  Whom  he  will  he  binds,  and 
whom  he  will  he  sets  at  liberty  ;  whom  he  will  he  exalts,  and  whom  he 
will  he  abases ;  whom  he  will  he  makes  happy,  and  whom  he  will  he 
makes  miserable,  &c.  The  psalmist,  Ps.  cxlviii.,  upon  this  account,  calls 
upon  all  celestial  and  terrestrial  creatures,  to  pay  their  tribute  of  praise 
to  the  Lord.  He  hath  given  them  all  their  beings,  and  he  maintains 
them  all  in  the  beings  that  he  hath  given  them. 

The  ancient  Hebrews,  as  Josephus  relates,  set  marks  and  tokens  some- 
times on  their  arms,  sometimes  at  their  gates,  to  declare  to  all  the  world 
the  tribute  and  praise  that  was  due  to  the  Lord,  for  all  his  benefits  and 
favours  shewed  unto  them.  Bernard  saith,  *  We  must  imitate  the  birds, 
who  morning  and  evening,  at  the  rising  and  setting  of  the  sun,  omit 
not  to  pay  the  debt  of  praise  that  is  due  to  their  creator.'^ 

(8.)  Eighthly  and  lastly,  judge  of  the  riches  of  Christ  by  the  multi- 
plicity and  variety  of  temporal  and  spiritual  gifts  and  rewards  that 
he  scatters  among  the  children  of  men.* 

^  Gregory  the  Great  was  wont  to  say  that  ho  was  poor  whose  soul  was  void  of  grace, 
not  whose  coffers  were  emjity  of  money. 

'■*  Quicqnid  es,  deles  creanli,  quicquid petis,  debes  redimenti. — Bernard. 

■''  Scrm.  on  Cantic.  —  G. 

■*  Christ  saith  to  the  believer,  as  the  king  of  Israel  said  to  the  king  of  Syria,  '  I  am 
thine,  and  all  that  I  have,'  1  Kings  xx.  4.  This  is  aluearium  divini  mellis,  an  hive  full  of 
divine  comfort. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  1 55 

He  gives  honours  to  thousands,  and  riches  to  thousands,  and  peace 
to  thousands,  and  pardon  to  thousands,  and  the  joys  and  comforts  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  to  thousands.  There  is  not  a  moment  that  passes 
over  our  head,  but  he  is  a-scattering  of  jewels  up  and  down  the 
world  ;  he  throws  some  into  one  bosom,  and  others  into  others, 
but  the  best  into  the  bosom  of  his  saints.  Oh,  the  abundance  of 
peace,  the  abundance  of  joy  and  comfort  !  Oh,  the  fear,  the  faith,  the 
love,  the  kindness,  the  goodness  and  sweetness,  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  scatters  up  and  down  among  the  precious  sons  and  daughters  of 
Zion,  besides  all  temporal  favours.  There  is  not  a  saint  that  receives 
so  much  as  a  cup  of  cold  water,  but  Christ  rewards  it  abundantly  into 
the  bosom  of  the  giver,  Mat.  x.  42.  By  all  which  you  may  well  judge, 
that  certainly  the  Lord  Jesus  is  very  rich,  for  if  he  were  not,  he  could 
never  hold  out  in  scattering  of  rich  rewards  among  so  many  millions, 
and  for  so  many  thousand  years,  as  he  hath  done.^ 

And  so  much  for  the  proof  of  the  point,  viz.,  that  the  Lord  Jesus  is 
very  rich. 

We  come  now  in  the  second  place  to  discover  to  you, 

II.  The  grounds  and  reasons  why  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  held  forth 
in  the  word  to  be  so  very  rich. 

And  they  are  these  that  follow  : 

[1.]  First,  To  encourage  -poor  sinners  to  look  after,  and  to  he  ivilling 
to  matcli  ivith  him!^ 

Poverty  hinders  many  a  match.  The  Lord  did  foresee  from  eternity, 
that  fallen  man  would  never  look  after  Christ,  if  there  were  not  some- 
thing to  be'  gotten  by  Christ.  The  Lord  hath  therefore  in  his  wisdom 
and  goodness  to  fallen  man,  thus  presented  him  as  one  exceeding  rich, 
that  so  poor  sinners  might  fall  in  love  with  him,  and  be  willing  to  give 
up  themselves  to  him :  Pro  v.  viii.  3-i,  85,  '  Blessed  is  the  man  that 
heareth  me,  watching  daily  at  my  gates,  waiting  at  the  posts  of  my 
doors  ;'  as  princes'  guards  do  at  princes'  gates  and  doors.  Now,  the 
arguments  to  draw  out  the  soul  thus  to  wait  upon  the  Lord,  lie  in  the 
next  words,  '  For  whoso  findeth  me  findeth  life,  and  shall  obtain  favour 
of  the  Lord.'  The  Hebrew  runs  thus,  '  For  finding  me  he  shall  find 
lives,  and  shall  draw  forth  the  favour  of  the  Lord.'  Divine  favour  is 
as  it  were  a  jewel  locked  up ;  ay,  but  by  finding  Christ,  by  getting 
Christ,  the  soul  gets  this  jewel,  that  is  more  worth  than  a  world  ;  yea, 
by  gaining  him,  the  soul  gains  lives ;  to  wit,  a  life  of  grace,  and  a  life 
of  glory,  and  what  would  the  soul  have  more  ? 

A  second  ground  of  this  is, 

[2.]  Because  he  is  ordained  hy  the  Father  to  convey  all  riches  of 
grace  to  his  chosen  and  beloved  ones. 

John  i.  16,  'Of  his  fulness  we  all  receive  grace  for  grace;'  and  this 
we  receive  by  divine  ordination.      John  vi.   27,  '  Labour  not,'  saith 

^  The  Duke  of  Burgundy  gave  a  poor  man  a  great  reward  for  offering  him  a  rape  root, 
being  the  best  present  the  poor  man  had.  And  surely  so  will  God  bountifully  reward  the 
least  favours  shewed  to  his. 

2  Abraham's  servant,  to  win  over  the  heart  of  Rebekah  to  Isaac,  brings  forth  jewels  of 
silver  and  jewels  of  gold,  and  acquaints  her  what  a  rich  match  she  should  have  by  match- 
ing with  Isaac,  and  so  overcame  her,  Gen.  xxiv.  And  so  does  God  deal  with  poor  sinners, 
&c. 


156  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

Christ,  '  for  the  meat  tliat  perishetli,  but  for  that  which  endureth  to 
everlasting  life,  which  the  Son  of  man  shall  give  unto  you :  for  him 
hath  God  the  Father  sealed.'  God  the  Father  hath  sealed  Christ  ;^  he 
hath  designed  Christ,  he  hath  set  Christ  apart  for  this  very  work,  that 
he  might  give  grace  unto  us.  God  hath  ordained  to  convey  all  fulness 
of  light  to  the  air  by  the  sun,  and  therefore  hath  put  a  greater  fulness 
of  light  into  the  sun.  God  hath  ordained  all  fulness  of  nourishment  to 
the  branches  by  the  roots,  and  therefore  hath  put  a  fulness  of  juice  into 
the  roots.  So  the  Lord  hath  ordained  that  all  the  riches  of  grace,  of 
peace,  of  glory,  &c.,  that  believers  shall  enjoy  here  and  in  heaven,  they 
shall  have  from  the  Sun  of  righteousness,  from  this  blessed  root  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  and  therefore  the  Father  hath  filled  this  Svm  with 
light,  this  root  witii  heavenly  juice,  because  he  is  by  divine  ordination 
to  convey  all  spiritual  and  glorious  riches  into  the  hearts  of  his  chosen 
and  beloved  ones,  John  xv.  21,  22. 

A  third  ground  is, 

[3.]  'To  take  away  all  excuse  froTYi  ungodly  and  ivicked  men,  and 
that  they  may  he  foimd  speechless  in  the  day  of  vengeance,  vjhen  the 
Lord  shall  come  to  reckon  unth  tJiem.^ 

Ah,  sinners  !  how  will  you  that  have  turned  your  backs  upon  Christ, 
who  is  thus  rich,  be  able  to  answer  it  in  the  day  when  God  shall 
reason  the  case  with  you  ?  When  God  shall  say,  Sinners,  hath  it  not 
been  often  told  you  that  Christ  is  rich  in  mercy,  and  rich  in  goodness, 
and  rich  in  grace,  rich  in  pardons,  rich  in  loves,  and  rich  in  glory,  rich 
in  spirituals,  rich  in  temporals,  and  rich  in  eternals,  and  yet  you  have 
slighted  this  Christ,  you  have  turned  your  backs  upon  this  Christ,  you 
have  preferred  your  lusts,  and  the  world,  and  the  service  of  the  devil, 
above  this  Christ.  Oh !  how  dumb,  how  speechless  will  sinners  be, 
when  the  Lord  shall  thus  plead  with  them.  Oh !  how  will  their 
countenances  be  changed,  their  thoughts  troubled,  and  their  joints 
loosed,  their  consciences  enraged,  and  their  souls  terrified^  when  they 
shall  see  what  a  rich  match  they  have  refused,  and  thereupon  how 
justly  they  are  for  ever  accursed,  &c. 

[4.]  Lastly,  It  is  upon  this  account, 

That  he  may  be  a  complete  Redeemer  to  us,  and  that  nothing  may 
hinder  our  soids  closing  with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

We  stand  in  need  of  one  that  is  rich ;  rich  in  grace  to  pardon  us, 
rich  in  power  to  support  us,  and  rich  in  goodness  to  relieve  us,  and  rich 
in  glory  to  crown  us.  There  is  none  but  such  a  Christ  can  serve  our 
turns.  We  stand  in  need  of  one  that  is  rich,  that  is  generally  rich, 
one  that  is  rich  in  money  to  pay  all  our  debts.  We  have  run  much 
upon  the  score  with  God,  and  none  can  pay  this  score  but  Christ.  Our 
sins  are  debts  that  none  can  pay  but  Christ.  It  is  not  our  tears  but 
his  blood,  it  is  not  our  sighs  but  his  suHerings,  that  can  satisfy  for  our 
sins.  We  are  much  in  debt  to  God  for  the  ground  we  tread  on,  the  air 
we  breathe  in,  the  beds  we  lie  on,  the  bread  we  eat,  the  clothes  we 
wear,  &c. ;  and  none  can  pay  this  debt  but  Christ.     Angels  and  saints 

'  Sealed,  that  is,  made  his  commission  authentical,  as  men  do  their  deeds  by  their  seal. 

*  Sirens  are  said  to  sing  curiously  wiiile  they  live,  but  to  roar  horribly  when  they  die. 
So  will  all  those  that  have  rejected  so  rich  a  Jesus  as  hath  been  tendered  to  them,  when 
the  Lord  Jesus  shall  plead  with  them,  &c. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  157 

may  pity  us,  but  they  cannot  discharge  the  least  debt  for  us,  &c. 
Christ  must  pay  all,  or  we  are  prisoners  for  ever,  &c.'  We  stand  in 
need  of  one  that  is  rich  in  goodness.  We  are  a  needy  people,  and  are 
still  in  want.  Christ  must  be  still  a-giving,  or  we  shall  be  still  a-lan- 
guishing.  If  he  shut  his  hand,  we  perish  jteid  'return  to  dust.  Our 
temporal  wants  are  many,  our  spiritual  wants  are  more,  and  if  Christ 
do  not  supply  them,  who  will  ?  who  can  ?  Nay,  our  wants  are  so  many 
and  so  great,  that  Christ  himself  could  not  supply  them,  were  he  not 
very,  very  rich. 

And  thus  I  have  given  you  a  brief  account  of  the  reasons  of  the  point, 
w^hy  the  Lord  Jesus  is  held  forth  by  the  Scripture  to  be  so  very  rich. 

We  shall  now  come  to  the  third  thing  proposed,  and  that  is, 

III.  The  excellency  of  the  riches  of  Christ  above  all  other  riches  in 
the  world. 

I  shall  briefly  run  over  this  third  branch,  and  so  come  to  the  applica- 
tion, which  is  most  in  my  eye,  and  upon  my  heart. 

[1.]  First,  The  riches  of  Christ  are  incomparable  riches  :  Prov.  iii. 
13-15,  'Happy  is  the  man  that  findeth  Wisdom,'  that  is,  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  'and  the  man  that  getteth  understanding;  for  the  merchandise  of 
it  is  better  than  the  merchandise  of  silver,  and  the  gain  thereof  than  fine 
gold.  She  is  more  precious  than  rubies :  and  all  the  things  thou  canst 
desire  are  not  to  be  compared  unto  her.'  One  grain  of  grace  is  far  be- 
yond all  the  gold  of  Ophir  and  all  the  silver  of  the  Indies,  which  are 
but  the  guts  and  garbage  of  the  earth.  We  may  say  of  the  riches  of 
this  world,  compared  with  the  riches  of  Christ,  as  Gideon  sometime 
said  of  the  vintage  of  Abiezer,  '  The  gleanings  of  Ephraim  are  better 
than  the  vintage  of  Abiezer.'  So  the  gleanings,  the  smallest  gatherings 
of  the  riches  of  Christ,  are  far  better,  more  excellent,  more  satisfying, 
more  contenting,  more  ravishing  than  all  the  riches  of  this  world.^ 

'  The  whole  Turkish  empire,'  saith  Luther,  '  is  but  a  crust  that  God 
throws  to  a  dog.'  The  wise  merchant.  Mat.  xiii.  44,  45,  parts  with  all 
to  gain  this  pearl  of  price  ;  the  truth  is,  other  riches  are  but  a  burden. 
Gen.  xiii.  2,  '  Abraham  was  very  rich  in  cattle,  in  silver,  and  in  gold. 
The  Hebrew  word  chabhedh  is,  '  He  was  very  heavy  in  cattle,  in  silver, 
and  in  gold ' ;  to  signify,  that  riches  are  but  heavy  burdens.  A  little 
will  serve  nature,  less  will  serve  grace,  but  nothing  will  serve  men's 
lusts. 

Pheraulus,  a  poor  man,  on  whom  Cyrus  bestowed  so  much,  that  he 
knew  not  what  to  do  with  his  riches,  being  wearied  out  with  care  in 
keeping  of  them,  he  desired  rather  to  live  quietly,  though  poor,  as  he 
had  done  before,  than  to  possess  all  those  riches  with  discontent ;  there- 
fore he  gave  away  all  his  wealth,  desiring  only  to  enjoy  so  much  as 
might  supply  his  necessities.^  Let  worldly  professors  think  seriously 
of  this  story  and  blush,  &c. 

[2  ]  Secondly,  The  riches  of  Christ  are  inexhaustible  riches.  As  I 
have  shewed  you,  Christ  can  never  be  drawn  dry.* 

^  We  may  say  of  Christ,  as  writers  say  of  the  jasper,  it  is  easier  to  admire  than  declare 
it,  and  far  more  easier  to  say  what  he  is  not  than  what  he  is. 

2  Riches  are  called  thick  clay,  Hab.  ii.  6,  which  will  sooner  break  the  back  than 
lighten  the  heart,  &c.  ^  Xenophon,  Cyrop.  ii.  3,  sec.  7,  and  viii.  3. — G. 

*  Earthly  riches  are  true  gardens  of  Adonis,  where  we  can  gather  nothing  but  trivial 


158  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

The  Spanish  ambassador  coming  to  see  the  treasury  of  St  Mark,  in 
Venice,  which  is  cried  up  tliroughout  the  world,  fell  a-groping  whether 
it  had  any  bottom,  and  being  asked  why,  answered,  '  In  this  among 
other  things,  my  great  master's  treasure  differs  from  yours,  in  that  his 
hath  no  bottom,  as  I  find  ^ours  to  have,'  alluding  to  the  mines  of  Mexico 
and  Potosi,  &c.  Certainly  Christ's  treasures  have  no  bottom,  all  his 
bags  are  bottomless  ;  but  Scripture,  history,  and  experience,  do  abund- 
antly testify  that  men's  bags,  purses,  cofiers,  and  mines,  may  be  ex- 
hausted or  drawn  dry,  but  Christ's  can  never.  Millions  of  thousands 
live  upon  Christ,  and  he  feels  it  not ;  his  purse  is  always  full,  though 
he  be  always  giving,  &c. 

[3.]  Thirdly,  The  riches  of  Christ  are  soul-satisfyinr/  riches.  Oh 
those  riches  of  grace  and  goodness  that  be  in  Christ,  how  do  they  satisfy 
the  souls  of  sinners  !  A  pardon  doth  not  more  satisfy  a  condemned 
man,  nor  bread  the  lumgry  man,  nor  drink  the  thirsty  man,  nor  clothes 
the  naked  man,  nor  health  the  sick  man,  than  the  riches  of  Christ  do 
satisfy  the  gracious  man.  John  iv.  13,  14,  'Whosoever  drinketh  of 
this  water  shall  thirst  again  :  but  whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that 
I  shall  give  him  shall  never  thirst ;  but  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him 
shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  living  water  'springing  up  to  everlasting 
life.'  Grace  is  a  perpetual  flowing  fountain.  Grace  is  compared  to 
water.  Water  serves  to  cool  men  when  they  are  in  a  burning  heat,  so 
grace  cools  the  soul  when  it  hath  been  scorched  and  burned  up  under 
the  sense  of  divine  wrath  and  displeasure.  Water  is  cleansing,  so  is 
grace  ;  water  is  fructifying,  so  is  grace ;  and  water  is  satisfying,  it 
satisfies  the  thirsty,  and  so  doth  grace.  '  Shew  us  the  Father,  and  it 
sufficeth  us,'  John  xiv.  8.  But  now  earthly  riches  can  never  satisfy 
the  soul ;  but  as  they  said  once  of  Alexander,  '  that  had  he  a  body 
suitable  to  his  mind,  he  would  set  one  foot  upon  sea,  and  the  other  upon 
land ; '  he  would  reach  the  east  with  one  hand,  and  the  west  with  the 
other.  And  doubtless  the  same  frame  of  spirit  is  to  be  found  in  all  the 
sons  of  Adam.  In  Eccles.  v.  10,  'He  that  loves  silver  shall  not  be 
satisfied  with  silver  ;  nor  he  that  loveth  abundance  with  increase.  This 
is  also  vanity.'  If  a  man  be  hungry,  silver  cannot  feed  him  ;  if  naked, 
it  cannot  clothe  him  ;  if  cold,  it  cannot  warm  him  ;  if  sick,  it  cannot 
recover  him,  nmch  less  then  is  it  able  to  satisfy  him.  Oh  !  but  the 
riches  of  Christ  are  soul-satisfying  riches.  A  soul  rich  in  spirituals,  rich 
in  eternals,  says,  I  have  enough,  though  I  have  not  this  and  that  tem- 
poral good,  &c.' 

[4.]  Fouiihly,  The  riches  of  Christ  are  haiinless  riches.  They  are 
riches  that  will  not  hurt  the  soul,  that  will  not  harm  the  soul.  Where 
is  there  a  soul  to  be  found  in  all  the  world  that  was  ever  made  worse  by 
spiritual  riches  ?  Oh  but  earthly  riches  have  cast  do^vn  many,  they  have 
slain  many.    If  poverty,  with  Saul,  hath  killed  her  thousands,  riches,  with 

flowers  surrounded  with  many  briars,  &c.  '  Hast  thou  entered  into  the  treasures  of  the 
snow  ?'  saith  God  to  Job.  Now,  Gregory  [of  Nyssa]  saith  tliat  tlie  treasures  of  the  snow 
are  worldly  riches,  which  men  rake  together  as  children  do  snow,  which  the  next  shower 
washeth  away,  and  leaves  nothing  in  the  room  but  dirt ;  and  can  dirt  satisfy  ?  Surely 
no.     No  more  can  worldly  riches. 

*  Anima  rationalis  ceteris  omnibus  occupari potest,  impleri  non  potest,  the  reasonable  soul 
may  be  busied  about  other  things,  but  it  cannot  bo  tilled  with  them,  &c. — Bernard. 
[Sermons  on  Canticles,  as  before. — G.] 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  159 

David,  hath  killed  her  ten  thousands.^  Eccles.  v,  13,  'There  is  a  sore 
evil  which  I  have  seen  under  the  sun,  namely,  riches  kept  for  the 
owners  thereof  to  their  hurt.'  Earthly  riches  are  called  thorns,  and  well 
they  may ;  for  as  thorns,  they  pierce  both  head  and  heart ;  the  head 
with  cares  in  getting  them,  and  the  heart  with  grief  in  parting  with 
them.  Oh  the  souls  that  riches  have  pierced  through  and  through  with 
many  sorrows  !  Oh  the  miods  that  riches  have  blinded  !  Oh  the  hearts 
that  riches  have  hardened  !  Oh  the  consciences  that  riches  have  be- 
numbed !  Oh  the  wills  that  riches  have  perverted  !  Oh  the  affections 
that  riches  have  disordered  and  destroyed  !  Earthly  riches  are  very  vex- 
ing, very  defiling,  very  dividing,  and  to  multitudes  prove  very  ruining.^ 

It  was  a  wise  and  Christian  speech  of  Charles  the  Fifth  to  the  Duke 
of  Venice,  who,  when  he  had  shewed  him  the  glory  of  his  princely 
palace  and  earthly  paradise,  instead  of  admiring  it,  or  him  for  it,  only 
returned  him  this  grave  and  serious  memento,  Hmc  sunt  quae  faciunt 
invitos  mori,  these  are  the  things  which  make  us  unwilling  to  die,  &c.^ 

[5.]  Fifthly,  The  riches  of  Christ  are  tinsearchable  ricJies.  This  is 
plain  in  the  text,  '  Unto  me,  who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,  is 
this  grace  given,  that  I  should  preach  among  the  Gentiles  the  unsearch- 
able riches  of  Christ.'  There  are  riches  of  justification,  riches  of  sancti- 
fication,  riches  of  consolation,  and  riches  of  glorification  in  Christ.  All 
the  riches  of  Christ  are  unsearchable  riches.  A  saint  with  all  the  light 
that  he  hath  from  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  is  not  able  to  search  to  the 
bottom  of  these  riches.  Nay,  suppose  that  all  the  perfections  of  angels 
and  saints  in  a  glorified  estate  should  meet  in  one  noble  breast,  yet  all 
those  perfections  could  not  enable  that  glorious  glorified  creature  for  to 
search  to  the  bottom  of  Christ's  unsearchable  riches.  Doubtless  when 
believers  come  to  heaven,  when  they  shall  see  God  face  to  face,  when 
they  shall  know  as  they  are  known,  v/hen  they  shall  be  filled  with  the 
fulness  of  God,  even  then  they  will  sweetly  sing  this  song,  '  Oh  the 
height,  the  depth,  the  length,  the  breadth  of  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ  ! '  As  there  is  no  Christ  to  this  Christ,  so  there  are  no  riches  to 
his  riches,  &c.  Oh  but  such  are  not  the  riches  of  this  world,  they  may 
be  reckoned,  they  may  be  fathomed,  &c.* 

[6.]  Sixthly,  The  riches  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  are  permanent  and 
abiding  riches ;  they  are  lasting,  they  are  durable  riches.  That  is  a 
choice  scripture,  Prov.  viii.  18,  'Riches  and  honour  are  with  me,  yea, 
durable  riches  and  righteousness.'  The  Hebrew  word  that  is  rendered 
'  durable  riches '  signifies  old  riches.  All  other  riches  are  but  new, 
they  are  but  of  j^esterday  as  it  Avere.  Oh  !  but  with  me  are  old  riches, 
durable  riches.  All  other  riches,  in  respect  of  their  fickleness,  are  as  a 
shadow,  a  bird,  a  ship,  an  arrow,  a  dream,  a  post,  &c.^     This  Valerian, 

'  Da  Domine  ut  sic  possideamus  temporalia  ut  non  perdamus  ceterna. — Bernard. 

^  Some  say  where  gold  grows,  no  plant  will  prosijer ;  so  no  truth,  no  good,  &c.,  will 
have  any  heart-room  where  the  love  of  money  bears  the  bell,  &c. 

3  By  a  long  time  thus  anticipating  a  saying  ascribed  to  Dr  Johnson  and  many  others. 
— G. 

*  The  philosophers  seeing  to  the  very  bottom  of  earthly  riches,  contemned  them,  and 
preferred  a  contemplative  life  above  them.  Omnia  mea  mecum  porto,  said  Bias,  one  of  the 
seven  wise  men  of  Greece,  &c. 

s  It  is  reported  of  one  Myrogenes,  when  great  gifts  were  sent  him,  he  sent  them  back, 
saying,  I  only  desire  this  one  thing  at  your  master's  hands,  to  pray  for  me,  that  I  may 
be  saved  for  eternity,  &c. 


160  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

Valens,  and  Bajazct,  three  proud  emperors,  found  by  experience,  and  so 
liave  many  kini;s,  and  generals,  and  nobles,  as  Scripture  and  history  do 
abundantly  evidence.  Earthly  riches  are  very  uncertain,  1  Tim.  vi.  17. 
They  are  ever  upon  the  wing ;  they  are  like  tennis  balls,  which  are 
banded'  up  and  down  from  one  to  another.  As  the  bird  hops  from  twig 
to  twig,  so  do  riches  from  man  to  man.  This  age  can  furnish  us  with 
multitudes  of  instances  of  this  nature,  &c.  . 

[7.]  Seventhly  and  lastly.  They  are  the  most  useful  riches,  to  siveeten 
all  other  riclies,  nnercies,  and  changes,  &c.,  which  speaks  out  the 
excellency  of  these  riches  above  all  other  riches.  The  more  useful  any- 
thing is,  the  more  excellent  it  is.  Now  the  riches  of  Christ  are  of  all 
things  the  most  useful  to  poor  souls.  When  the  soul  is  under  the  guilt 
of  sin,  nothinor  relieves  it  like  the  riches  of  Christ.  When  the  soul  is  sur- 
rounded  with  temptations,  nothing  strengthens  it  like  the  riches  of 
Christ.  When  the  soul  is  mourning  under  afflictions,  nothing  comforts 
it  like  the  riches  of  Christ.  When  state,  friends,  and  trading  fails, 
nothing  makes  a  Christian  sing  care  away  like  the  riches  of  Christ,  &c. 
The  riches  of  Christ  sweeten  all  other  riches  that  men  enjoy .^  If  a  man 
be  rich  in  parts,  or  rich  in  grace,  rich  in  faith,  rich  in  knowledge,  rich 
in  wisdom,  rich  in  joy,  rich  in  peace,  &c. ;  or  if  a  man  be  rich  in  tem- 
porals, rich  in  money,  rich  in  wares,  rich  in  jewels,  rich  in  lands,  &c., 
the  glorious  and  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ  sweeten  all  his  riches, 
and  the  want  of  these  riches  embitters  all  the  riches  that  men  enjoy. 
When  men's  consciences  are  enlightened  and  awakened,  then  they  cry 
out,  what  are  all  tliese  worldly  riches  to  us,  except  we  had  an  interest 
in  the  riches  of  Christ  ?  As  Absalom  once  said,  '  What  are  all  these  to 
me,  except  I  see  the  king's  face  ? ' 

I  have  read  of  one  that,  upon  his  dying  bed,  called  for  his  bags,  and 
laid  a  bag  of  gold  to  his  heart,  and  then  cried  out,  '  Take  it  away,  it 
will  not  do,  it  will  not  do.'  There  are  things  that  earthly  riclies  can 
never  do. 

They  can  never  satisfy  divine  justice ; 

They  can  never  pacify  divine  wrath  ; 

Nor  they  can  never  quiet  a  guilty  conscience. 

And  till  these  things  are  done,  man  is  undone.  The  crown  of  gold 
cannot  cure  the  headache,  nor  the  honourable  garter  cannot  cure  the 
gout,  nor  the  chain  of  pearls  about  the  neck  cannot  take  away  the  pain 
of  the  teeth.  Oh  but  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ  give  ease  under 
all  pains  and  torments. 

Nugas,  the  Scythian  king,  despising  the  rich  presents  and  ornaments 
that  were  sent  unto  him  by  the  emperor  of  Constantinople  (Michael 
Paleolagus),  asked  him  that  brought  them,  '  Whether  those  things  could 
drive  away  calamities,  diseases,  or  deaths  V  looking  upon  all  those  pre- 
sents as  no  presents,  that  could  not  keep  off  calamities  from  him. 
Verily,  all  the  riches  and  glories  of  this  world  cannot  keep  off  the  least 
calamity,  neither  can  they  make  up  the  w^ant  of  the  least  mercy.  But 
the  riches  of  Christ  do  both  keep  off  calamities,  and  make  up  the  want 
of  all  mercies  that  the  soul  craves  or  nc^eds.     All  which  speak  out  the 

'  •  Bandied,'  =  tossed. — G. 

*  Earthly  riches  cannot  enricli  the  soul,  nor  better  the  soul.     Oftentimes  under  silk 
and  sutiu  apparel  there  is  a  threadbare  soul. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  161 

excellency  of  the  riches  of  Christ  above  all  other  riches.    We  come  now 
unto, 

IV.  The  uses  of  this  point. 

And  the  first  use  that  we  shall  make,  is  a  use  of  exhortation,  to  ex- 
hort you  all,  seeing  Christ  is  so  rich,  to  labour  to  be  spiritually  rich. 
Oh  labour  to  be  rich  in  grace.  In  the  handling  of  this  use  I  shall  pro- 
pound this  method. 

[1.]  I  shall  lay  down  some  considerations  that  may  provoke  your 
souls  to  labour  to  be  rich  in  grace. 

[2.]  I  shall  propound  some  directions  or  helps,  to  help  you  to  be  rich 
in  grace,  which  is  as  much  a  mercy  as  a  duty,  &c. 

[3.]  I  shall  lay  down  some  propositions  concerning  the  soul's  being 
rich  in  grace. 

[4.]  I  shall  shew  you  how  you  may  know  whether  you  are  the  per- 
sons that  are  rich  in  grace,  or  no. 

I  shall  begin  with  the  first,  and  be  a  little  the  more  lai'ge  upon  it, 
because  it  is  a  point  of  mighty  weight  and  concernment ;  and  then  be 
the  more  brief  in  the  three  following  particulars. 

For  the  first,  by  way  of  motive,  I  shall  only  propound  these  following 
considerations,  to  provoke  your  souls  to  labour  to  be  rich  in  grace.  La- 
bor midumvf  as  one  of  the  emperors' motto,  and  must  be  every  Christian's. 

[1.]  First,  Consider  that  the  more  rich  the  soul  is  in  grace,  the 
higher  the  soul  will  be  in  joy  and  co7nfort.^ 

It  is  the  greatest  measures  of  grace  that  usher  in  the  greatest  mea- 
sure of  joy  and  comfort  into  a  believing  heart.  Christians,  have  you 
tasted  of  the  consolations  of  God  ?  Have  you  at  times  sat  down  and 
drank  of  these  wells  of  salvation  ?  Are  your  hearts  carried  out  for  more 
of  those  waters  of  life  ?  Then  labour  to  be  rich  in  grace,  A  little  star 
yields  but  a  little  light,  and  a  little  grace  will  yield  but  a  little  comfort, 
but  great  measures  of  grace  will  yield  a  man  not  only  a  heaven  here- 
after, but  also  a  heaven  of  joy  here.  Divine  comfort  is  a  choice  flower, 
a  precious  jewel,  and  only  to  be  found  in  their  bosoms  that  are  rich  in 
grace.  Spiritual  comforts  are  such  strong  waters,  that  weak  Christians 
are  not  able  to  bear  them.  Great  measures  of  grace  carry  with  them 
the  greatest  evidence  of  the  truth  of  grace  ;  and  the  clearer  evidence 
there  is  in  the  soul  of  the  truth  of  grace,  the  higher  will  joy  and  com- 
fort spring.  The  soul  is  apt  to  hang  her  comforts  on  every  hedge,  to 
shift  and  shark  in  every  by-corner  for  comfort ;  but  as  air  lights  not 
without  the  sun,  and  as  fuel  heats  not  without  fire,  so  neither  can  any- 
thing soundly  comfort  a  Christian  without  the  God  of  grace,  without 
his  being  rich  in  grace.  Great  measures  of  grace  carry  with  them  the 
greatest  evidence  of  a  man's  union  and  communion  with  God,  and  the 
more  a  man's  union  and  communion  with  God  is  evidenced,  the  more 
will  the  sou]  be  filled  with  that  joy  that  is  unspeakable  and  full  of 
glory,  and  with  that  comfort  and  peace  that  passes  understanding.^  In 
great  measures  of  grace  a  man  may  read  most  of  the  love  and  favour 
of  God  ;  and  the  more  a  man  sees  of  the  love  and  favour  of  God  to 
him,  the  more  high  the  springs  of  comfort  rise  in  him.     In  great  mea- 

•  Oh  the  joys,  the  joys,  the  unconceivable  joys !  cried  out  Mistress  Katharine  Bretter^e, 
who  had  attained  to  a  great  measure  of  grace,  &c.  [As  before :  see  Index,  sub  nomine. 
— G.]  2  ^^terna  erit  exultatio,  qu<x  bono  loetaiur  wtenio,  &c. 

VOL.  III.  L 


162  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

sur^s  of  grace,  as  in  a  crystal  glass,  the  soul  sees  the  glorious  face  of 
God  .^hilling  and  sparkling,  and  this  fills  the  soul  with  joy  :  Acts  ix.  31, 
'  Then  had  the  churches  rest  throughout  all  Judea,  and  Galilee,  and 
Samaria,  and  were  edified  ;  and  walking  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and 
in  the  comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  were  multiplied.'  The  more  their 
graces  wt-ro  increased,  the  more  their  comforts  were  augmented. 

'  If  one  drop  of  the  joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost  should  fall  into  hell,  it 
would  s\vallow  up  all  the  torments  of  hell,'  saith  Austin.  Oh  !  who 
would  not  then  labour  to  increase  in  grace,  that  he  may  abound  in  joy  ? 
The  promise  lies  most  fair  before  their  eyes  that  are  rich  in  grace.  Their 
interest  in  it  is  most  clear,  and  rarely  that  they  go  without  it,  unless  it 
is  by  taking  part  sometimes  with  Satan  against  their  interest  in  Christ, 
or  sometimes  through  the  power  of  unbelief,  which  indeed  cuts  off  all 
the  coniiort  of  the  soul,  or  by  looking  after  other  lovers,  or  by  not 
hearkening  to  the  voice  of  the  Comforter,  &c.  Christians,  you  often 
complain  of  the  want  of  joy  and  comfort.  Oh  !  do  but  abound  in  grace, 
and  you  won't  complain  of  the  want  of  comfort.  '  Without  delight  the 
soul  cannot  live,'  saith  one  ;  '  take  away  all  delight,  and  the  soul  dies.' 
Let  this  that  hath  been  spoken,  provoke  every  Christian  to  labour  to  be 
rich  in'  grace. 

[2.]  But,  secondly,  consider  this,  you  have  singular  opportunities 
and  choice  advantages  to  be  rich  in  grace. 

There  is  a  price  put  into  your  hands,  but  where  are  your  hearts  ?  In 
former  times  God  gave  our  grace  by  drops,  but  now  by  flagons.  Cant, 
ii.  5.  Opportunities,  if  not  improved,  will,  as  that  sword  that  Hector 
gave  Ajax,  l)e  turned  into  your  own  bowels.  This  will  be  a  sword  in 
thy  bowels,  that  there  hath  been  soul-enriching  opportunities,  and  thou 
hast  neglected  them,  and  turned  thy  back  upon  them.  The  thoughts 
of  tliis  will  one  day  be  the  scorpions  that  will  vex  thee,  the  rod  that 
will  lash  thee,  the  thorns  that  will  prick  thee,  and  the  worm  that  will 
gnaw  thee.  '  The  stork,'  saith  the  prophet,  *  knows  his  appointed  times ; 
and  the  turtle,  and  the  crane,  and  the  swallow,  observe  the  time  of  their 
coming ;  but  my  people  know  not  the  judgment  of  the  Lord,'  Jer.  viii.  7. 
The  market  for  your  souls  is  open  ;  slip  not  your  season,  lest  with  the 
foolish  virgins  you  go  to  buy  when  it  is  too  late,  Mat.  xxv.  The  mer- 
chant will  not  slip  his  opportunity  of  buying,  nor  the  sailor  his  of  sail- 
ing, nor  the  husbandman  his  of  sowing,  and  why  should  you  slip 
yours  of  growing  rich  in  grace  ?  Many  men  lose  their  souls,  as  Saul 
lost  liis  kingdom,  by  not  discerning  their  time  to  be  spiritually  lich. 

Tamerlane  at  first  hung  out  a  white  flag,  but  if  they  slipped  that  oppor- 
tunity, then  a  red,  and  so  death  and  destruction  followed,  &c.  The  Lord 
Jesus  hangs  out  the  white  flag  of  mercy  in  these  days,  to  entice  souls 
to  come  in,  and  to  share  with  him  in  his  glorious  and  unsearchable 
riches,  in  the  riches  of  his  grace  and  mercy  ;  but  if  you  stand  out, 
Christ  hath  a  red  flag,  and  if  that  be  once  put  out,  you  are  lost  for  ever. 
Thrice  happy  are  those  that  take  the  fir.st  opportunity  of  closing  with 
Christ,  antl  of  subjecting  themselves  to  Christ.' 

Plutarch  writes  of  Hannibal,  '  That  when  he  could  have  taken  Rome 

'  Rticli  tlicrc  liave  been  who,  by  giving  a  glass  of  water  opportunely,  have  obtained  a 
kingflom.  iis  }ou  may  see  in  the  story  of  Thaumastus  and  king  Agrippa,  &c.     [Cf.  Index 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  163 

he  would  not,  but  when  he  would  have  taken  Kome  he  could  not."' 
When  many  men  may  have  mercy,  they  won't,  and  when  they  would 
have  mercy,  they  shan't,  Prov.  i.  24,  seq.  Mercy  and  grace  are  some- 
times upon  the  Bare  knee.  Christ  stands  knocking  at  sinners'  doors  ; 
he  is  willing  to  come  in  and  make  sinners  rich  and  happy  for  ever;  he 
calls  upon  souls  to  open  to  him,  Rev.  iii.  20,  seq.  '  Lift  up  your  heads, 
O  ye  gates ;  and  be  ye  lift  up,  ye  everlasting  doors ;  and  the  King  of  glory 
shall  come  in.  Who  is  the  King  of  glory  ?  The  Lord  strong  and 
mighty,  the  Lord  mighty  in  battle,'  Ps.  xxiv.  7,  8.  The  King  of  glory 
comes  not  vacuis  manihus,  empty-handed  ;  no,  he  comes  with  his 
hands  and  heart  full  of  rich  and  royal  presents,  and  blessed  and  enriched 
for  ever  are  those  that  open  to  this  King  of  glory,  &c. 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Consider  this,  souls  rich  in  grace  shall  have  their  names 
immortal. 

Every  man  naturally  would  have,  if  it  were  possible,  his  name  im- 
mortal. Now  there  is  no  way  in  the  world  to  have  your  names  immor- 
tal, like  this  of  growing  rich  in  grace.  A  man  that  is  spiritually  rich 
shall  live,  and  his  name  shall  live  when  he  is  dead.  In  Neh.  vii.  2,  it 
is  said  of  Hananiah,  that  '  he  was  a  faithful  man,  and  feared  God  above 
many  ;'  or,  '  he  feared  God  above  multitudes,'  as  the  Hebrew  hath  it : 
Tnerabbim,  from  rahab.  His  name  lives,  though  his  body  for  many 
hundred  years  hath  been  turned  to  dust.  So  in  Acts  vii.  55,  'Stephen 
was  a  man  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost.'  Though  Stephen  was  stoned,  yet 
his  name  lives,  his  memorial  is  precious  among  the  saints  to  this  very 
day.  So  in  Heb.  xi.  38,  they  were  such  '  of  whom  this  world  was 
not  worthy.'  And  in  the  third  Epistle  of  John,  the  six  first  verses, 
compared  with  ver.  1 2,  Gains  and  Demetrius,  who  were  rich  in  grace, 
have  crowns  of  honour  set  upon  their  heads,  their  names  live,  and  are 
a  sweet  savour  to  this  very  day,  &c.  So  in  Ps.  cxii.  6,  '  The  righteous 
shall  be  had  in  everlasting  remembrance,  but  the  name  of  the  wicked 
shall  rot.'  The  great  man's  name,  and  the  rich  man's  name,  shall  rot, 
saith  he,  but  '  the  name  of  the  righteous  shall  be  had  in  everlasting 
remembrance.'^ 

The  Persians  use  to  write  their  kings'  names  in  golden  characters  ; 
so  the  Lord  writes  the  names  of  souls  rich  in  grace  in  golden  characters. 
Their  names  are  always  heirs  to  their  lives.  Believe  it,  there  is  no  such 
way  in  the  world  to  have  immortal  names,  like  this  of  growing  rich  in 
grace.  One  man  thinks  to  make  his  name  immortal,  by  making  him- 
self great ;  another  by  heaping  up  silver  and  gold  as  the  dust  of  the 
earth  or  the  stones  of  the  street,  and  another  by  doing  some  strange 
exploits,  &c.  But  for  all  this  the  Lord  will  make  good  his  word,  '  the 
name  of  the  wicked  shall  rot.'  If  God  be  God,  his  name  must  rot ;  but 
'  the  righteous  shall  be  had  in  everlasting  remembrance  ;'  they  leave 
their  names  behind  for  a  blessing,  Isa.  Ixv.  15.  It  is  sad  to  consider 
what  many  poor  carnal  creatures  have  done  and  suffered  to  make  their 
names  immortal.  The  Romans'  desires  of  praise  and  a  name,  made 
them  bountiful  of  their  purses,  and  prodigal  of  their  lives.^ 

'  In  '  Lives'  of  Fabius  Maximus  and  T.  Quinctius  Flaminius — ft. 
^  Ego  si  honam  Jamam  servasso,  sat  dives  ergo,  if  I  may  but  keep  a  good  name,  I  have 
•wealth  enough,  said  Plautus. 

^  A  good  name  yields  a  fragrant  smell  over  town  and  country  ;  it  puts  a  shining  luslre 


Kjt  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

Erostratus  set  the  temple  of  Diana  on  fire,  on  that  night  that  Alex- 
undor  was  born,  only  that  he  might  be  talked  of  when  he  was  dead.^ 

Calvin  observes,  that  Servetus  in  Geneva,  in  the  year  J  555,  gave  all 
his  goods  to  the  poor,  and  his  body  to  be  burned,  and  all  for  a  name, 
for  a  little  glory  among  men.  But  these  poor  creatures  have  all  missed 
the  mark.  There  is  no  way.  Christians,  to  have  your  names  immortal, 
like  this,  of  growing  rich  in  grace.  Satan  nor  the  world  shall  never  be 
able  to  bury  such  men's  names,  who  are  rich  in  grace  ;  their  names 
shall  rise  in  glory  here,  as  well  as  their  bodies  hereafter. 

[4.]  But  then,  /ourthly  and  mainly,  consider,  that  spiTitual  riches 
will  enable  you  to  live  up  to  your  pnnciples. 

That  man  that  hath  but  so  much  grace  as  will  keep  hell  and  his  soul 
asunder,  will  never  live  up  to  his  principles.  Souls  weak  in  grace  are 
too  apt  to  deny,  and  in  their  practices  to  contradict,  their  own  prin- 
ciples; and  oh  that  this  age  could  not  furnish  us  with  too  many  instances 
of  this  nature  I  Oh  !  what  is  that  that  is  the  reproach  of  religion,  and 
the  dishonour  of  God  and  the  gospel,  but  this,  that  professors  live  below 
their  principles,  that  they  live  not  up  to  their  principles  ?  And  let  me 
tell  you,  Christians,  there  is  notiiiug  hut  a  rich  measure  of  grace  that 
will  enable  a  soul  to  live  up  to  his  principles.  A  man  that  is  not  rich 
in  grace  will  never  be  able  to  live  up  to  his  own  principles,  but  will 
upon  every  occasion  and  temptation  be  ready  to  wound  two  at  once ; 
the  honour  of  God  and  his  own  soul.  Yea,  men  that  are  not  rich  in 
grace,  will  be  ready  to  deny  their  own  principles,  as  many  weak  Chris- 
tians did  in  persecuting  times. 

But  you  will  say  to  me,  What  are  those  gracious  and  holy  jyi^inciples, 
tJuit  a  rich  measure  of  grace  will  enable  a  man  to  live  up  to  ? 

I  will  instance  only  in  those  that  have  most  worth  and  weight  in 
them,  and  they  are  worthy  of  all  your  thoughts. 

(1.)  First,  It  is  your  principle,  that  you  tnust  rather  suffer  tJian  sin. 

It  is  your  principle  rather  to  undergo  the  greatest  calamities,  than 
willingly  to  commit  the  least  iniquity.  Now,  pray  tell  me,  what  will 
enable  a  Christian  to  live  up  to  this  principle?  Will  a  little  grace,  a 
httle  knowledge  of  God,  a  little  faith  in  God,  a  little  love  to  God,  a 
little  zeal  for  God,  a  little  communion  with  ,God  ?  Will  this  do  it  ? 
Surely  no.  It  must  be  much  grace  that  must  enable  the  soul  to  live 
up  to  this  principle.^  When  sin  and  suffering  have  «tood  in  competi- 
tion, many  weak  Christians  have  chosen  rather  to  sin,  than  to  suffer, 
which  hath  opened  many  a  mouth,  and  sadded  many  a  heart,  and 
wounded  n)auy  a  conscience.  Yea,  such  by  their  not  suffering,  have 
suffered  more  than  ever  they  could  have  suffered  from  the  wrath  and 
rage  of  man.  Oh  !  but  now  spiritual  riches  will  enable  a  man  to  live 
up  to  this  principle,  as  you  may  see  in  Daniel,  who  had  an  excellent 
spirit  in  him,  who  wais  rich  in  grace,  and  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  ; 
he  lives  up  to  his  principles  ;  he  lives  out  his  principles,  when  he 
was  put  hard  to  it ;  when  he  must  either  neglect  the  worship  of  his 
God  and  make  a  god  of  his  king,  or  to  the  lions'  den.  Now,  Daniel 
upon  tho  countenance  ;  it  fitteth  to  any  public  employment,  in  ministry  or  mugistracy  ; 
it  8topd  many  a  foul  mouth,  and  it  makes  men  live  when  they  aro  dead. 
'  As  before  :  Index,  sub  nomine — G. 

*  It  is  better  for  me  to  be  a  martyr  than  a  inou;ircli,  8aid  Ignatius  when  he  wa3  to 
sutler,  &c. 


I 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  1 65 

chouses  rather  to  be  cast  into  the  lions'  den  than  not  to  do  homage  to 
his  God  ;  he  had  rather  suffer  much,  than  that  God  should  lose  a  dram 
of  his  glory.  Of  the  same  spirit  and  metal  were  those  worthies,  Heb. 
xi.,  who,  when  they  were  put  to  it,  did  rather  choose  to  suffer  the  very 
worst  of  miseries,  than  they  would  in  the  least  dishonour  the  Lord, 
wound  their  own  consciences,  and  make  work  for  repentance,  &c.  And 
so  did  Jovinian,  Eusebius,  Galeacius  [Carraciolus],  Basil,  Vincentius, 
Bolilas,  &c.  By  all  which  you  see,  that  Christians  that  are  spiritually 
rich,  live  up  to  this  principle,  viz.,  to  suffer  rather  than  sin,  when  sin 
and  suffering  stand  in  competition;  which  babes  in  grace  cannot  do.' 

(2.)  Secondly,  It  is  your  principle,  thai  grace  and  virtue  are  to  he 
pu7'sued  after,  for  their  own  worth,  beauty,  and  excellency. 

But  pray,  tell  me,  what  will  carry  a  Christian  out  to  this  principle  ? 
Will  a  little  grace  carry  a  man  out  to  pursue  after  grace,  for  the  beaut\s 
holiness,  excellency,  and  spirituality  that  is  in  it  ?  Alas  !  we  see  by 
daily  experience  that  it  will  not  do  it.  All  other  considerations  put 
together,  are  little  enough  to  draw  men  on  to  pursue  after  grace  for  its 
native  beauty  and  excellency.  Many  seek  Christ,  but  it  is  for  loaves 
more  than  for  love,  John  vi.  26 ;  and  they  pursue  after  the  means  of 
grace,  not  for  the  beauty,  excellency,  and  glory  that  is  stamped  upon 
the  means,  but  one  to  maintain  his  honour,  and  another  to  keep  up  his 
name,  and  another  to  bring  in  credit  or  custom,  and  another  to  please 
his  friends,  and  another  to  silence  his  conscience,  &c.,  but  few  there  be, 
if  any,  but  those  that  are  rich  in  grace,  that  are  true  to  this  principle, 
that  pursue  after  grace  for  its  own  beauty  and  excellency.  It  was  a 
notable  expression  of  David,  who  was  a  man  rich  in  grace,  Ps.  cxix. 
140,  '  Thy  word  is  very  pure,  therefore  thy  servant  loveth  it.'  Oh  !  for 
a  soul  to  love  grace,  and  the  word  of  grace,  for  its  own  interest,  for  the 
holiness,  purity,  and  glory  of  it.  This  speaks  out  the  soul  to  be  rich  iu 
grace.  So  Paul,  a  man  rich  in  grace,  pursues  after  grace  for  its  own 
interest,  for  the  beauty  and  excellency  of  it.  He  forgets  '  what  is  be- 
hind, and  presses  forward  after  the  mai'k  for  the  prize  of  the  high 
calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  that  if  by  any  means  he  might  attain  to 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead,'  Philip,  iii.  13,  14.  That  is,  to  that  perfec- 
tion that  the  dead  shall  reach  to  in  the  morning  of  the  resurrection,  &c. 
The  young  philosophers  were  very  forward  to  get  the  precepts  of 
their  sect,  and  the  rules  of  severity,  that  they  might  discourse  with 
kings  and  nobles,  not  that  they  might  reform  their  own  manners. 
Many  professors  in  this  age  are  like  those  philosophers;  they  are  very 
industrious  to  get  knowledge,  that  they  may  be  able  to  discourse,  and 
that  they  may  be  eyed,  owned,  and  honoured  among  others,  for  their 
knowledge  and  understanding.^  But  now  souls  that  are  rich  in  grace, 
they  labour  after  greater  measures  of  grace,  out  of  love  to  grace,  and 
because  of  an  excellency  that  they  see  in  grace.  Grace  is  a  very  spark- 
ling jewel,  and  he  that  loves  it,  and  pursues  after  it  for  its  own  native 
beauty,  hath  much  of  it  within  him,  &c. 

(3.)  Thirdly,  It  is  your  principle,  that  inen  must  subject  themselves, 
and  square  all  their  actions  by  the  ivord  of  God. 

^  Of  the  very  same  spirit  were  the  primitive  Christians:  they  chose  rather  to  be  thrown 
to  lions  without  than  left  to  lusts  within.  Ad  leonem  magis  qvmn  lenonem,  saith  Ter- 
hillian.  *  There  may  be  malum  opus  in  bona  matervi,  as  in  Jehu"s  zeal,  &c. 


166  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EpH.  III.  8. 

Now,  what  will  make  a  man  live  up  to  this  principle?  Will  a  little 
«frace  ?  Surely  no,  Isa.  viii.  10.  But  great  measures  of  grace  will. 
Zacharias  and  Elizabeth  were  rich  in  grace,  and  they  lived  up  to  this 
principle  :  Luke  i.  5,  '  They  walked  in  all  the  commandments  of  the 
Lord  blameless.'  The  apostles  were  rich  in  grace,  and  they  lived  up  to 
this  principle  :  2  Cor.  i.  12,  'This  is  our  rejoicing,  the  testimony  of  our 
conscience,  that  in  simplicity  and  godly  sincerity,  we  have  had  our 
conversation  in  tlie  world.'  So  in  1  Thcs.  ii.  10,  'Ye  are  witnesses,  and 
God  also,  how  holily,  justly,  and  unblameably,  we  have  behaved  our- 
selves among  you  that  believe.'  Oh !  here  are  souls  that  live  up  to 
their  principles.  A  Christian  that  is  rich  in  grace  is  excellent  all 
over. 

George,  prince  of  Anhalt  his  family  is  said  to  have  been  ecclesia, 
acailemia,  cuHa,  a  church,  a  university,  and  a  court.  A  Christian  that 
is  rich  in  grace  hath  a  heart  as  large  as  his  head,  yea,  a  heart  that  is  as 
large  as  the  whole  will  of  God  :  Acts  xiii.  22,  '  I  have  found  David  the 
son  of  Jesse,  a  man  after  my  own  heart,  which  shall  fulfil  all  my  Avill.' 
In  the  Greek  it  is,  all  my  wills,  ^O.-zitiara,  to  note  the  universality  and 
sincerity  of  his  obedience.  Souls  rich  in  grace  practise  that  themselves 
which  they  prescribe  to  others.  Lessons  of  music  and  copies  must  not 
be  read  only,  but  acted  also.  Souls  rich  in  grace  are  good  at  this,  and 
they  will  be  good  in  all  places  and  cases.  They  are  as  good  at  the 
particular  duties  of  religion,  as  at  those  that  are  more  general ;  they 
are  good  fathers,  and  good  masters,  and  good  husbands,  as  well  as  good 
Christians,  in  a  more  general  sense.  But  now  souls  that  have  but  a  little 
grace,  they  are  much  in  the  general  duties  of  religion,  but  very  defective 
in  the  particular  duties  of  religion,  as  sad  experience  doth  abundantly 
evidence.  Those  that  have  a  blemish  in  their  eye,  think  the  sky  to  be 
ever  cloudy  ;  and  nothing  is  more  common  to  weak  spirits,  than  to  be 
criticising  and  contending  about  other  duties,  and  to  neglect  their  own. 
But  such  that  are  rich  in  grace,  make  it  their  glory  to  subject  them- 
selves to  the  rule  of  righteousness  ;  as  Baldasser,  a  German  mini.ster, 
cried  out,  Let  the  word  of  the  Lord  come,  let  it  come,  saith  he,  and  we 
will  submit  to  it,  if  we  had  many  hundred  necks  to  put  under.  It 
must  be  much  grace  that  must  enable  a  man  freely,  fully,  and  sweetly 
to  subject  himself  and  his  actions  to  the  word  of  the  Lord. 

(4.)  Fourthly,  It  is  your  principle,  that  you  must  deny  yourselves, 
your  ovjii  j^^'ojii,  ease,  pleasure,  &c.,  for  a  2)ublic  good. 

And  this  the  Scripture  requires.  It  is  your  principle  to  deny  your- 
selves, your  own  honour,  pleasure,  profit,  &c.,  for  a  public  advantage, 
when  your  particular  advantages  stand  in  competition  with  the  public. 
Now  self  must  be  laid  by,  and  the  public  must  carry  the  day.  Oh,  but 
will  a  little  grace  enable  a  man  to  live  up  to  this  principle  !  Woful 
experience  shews  the  contrary.  Ay,  but  now,  take  me  a  man  that  is 
rich  in  grace,  and  he  will  live  up  to  this  golden  principle,  as  you  may 
•see  in  Nehem.  v.  14-18.  Nehemiah  was  a  man  eminent  in  grace,  and 
he  chose  rather  to  live  upon  his  own  purse  than  upon  the  public 
purse  :  '  Moreover,  from  the  time  that  1  was  appointed  to  be  their 
governor  in  the  land  of  Judah,  from  the  twentieth  year  even  unto  the 
thirty-second  year  of  Artaxerxes  the  king,  that  is,  twelve  years,  I  and 
uiy  brethren  have  not  eaten  the  bread  of  the  governor.     Behold  the 


EpH.  hi.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  107 

former  governors  that  had  been  before  me,  were  chargeable  unto  the 
people,  and  had  taken  of  them  bread  and  wine,  besides  forty  shekels  of 
silver  ;  yea,  even  their  servants  did  bear  rule  over  the  people  :  but  so 
did  not  I,  because  of  the  fear  of  God.  Yea,  also  I  continued  in  the 
work  of  this  wall,  neither  bought  we  any  land  :  and  all  my  servants 
were  gathered  thither  unto  the  work.  Moreover,  there  were  at  my 
table  an  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  Jews  and  rulers,  besides  those  that 
came  in  to  us  from  among  the  heathen.  And  yet  for  all  this,'  saith  he, 
'  I  required  not  the  bread  of  the  governor,  because  the  bondage  was 
heavy  upon  the  people.'  Oh,  here  was  a  brave  spirit  indeed  ;  he  was  far 
from  enriching  himself  by  others'  ruins,  from  emptying  others'  purses  to 
fill  his  own.  But  he  is  dead,  and  it  seems  this  brave  spirit  is  buried 
with  him.  There  are  few  of  his  name,  and  fewer  of  his  spirit,  if  any  in 
this  world,  and  therefore  well  might  he  pray,  '  Think  upon  me,  my 
God,  for  good,  according  to  all  that  I  have  done  for  this  people.'  And 
accordingly  God  did  think  upon  him  for  good,  and  made  him  very 
famous  and  glorious  in  his  generation.^  And  that  is  a  remarkable 
passage  concerning  Moses  :  Num.  xiv.  12-21,  'I  will  smite  them  with 
the  pestilence,  and  disinherit  them,  and  will  make  of  thee  a  great 
nation,  and  mightier  than  they,'  saith  God  to  Moses.  '  Therefore  let  me 
alone  to  destroy  them  and  cut  them  off,  for  they  are  a  rebellious  genera- 
tion. And  I  will  make  thee  a  mightier  nation  for  honour,  riches,  and 
power,  than  they.  Nay,'  saith  Moses,  '  this  may  not  be.  Lord.'  Oh,  the 
people  must  be  spared,  the  people  must  be  pardoned,  and  the  people 
must  have  thy  presence  with  them,  and  rather  than  it  should  be  other- 
wise, let  my  name.  Lord,  be  blotted  out  of  the  book  of  life.  Lord  !  I 
care  not  how  ill  it  goes  with  my  particular,  so  they  may  live.  Can  the 
self-seekers  of  our  age  think  seriously  of  this  and  not  blush  ? 

So  Mordecai  was  a  man  of  a  brave  public  spirit :  Esther  x.  3,  '  Mor- 
decai  the  Jew  was  next  unto  King  Ahasuerus,  and  great  among  the 
Jews,  and  accepted  of  the  multitude  of  his  brethren,  seeking  the  wealth 
of  his  people.'  Or  as  the  Hebrew  hath  it,  '  Seeking  good  for  his  peo- 
ple ;'  that  is,  he  made  it  his  business  to  seek  their  good.  Christ  also 
was  full  of  grace,  and  had  a  brave  public  spirit ;  he  laid  out  himself 
and  laid  down  himself  for  a  public  good  ;  and  so  did  Paul,  &c.  Few  in 
our  days  are  of  his  opinion  and  mind,  who  was  rather  willing  to  beautify 
Italy  than  his  own  house.^  '  That  pilot  dies  nobly,'  saith  Seneca,  '  who 
perisheth  in  the  storm  with  the  helm  in  his  hand.'  Such  that  seek 
themselves  more  than  the  public  good  must  be  served  as  ^Esop  did  his 
fellow-servant ;  he  gave  him  warm  water  to  drink,  by  which  means  he 
vomited  up  the  stolen  figs.  Friends,  it  is  not  a  little  grace  that  will 
make  a  man  prefer  the  public  good,  above  his  own  particular  good,  but 
much  grace  will  ;  therefore  labour  to  be  rich  in  grace.* 

(5.)  Fifthly,  It  is  your  principle,  that  you  are  to  do  the  duties  that 
Ood  requires  of  you,  and  quietly  leave  the  issues  and  events  oj  all  to 
the  luise  dispose  of  God. 

^  It  is  a  base  and  unworthy  spiiit  for  a  man  to  make  himself  the  centre  of  all  his 
actions.  The  very  heathen  man  could  say,  A  man's  country  and  his  friends,  and  others, 
challenge  a  great  part  of  liim. 

2  Lorenzo  the  Magnificent. — G. 

»  Christ  healed  others,  but  was  hurt  himself;  he  fed  and  filled  others,  but  was  hungry" 
himself,  &c. 


1G8  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

But  pray  tell  me,  will  a  little  grace  enable  a  man  to  live  up  to  this 
principle,  to  do  his  duty,  and  to  leave  issues  and  events  to  him  to  whom 
they  l)flong?  Surely  no.  Eccles.  ix.  10,  '  Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth 
to  do,  do  it  with  all  thy  might,  for  there  is  no  work,  nor  device,  nor 
knowledge,  nor  wisdom  in  the  grave  whither  thou  goest.  Mark,  he 
doth  not  say,  what  thy  head  finds  to  do,  for  that  may  find  a  thousand 
things  ;  nor  wiiat  thy  heart  finds  to  do,  for  that  may  find  ten  tliousand 
things  ;  but  what  thy  hand  finds  to  do ;  that  is,  look  what  work  God  cuts 
out  to  thy  hand  to  do,  that  do  with  all  thy  might,  for  there  is  no  work- 
ing ill  tlie  grave.  We  are  to  do  much  good  in  a  little  time  ;  we  are 
made  here,  and  set  to  be  a-doing  something  that  may  do  us  good  a 
thousand  years  hence,  yea,  that  may  stand  us  in  stead  to  eternity.  Our 
time  is  short,  our  task  is  great,  the  devil  knows  that  his  time  is  but 
short,  and  that  is  the  reason  why  he  is  so  active  and  stirring,  why  he 
does  outwork  the  children  of  light,  in  a  quick  despatch  of  the  deeds  of 
darkness.  Christians,  do  not  deceive  yourselves ;  it  is  not  shows  of 
grace,  nor  little  measures  of  grace,  that  will  enable  a  man  to  live  up  to 
this  principle,  but  great  measures  of  grace  Avill,  as  you  may  see  in  the 
three  children,  'We  are  not  careful  to  answer  thee,  0  king,  in  this  matter; 
if  it  be  so,  our  God  whom  we  serve  is  able  to  deliver  us  from  the  burning 
fiery  furnace,  and  he  will  deliver  us  out  of  thine  hands,  0  king.  But  if 
not,  be  it  known  unto  thee,  O  king,  that  we  will  not  serve  th}'  gods,  nor 
worship  the  golden  image  which  thou  hast  set  up.'  We  know  our  duty, 
and  that  we  will  keep  to,  whatever  the  issue  and  event  be.  So  those 
worthies,  Ps.  xliv.  19,  'Though  thou  hast  sore  broken  us  in  the  place  of 
dragons,  and  covered  us  with  the  shadow  of  death,  yet  have  we  not 
forgotten  thee,  neither  have  we  dealt  falsely  in  thy  covenant.'  Here 
was  much  of  Christ  and  grace  within.  So  in  Acts  xxi.,  when  Paul  was 
to  go  up  to  Jerusalem  to  suffer,  his  friends, by  many  tears  and  arguments, 
laboured  to  dissuade  him,  for  fear  of  some  sad  issue  and  event  that  would 
follow.  But  Paul,  rich  in  grace,  answered,  'What  mean  ye  to  weep,  and 
break  my  heart,  for  I  am  ready  not  to  be  bound  only,  but  also  to  die  at 
Jerusalem,  for  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.'  I  will  go  up  to  Jerusalem, 
and  I  am  willing  to  go  up,  though  I  die  for  it.  Ay,  here  is  a  soul  that 
lives  up  to  his  principle.  Ay,  but  now  souls  that  are  weak  in  grace,  as 
we  have  had  large  experience  of  it  in  our  times,  they  are  more  taken 
up  and  busied  about  the  events  and  issues  of  things,  than  they  are  with 
their  own  duties.'  When  tliey  should  be  a-pra3dng,  a-believmg,a-waiting, 
and  acting  for  God,  they  have  been  a-questioning  and  fearing  what  the 
issue  and  event  of  this,  and  that,  and  the  other  thing  would  be.  And 
indeed  they  have  been  high  and  low,  as  secondary  causes  have  wrought, 
which'  hath  made  many  of  their  lives  a  very  hell.  But  now  those  that 
are  rich  in  grace,  they  say  as  once  he  did,  'Let  us  be  of  good  courage,  and 
let  us  play  the  men  for  our  people,  and  for  the  cities  of  our  God,  and  the 
Lord  do  that  which  seemeth  him  good,'  2  Sam.  x.  10-12.  Let  us  do  our 
duties,  and  let  the  Lord  do  as  pleaseth  him,  &c. 

(().)  Sixthly,  It  is  your  principle,  that  men  are  to  he  ^jrepared,  and 
to  stn.nd  fast  against  all  sadden  assaidts  and  invasions  that  may  be 
made  vpon  them. 

Many  a  valiant  person  dares  fight  in  a  battle  or  a  duel,  who  yet  will 
'  JIany  of  tlio  Englisli  liave  in  this  been  like  the  Israelites,  &c. 


• 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  169 

be  timorous  and  fearful  if  suddenly  surprised  in  a  midnight  alarm. 
Many  precious  souls,  when  they  have  time  to  consider  of  the  evil  of  sin, 
the  holiness  of  God,  the  eye  of  God,  the  honour  of  God,  the  glory  of  the 
gospel,  the  joys  of  the  saints,  and  the  stopping  of  the  mouths  of  sinners, 
will  rather  die  than  sin  ;  they  will  rather  suffer  anything  tlian  do  the 
least  thing  that  may  be  a  reproach  to  Christ.  Oil  !  but  when  a  sudden 
occasion  or  temptation  is  presented,  why,  then  they  often  fall  ;  as  David, 
by  chance,  spied  Bathsheba  washing  herself,  and  falls  before  the  tempta- 
tion ;  he  is  conquered  and  carried  captive  by  that  sudden  occasion. 
But  that  is  a  more  comfortable  and  considerable  passage  that  you  have 
conceruing  Joseph,  in  Gen.  xlix  23,  24,  '  The  archers  sorely  grieved 
him,'  saith  the  text,  '  and  shot  at  him,  and  hated  him :  but  his  bow 
abode  in  strength,  and  the  arms  of  his  hands  were  made  strong  by  the 
hands  of  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob.'  Joseph  never  wanted  counsel  nor 
courage  when  he  was  at  the  worst.  Souls  rich  in  grace  usuallv  stand 
firm  under  the  greatest  and  sudden  est  pressures,  assaults,  and  invasions, 
as  you  may  see  in  Paul,  2  Cor.  i.  9-12 ;  and  so  the  three  children  ;  and 
so  Daniel ;  and  so  those  worthies,  Heb.  xi.  35,  '  They  would  not  accept 
of  deliverance,  that  they  might  obtain  a  better  resurrection.'  Many 
sudden  assaults  and  attempts  were  made  upon  them  ;  their  enemies 
would  fain  have  stormed  them,  and  overcome  them.;  sometimes  by 
golden  offers,  sometimes  by  terrible  threats,  but  they  are  invincible  ; 
nothmg  stirs  them,  nothing  takes  them.  Really,  friend.s,  it  must  be 
much  grace  that  will  make  a  man  live  up  to  this  principle  ;  and  there 
is  nothing  that  speaks  out  more  the  strength  of  grace  in  a  man,  than 
his  standing  against  sudden  assaults  and  invasions  that  by  the  devil  and 
the  world  are  made  upon  him.  You  may  talk  of  this,  but  without  much 
grace  you  will  never  be  able  to  do  it,  &c. 

(7.)  Seventhly  and  lastly.  It  is  your  principle,  that  your  hearts  are 
to  he  ready  for  every  work  that  God  shall  imi^ose  upon  you. 

You  are  not  to  choose  your  employment,  neither  are  you  to  refuse  any 
employment  that  God  shall  put  upon  you.  You  are  always  to  have  an 
open  ear,  a  ready  hand,  an  obedient  heart,  and  a  willing  cheerful  soul 
to  fall  in  with  what  work  or  service  soever  it  is  that  God  shall  put  upon 
you  ;  this  is  your  principle.  Ay,  but  tell  me.  Christians,  will  a  little 
grace  enable  a  man  to  live  up  to  this  principle?  I  judge  not.  You 
are  to  stand  ready  to  change  your  employment  from  better  to  worse,  if 
the  Lord  shall  be  pleased  to  order  it  so.  You  are  to  be  ready  to  change 
your  crown  for  a  cross  \  to  change  that  employment  that  is  honourable, 
for  that  that  is  mean  and  low ;  and  that  which  is  more  profitable,  for 
that  which  is  less  profitable  :  as  it  were  from  the  ruling  of  a  province, 
to  the  keeping  of  a  herd  ;  from  being  a  lord,  to  be  a  servant  ;  from 
being  a  servant  to  great  men  ;  to  be  a  servant  to  the  meanest  servant, 
yea,  to  the  poorest  beast.  Certainly  a  little  grace  will  never  enable  a 
man  bravely  and  sweetly  to  live  up  to  this  principle.  Their  hearts  that 
are  poor  in  grace,  are  like  a  wounded  hand  or  arm,  which  being  but 
imperfectly  cured,  can  only  move  one  way,  and  cannot  turn  to  all  postures 
and  all  natural  uses. 

Weak  Christians  are  very  apt  to  three  things,  to  choose  their  mercies, 
to  choose  their  crosses,  and  to  choose  their  employments. 

They  are  often  unwilling  that  God  himself  should  choose  out  their  way 


1 70  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

or  their  work.  But  now  souls  that  are  ricli  in  grace,  they  are  at  God's 
heck  and  check  ;  they  are  willing  that  God  shall  choose  tlieir  work  and 
their  way  ;  they  are  willing  to  he  at  his  dispose  ;  to  be  high  or  low  ;  to 
serve  or  to  be  served ;  to  be  something  or  to  be  nothing,  &c.  Now  I 
beseech  yon,  Christian.s,  that  you  would  seriously  and  frequently  re- 
member this,  that  there  is  nothing  in  all  the  world  that  is  such  an 
honour  to  Ciod,  and  a  glory  to  the  gospel,  as  for  Christian.s  to  live  up  to 
their  principles  ;  nor  nothing  such  a  reproach  to  God  and  his  ways,  as 
this,  for  men  to  live  below  their  principles,  and  to  act  contrary  to  their 
principles.  And  you  will  never  be  able  to  live  up  to  your  principles, 
nor  to  live  out  your  principles,  except  you  grow  rich  in  grace  ;  therefore 
labour,  I  say,  labour  as  for  life,  to  abound  in  grace,  &c. 

[5. J  Now  the  hfth  motive  is  this,  consider  that  souls  rich  in  grace 
are  a  inujldjj  blessinr/  to  the  land  and  place  vjhere  they  live. 

There  are  no  such  blessings  in  the  world  to  parishes,  cities,-  and 
nations,  as  those  souls  are,  that  are  rich  in  grace.  Oh  they  are  great 
blessings  to  all  places  where  they  come  ;  they  are  persons  that  are  fit 
for  the  highest  and  noblest  employments.  There  is  not  the  highest 
work  that  is  too  high  for  a  man  that  is  rich  in  grace  ;  nor  the  hottest 
work  that  is  too  hot  for  a  man  rich  in  grace  ;  nor  the  lowest  work  be- 
low a  man  rich  in  grace.  Such  a  man  will  not  say,  I  would  do  it,  but 
that  it  is  below  my  place,  my  blood,  my  parts,  my  education.  May 
Christ  have  honour  ?  may  others  have  good  ?  If  so,  I  will  do  it,  saith 
the  soul  that  is  rich  in  grace,  whatever  comes  of  it,  and  bless  God  for 
the  opportunity  :  Dan.  vi.  3,  '  Then  this  Daniel  was  preferred  above 
the  presidents  and  princes,  because  an  excellent  spirit  was  in  him  ; 
and  the  king  thought  to  set  him  over  the  whole  realm.'  Why  wa.s 
Daniel  set  upon  the  throne,  but  because  there  was  a  glorious  excellent 
spirit  in  him,  that  fitted  him  for  the  highest  employment  ?  So  Joseph 
was  a  blessing  to  his  master's  family,  and  the  people  among  whom  he 
lived.  No  such  blessings  to  people  and  places,  as  souls  rich  in  grace. 
So  in  Neh.  vii.  2,  '  I  gave  my  brother  Hanani,  and  Hananiah  the  ruler 
of  the  palace,  charge  over  Jerusalem  ;'  and  why  he  ?  'for  he  was  a  faith- 
ful man,  and  feared  God  above  many.'  Oh  the  wisdom,  the  prudence, 
the  zeal,  the  courage,  the  compassion,  the  patience,  the  self  denial,  that 
should  be  in  magistrates  !  There  is  a  truth  in  that  old  maxim,  magi- 
stratus  virum  indicat,  magistracy  will  try  a  man.  None  fit  to  rule, 
but  such  that  are  rich  in  grace  ;  such  a  one  will  be  j^ccter  patrice,  fother 
of  his  country.  What  a  world  of  good  may  a  man  do  with  worldly 
riches,  in  a  parish,  in  a  city,  in  a  nation  !  but  that  is  nothing  to  the 
good  that  a  man  may  do  that  is  rich  in  grace.  Oh  the  sins  that  he  may 
prevent !  Oh  the  judgments  that  he  may  divert !  Oh  the  favours  and 
blessings  that  he  may  draw  down  upon  the  heads  and  hearts  of 
people  I  I  presume  you  forget  not  what  a  blessing  Moses,  Joseph,  Job, 
Nehemiah,  Mordecai,  and  Daniel,  proved  to  the  people  among  whom  they 
lived  ;  and  these  were  all  rich  in  grace.  A  man  rich  in  wi.sdom,  rich  in 
faith,  rich  in  goodness,  &c.,  oh  what  a  blessing  may  he  prove  to 
ignorant  souls,  to  staggering  souls,  to  wandering  souls,  to  tempted  souls, 
to  deserted  souls,  &c.  Look,  what  the  sun  is  to  us,  that  may  a  soul  rich 
in  grace  be  to  others,  &c.  0  friends  !  would  you  be  blessings  to  your 
families  ?  would  you  be  blessings  to  the  city,  to  the  nation  ?     Oh  then 


EpH.  hi.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  l7l 

labour  to  be  rich  in  grace,  and  do  not  think  it  enough  that  you  have  so 
much  grace  as  will  keep  you  from  dropping  into  hell,  and  that  will  ])ring 
you  to  heaven  ;  but  labour  to  be  rich  in  grace,  and  then  you  will  prove 
indeed  a  blessing  to  the  place  and  nation  where  you  live. 

The  Romans,  when  they  did  perceive  any  natural  excellency  to  be  in 
any  persons,  though  they  were  never  so  poor  and  mean,  they  would  take 
them  from  their  dinners  of  turnips  and  water-cresses,  to  lead  the  Roman 
army.'  It  is  true,  that  natural  and  moral  endowments  will  enable  men 
to  do  much  ;  but  grace  will  enable  men  to  do  ten  thousand  times  more. 
There  is  no  work  too  high  nor  too  hard  for  souls  rich  in  grace  ;  and 
therefore,  as  you  would  be  choice  instruments  in  the  Lord's  hand,  and 
eminently  serviceal)le  in  your  generations,  oh  labour  to  be  rich  in  grace! 
It  is  not  he  that  hath  most  wit  in  his  head,  but  he  that  hath  most  grace 
in  his  heart,  that  is  most  fit  for  generation-wor-k. 

[6.]  Sixthly,  A  rich  measure  of  grace  will  bear  out  your  souls  in 
several  cases,  therefore  labour  to  be  rich  in  grace. 

A  rich  measure  of  grace  will  bear  out  the  soul  under  great  means  of 
grace.  When  a  soul  is  spiritually  rich,  this  will  bear  him  out  under 
great  means.  Such  a  one  will  be  able  to  look  God  in  the  face  with  joy 
and  comfort ;  he  can  say,  It  is  true,  Lord,  I  have  had  more  means  than 
others,  and  lo !  I  am  grown  richer  than  others.  Thou  hast  taken  more 
pains  with  me  than  with  others,  and  lo !  I  bring  forth  more  fruit  than 
others :  my  five  talents  are  become  ten.  But  a  little  grace  will  not 
bear  men  out  under  much  means  of  grace.^ 

Again,  A  great  measure  of  grace  will  bear  the  soul  out  under  a  great 
name,  as  well  as  under  great  means.  For  a  man  to  have  a  great  name 
to  live,  and  yet  to  have  but  a  little  life,  is  a  stroke  of  strokes  ;  to  be 
high  in  name  and  little  in  worth,  is  a  very  sad  and  sore  judgment.^  To 
have  a  name  to  be  an  eminent  Christian,  and  yet  to  be  poor  in  faith, 
in  love,  in  wisdom,  in  knowledge,  &c.,  is  the  greatest  unhappiness  in  the 
world.  This  stroke  is  upon  many  in  these  days.  But  that  which  is 
saddest  of  all  is  this,  they  feel  it  not,  they  observe  it  not.  But  now  he 
that  is  rich  in  grace,  hath  something  within  that  will  bear  him  out  un- 
der a  great  name  in  the  world. 

Again,  a  great  measure  of  grace  will  bear  you  out  under  great  desires, 
as  well  as  under  a  great  name.  A  man  that  is  rich  in  grace  may  ask 
what  he  pleases  ;  he  is  one  much  in  with  God,  and  God  will  deny  him 
nothing.  The  best  of  the  best  is  for  this  man;  he  may  have  anything; 
he  may  have  everything  that  heaven  affordeth.  He  is  able  to  improve 
much,  and  therefore  he  may  ask  much,  and  have  it. 

It  was  a  sweet  saying  of  one,  '  O  Lord,  I  never  come  to  thee  but  by 
thee,  I  never  go  from  thee  without  thee.'* 

Sozomen  saith  of  Apollonius,  that  he  never  asked  anything  of  God, 
but  he  had  it. 

And  another,  speaking  of  Luther,  saith,  Hie  homo  potuit  apud  Deum 
quod  voluit,  He  could  have  what  he  would  of  God.     Rich  men  may 

'  As  those  that  were  called  among  the  Romans  the  Citrii  [Curiatii  ? — G.]  and  Fabiicii, 
&c. 

^  The  golden  name  of  Christians  is  but  as  an  ornament  to  swine,  saith  Sulvian.  He 
means  such  as  content  tliemselves  with  an  empty  name. 

^  Quid  libi  prodest  numcn,  ubi  res  non  invaiitur  ?  what  will  the  name  avail,  where  the 
thing  is  wanting?  saith  Augustine.  *  Ambrose,  as  before. — G. 


172  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EpH.  III.  8. 

long  for  tliis  and  that,  and  have  it ;  they  have  something  that  will  fetch 
it,  but  poor  men  may  not.  Oh  !  now,  who  would  not  labour  as  for  life, 
to  be  rich  in  grace  ?  Oli  !  this  will  bear  you  out  under  great  means,  and 
under  great  names,  and  under  great  desires ;  therefore,  rest  not  satis- 
fied with  a  little  grace. 

But  then,  seventhly  and  lastly, 

[7.]  So  If  Is  rich  in  grace  are  the  honour  of  Christ,  and  the  glory  of 
Christianity. 

As  it  is  the  glory  of  the  stock,  when  the  grafts  grow  and  thrive  in  it, 
even  so  it  is  the  glory  of  Christ  when  those  that  are  ingi'afted  into  him 
thrive  and  grow.  This  declares  to  all  the  world  that  Christ  keeps  a 
good  hou.se,  and  that  he  doth  not  feed  his  children  with  trash,  but  with 
the  choicest  delicates;  that  he  is  open-liandcd  and  free-hearted.  It  is 
the  glory  of  the  father  when  the  child  grows  rich  under  him,  and  the 
glory  of  the  raa.ster  when  the  servant  grows  rich  vindcr  him  ;  and  so  it 
is  the  glory  of  Christ  when  poor  souls  grow  rich  under  him.  The  name 
of  Christ,  and  the  honour  of  Christ,  is  kept  up  in  the  world  by  souls 
that  are  rich  in  grace.  They  are  the  persons  that  make  others  think 
well  and  speak  well  of  Christ.  You  may  at  your  leisure  read  the  first 
and  second  epLstles  to  the  Thes.salonians,  and  there  you  shall  see  what 
an  honour  they  were  to  the  Lord  Jesus  and  the  gospel  who  abounded 
in  spiritual  riches.  Such  Chri.stians  that  are  like  to  Pharaoh's  lean  kine 
reproach  three  at  once,  God,  the  gospel,  and  their  teachers :  and  this 
age  is  full  of  such  Christians.  It  is  your  greatest  work  in  this  world  to 
keep  up  the  honour  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  and  this  you  can  never, 
you  will  never  do,  except  you  lal)0ur  to  be  rich  in  grace.  Let  others 
'  labour  for  the  meat  thiit  perisheth,'  do  you  '  labour  for  that  which  en- 
dureth  to  everlasting  life.'  When  you  come  to  die,  and  Avhen  you  come 
to  make  up  your  accounts,  it  will  never  be  a  grief,  but  a  joy  unto  you, 
that  you  have  made  it  your  greatest  business  and  work  in  this  world  to 
be  rich  in  grace. 

But  here  you  may  say, 

What  means  raiist  Moe  use  that  ive  may  grow  rich  in  grace  ? 
I  answer : 

[1 .]  First,  Let  no  discouragements  take  you  off  from  labouring  to 
he  enrichsd  with  spiritual  riches. 

A  soul  that  would  be  spiritually  rich  must  be  divinely  resolved,  that 
come  what  can  come,  he  will  hold  on  in  the  use  of  means,  that  he 
may  be  rich  with  the  riches  of  Christ.  Joshua  was  resolute  in  this 
point:  '  Choo.se  you  whom  ye  will  serve,  whether  the  Lord,  or  those  other 
gods  that  your  fathers  served  ;  as  for  my  part,  I  and  my  house  will  serve 
the  Lord,' Josh.  xxiv.  15  ;  Lukexiii.  24,  '  Strive  to  enter  in  at  the  strait 
gate.'  The  Greek  word  signifies,  '  to  strive  with  all  your  might,'  with 
all  your  strength,  to  strive  even  to  an  agony,  to  strive  as  they  did  for 
the  garlands  in  the  Olympic  games.  The  word  here  used  seemeth  to 
allude  to  their  striving  for  the  garland,  where  they  put  out  themselves 
to  the  utmost.  So  in  John  vi.  27,  '  Labour  not  for  the  meat  that  perish- 
eth, but  for  that  which  endures  to  everla.sting  life,  which  the  Son  of 
man  shall  give  unto  you,  for  him  hath  God  the  Father  sealed.'' 

'  Many  men  are  like  Cicero,  not  thoroughly  resolved  in  themselves  whether  to  follow 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  173 

I  have  read  of  one  that  did  not  fear  what  he  did,  nor  what  he  suffered, 
so  he  might  get  riches :  '  For,'  saith  he,  '  men  do  not  ask  how  good  one 
is,  or  how  gracious  one  is,  but  how  rich  one  is.'  Oh,  sirs !  the  day  is 
a-coming  when  God  will  ask  how  rich  your  souls  are  ;  how  rich  you  are 
in  faith,  in  wisdom,  in  knowledge,  in  fear,  &c.  ;  and  not  how  rich 
you  are  in  money,  or  in  jewels,  or  in  land,  or  in  goods,  but  how  rich  are 
you  in  grace ;  which  should  provoke  your  souls  to  strive  in  the  face  of 
all  discouragements  to  be  rich  in  grace.  What  will  not  the  merchant 
do,  and  the  mariner  do,  for  these  temporal  riches  ?  Oh  the  dangers,  the 
hazards,  the  tempests,  the  storms,  the  deaths  that  they  run  through  for 
earthly  riches,  which  are  never  without  their  sting  !  And  shall  not 
Christians  labour  in  the  face  of  all  oppositions  after  spiritual  riches  ? 

It  is  reported  of  Nevessan  the  lawyer,  that  he  should  say,  '  He  that 
will  not  venture  his  body  can  never  be  valiant ;  and  he  that  will  not 
venture  his  soul  will  never  be  rich.'  I  am  sure  that  man  that  will 
not  venture,  and  venture  hard,  in  the  face  of  all  discouragements,  to 
be  spiritually  rich,  will  never  be  rich.  He  may  be  good  in  the  main,  and 
may  go  to  heaven  in  a  storm  ;  but  he  will  never  be  rich  in  spirituals,  that 
will  not  venture  himself  to  the  uttermost  for  the  gain  of  spiritual  riches. 

[2.]  Secondly,  Be  fixed  under  a  Christ-exalting  and  a  soul-enrich- 
ing ministry. 

Under  tliat  man's  ministry  that  makes  it  his  business  ;  not  a  thing 
by  the  by  but  his  business,  his  work  ;  not  to  tickle  the  ear,  to  jilease 
the  fancy,  but  to  enrich  the  soul,  to  win  the  soul,  and  to  build  up  the 
soul.  2  Tim.  iv.  3,  '  For  the  time  will  come  when  they  will  not  endure 
sound  doctrine,  but  after  their  own  lusts  shall  they  heap  up  to  them- 
selves teachers,  having  itching  ears.'  This  age,  yea,  this  city  is  full  of 
such  slight,  light,  mad  souls,  that  love  nor  like  nothing  but  what  is 
empty  and  airy. 

Junius  confesses,  '  that  in  his  time  there  was  one  confessed  that  he  had 
spent  above  twenty  years  in  trying  religions,'  pretending  that  scripture, 
'  Try  all  things,  and  hold  fast  that  which  is  good.'  It  is  sad  to  see  how 
many  in  our  days,  under  pretences  of  angelical  attainments,  make  it 
their  business  to  enrich  men's  heads  with  high,  empty,  airy  notions, 
instead  of  enriching  their  souls  with  saving  truths.  If  these  are  not 
strangers  to  that  wisdom  that  is  from  above,  I  know  nothing.  Prov.  xi. 
30,  '  He  that  winneth  souls  is  wise.'  The  Hebrew  word  signifies  to 
catch  souls,  by  using  all  art  and  industry,  as  fowlers  do  to  take  birds.^ 
No  wisdom  to  that  which  wins  souls  from  sin  and  the  world,  and  that 
wins  souls  to  Christ  and  holiness  ;  no  teaching  to  this.  Remember  this, 
you  will  never  be  rich  in  grace  if  you  care  not  who  you  hear,  nor  what 
you  hear.  That  Christ  that  commands  you  to  take  heed  how  you  hear, 
commands  you  also  to  take  heed  who  you  hear.  And  every  soul  won 
to  God  is  a  new  pearl  added  to  a  minister's  crown,  &c. 

But  you  will  say  to  me, 

Hotu  sJtould  we  know  luhich  is  a  soul-enriching  ininistry,  that  so 
we  may  luait  on  it  ? 

Pompey  or  Csesar  ;  the  riches  of  this  world,  or  the  riches  of  another  world  :  such  men 
will  still  be  poor. 

'  np?1.  He  is  the  best  preacher,  not  that  tickles  the  ear,  but  that  breaks  the 
heart,     ^on  qui  aures  tetlgerit,  std  qui  cor  piqjugerit. 


174  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPII.  III.  8. 

Take  these  three  rules: 

(1.)  First,  Jtulfre  not  of  the  soiil-enriching  ministry  by  the  voice  of 
the  minister,  nor  i)y  the  multitude  of  hoarers  tliat  follow  him,  nor  by  his 
afFectotl  tone,  nor  by  his  rhetoric  and  flashes  of  wit,  but  by  the  holiness, 
heavenliness,  and  sjjiritualness  of  the  matter.' 

Some  preachers  affect  rhetorical  strains ;  they  seek  abstrusities,  and 
love  to  hover  and  soar  aloft  in  dark  and  cloudy  expressions,  and  so  shoot 
their  arrows  over  their  hearers'  heads,  instead  of  bettering  their  hearers' 
hearts.  Gay  tilings  m  a  sermon  are  only  for  men  to  gaze  upon  and 
admire.  What  are  high  strains  and  flashes  of  wit,  new-minted  words 
and  phrases,  but  like  gay  weeds  and  i)li]e  bottles  to  the  good  corn. 
Truth  is  like  Solomon's  spouse,  'all  glorious  within.'^  She  is  most 
beautiful  when  most  naked,  as  Adam  was  in  innocency. 

The  oracle  would  have  Philip  of  Macedon  use  silver  lances  in  winning 
an  impregnable  fort,  &c.,  but  ministers  must  not  use  golden  sentences, 
strong  lines,  froth  of  wit.  It  is  iron,  and  not  gold,  that  killeth  in  the 
encounter.  It  is  the  steel  sword,  not  the  golden,  that  winneth  the 
field,  &c.' 

(2.)  Secondly,  Judge  of  it  by  its  revealing  the  whole  counsel  of  God, 
the  whole  will  of  God,  revealed  in  his  word.* 

In  Acts  XX.  27,  '  For  I  have  not  shunned  to  declare  unto  you  the 
whole  counsel  of  God.'  Some  there  be  that  make  it  their  business  only 
to  advance  the  glory  of  Christ,  and  to  darken  the  glory  of  the  Father  ; 
and  some  cry  up  the  glory  of  the  Father,  and  yet  cast  clouds  and  dark- 
ness upon  the  glory  of  the  Son.  And  what  dirt  and  scorn  is  cast  upon  the 
Spirit  by  many  vain,  blasphemous  persons  in  these  times  is  notoriously 
known  ;  and  if  these  men  are  not  far  from  declaring  the  whole  counsel 
and  will  of  God,  I  know  nothing.  Christ  must  be  held  out  in  all  his 
offices,  for  they  all  tend  to  the  enriching  of  poor  souls,  to  the  adding  of 
pearls  to  a  Christian's  crown.  And  clearly  it  is  sad  to  consider  how 
many  there  be  that  cry  up  one  office  and  cry  down  another.  Some  cry 
up  the  kingly  office  of  Christ,  but  mind  not  his  prophetical  office ;  and 
some  cry  up  his  prophetical  office,  but  trample  upon  his  kingly  office  ; 
and  some  cry  up  both  his  kingly  and  prophetical  office,  and  yet  make 
slight  of  his  priestly  office.  Christians,  fix  yourselves  under  his  ministry 
that  gives  the  Father  his  due,  the  Son  his  due,  and  the  Spirit  his  due ; 
that  makes  it  his  business  to  open  the  treasures  and  the  riches  both  of 
the  one  and  the  other,  and  to  declare  to  you  the  whole  will  of  God  ; 
for  many  there  be  that  'withhold  the  word  in  unrighteousness,'  Rom.  i.  1 8, 
and  that  will  only  acquaint  you  with  some  parts  of  the  will  of  God,  and 
keep  you  ignorant  of  other  parts,  whose  condemnation  will  be  great  as 
well  as  just,  &c.* 

(3.)  Thirdly  and  lastly.  You  may  judge  of  it  by  its  coming  nearest 
to  the  ministry  of  Christ  and  his  apostles.* 

'  Many  ministers  are  like  empty  orators,  that  have  a  flood  of  words  and  a  drop  of 
matter.     Jllnlta  Inqnuntur  et  nihil  dicunl- 

«  Iluilur  The  Spouse,  the  Ciiiircii :  Ps.  xlv.  13.— Q. 

'  Non  quanta  tloquenlia  sed  qwinta  evidentia. — Augustine. 

*  Optimus  textuariiis  est  optimus  theologus. 

*  Aglutiii<his  never  relisiied  any  disii  better  than  what  was  distasted  by  others.  So  do 
serious  cNperienced  saints  relish  tliose  very  truths  best  that  such  corrupt  teachers  dis- 
taste most,  &c. 

*  Miiius  est  ut  noa  reprehcndanl grammatici  quam  ut  non  intelUgant popidi. — Augustine  in 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  175 

There  was  no  ministry  so  soul-enriching  and  soul-winning  as  the 
ministry  of  Christ  and  his  apostles.  Oh  !  the  thousands  that  were 
brought  in  by  one  exercise  !  Let  men  of  frothy  wits  say  what  they 
will,  there  are  no  preachers  to  these  that  come  nearest  in  their  niinistry 
to  Christ  and  his  apostles.  Loquamur  verba  Scrvpturoe,  &c.,  said  that 
incomparable  man,  Peter  Hamus  :  '  Let  us  speak  the  very  words  of 
Scripture,  for  so  did  Christ,  the  prophets,  and  apostles  ;  let  us  make  use 
of  the  language  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  for  ever  abominate  those  that 
profanely  disdain  at  the  stately  plainness  of  God's  blessed  book,  and 
that  tliink  to  correct  the  divine  wisdom  and  eloquence  with  their  own 
infancy'  and  sophistry.'  God's  holy  things  ought  to  be  handled  with 
fear  and  reverence,  rather  than  with  wit  and  dalliance.  Spiritual  nice- 
ness  is  the  next  degree  to  unfaithfulness.  No  ministry  to  that  which 
comes  nearest  to  Christ,  &c. 

[3.]  The  third  direction  is  this.  If  ever  you  would  he  rich  in  grace, 
he  rich  in  spirituals,  then  keep  humhle. 

Ps.  XXV.  9,  '  The  humble  he  will  teach  his  wa}-,  and  the  meek  he  will 
giiide  in  judgment ;  James  iv.  6,  'He  resists  the  proud,  but  gives  grace 
to  the  humble.'  '  He  sets  himself  in  battle-array  against  the  proud,' 
as  the  Greek  hath  it,  '  but  he  gives  grace  to  the  hurnble.'  He  pours 
grace  into  an  humble  soul,  as  men  do  water  or  wine  into  an  empty  ves- 
sel. Of  all  souls,  humble  souls  do  most  prize  spiritual  riches  ;  of  all 
souls  they  most  improve  spiritual  riches;  of  all  souls  they  are  most  fear- 
ful of  losing  spiritual  riches.  In  Isa.  Ivii.  15,  'Thus  saith  the  hio-h 
and  lofty  One  that  inhabiteth  eternity.  With  him  will  I  dwell  that  is  of 
an  humble  and  contrite  spirit,  and  that  trembles  at  ray  word.""  The 
word  there  rendered  diuell  is  an  Hebrew  participle,  and  signifies  dwell- 
ing. '  Thus  saith  the  high  and  lofty  One,  dwelling  with  him  that  is  of 
an  humble  and  a  contrite  spirit.'  Humility,  as  the  violet,  though  the 
lowest,  yet  is  the  sweetest  of  flowers.  The  word  notes  to  us  thus  much : 
that  God  will  not  dwell  with  an  humble  man  as  a  wayfaring  man 
dwells  with  his  relations,  a  few  nights  and  away.  Dwelling  notes  a 
constant  and  not  a  transient  act  of  God.  God  will  for  ever  keep  house 
with  the  humble  soul ;  when  once  they  meet,  they  never  part.  There 
is  no  such  way  to  be  rich  as  to  be  poor  and  low  in  our  own  eyes.  This 
is  the  way  to  enjoy  his  company  in  whom  all  treasures  are. 

[4.]  FoiirtJdy,  Improve  the  riches  that  you  have. 

Improve  that  knowledge,  that  faith,  that  light,  that  love  that  vou 
have.  Those  that  had  two  talents  did,  by  the  improvement  of  them, 
gain  other  two  ;  and  those  that  had  five  did,  by  the  improvement  of 
them,  gain  ten :  Prov.  x.  4,  '  The  diligent  hand  maketh  rich.'  Take 
hold  of  all  opportunities  to  enrich  your  souls  with  spiritual  riches.  Men 
will  easily,  readily,  greedily,  and  uuweariedly  close  with  all  opportunities 
wherein  they  may  get  earthly  riches  ;  and  why  should  not  you  be  as 
diligent  in  taking  hold  of  all  opportunities  to  enrich  your  precious 
souls  ?^     Is  not  the  soul  more  than  raiment,  more  than  friends,  more 

Psalm  cxsxviii.     Christ  and  his  apostles  laboured  to  make  men'  Christians,  and  not 

critics.  ^  :=  '  Cliildishness ':  another  Shakesperean  word  :  Titus  Andron.,  v.  3. G. 

2  The  Radix,  Ilarats.  is  to  dig  in  the  ground  for  gold,  wlience  IJarats,  fine  precious 
gold,  Prov.  xvi.  16  [piPlD].     The  neglect  of  golden,  soul-enriching  opportunities,  halh 
made  many  a  man's  life  a  hell,  yea,  many  a  courtier's  life  a  hell,  as  all  know  that  know 
i  anything  of  history,  &c. 


176  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

than  relations,  more  than  Hfe,  yea,  more  than  all  ?  And  why,  then,  do 
you  not  labour  to  enrich  your  souls  ?  Thou  wert  better  have  a  rich 
soul  under  a  thread-bare  coat,  than  a  thread-baru  soul  under  a  silk  or 
golden  coat.  If  he  be  a  monster  among  men,  that  makes  liberal  pro- 
vision for  his  servant,  his  slave,  and  starves  his  wife,  what  a  monster  is 
he  that  makes  much  provision  for  his  baser  part,  but  none  for  his  noble 
part !  A  slothful  heart  in  the  things  of  God  is  a  heavy  judgment : 
Prov.  iv.  31,  '  I  went  by  the  field  of  the  slothful,  and  by  the  vineyard  of 
the  man  void  of  understanding,'  or,  as  the  Hebrew  hath  it,  '  the  man 
that  had  no  heart,'  that  is,  to  make  use  of  his  vineyard,  '  and  lo,  it  was 
all  grown  over  with  ^horus  and  nettles,'  &c.  Oh  the  lusts,  the  wicked- 
nesses that  will  overgrow  slothful,  sluggish  souls  !  Spiritual  sluggards 
are  subject  to  the  saddest  strokes.  Oh  the  deadly  sins,  the  deadly 
temptations,  the  deadly  judgments  that  spiritual  sluggards  will  unavoid- 
ably fall  under !  None  such  an  enemy  to  himself,  none  such  a  friend 
to  Satan,  as  the  spiritual  sluggard.  It  is  sad  to  think  how  the  riches  of 
Christ,  the  riches  of  consolation,  the  riches  of  justification,  the  riches  of 
glorification,  are  brought  to  many  men's  doors,  and  yet  they  have  no 
hearts  to  embrace  them  :  no  judgment  to  this.  '  Wherefore  is  there  a 
price  in  the  hand  of  a  fool  to  get  wisdom,  seeing  he  hath  no  heart  to 
it?'  Prov.  xvii.  16.  Well,  spiritual  sluggards,  reanember  this,  when 
your  consciences  are  awakened,  this  will  be  a  sword  in  your  souls,  that 
you  might  have  been  saved,  yovi  might  have  been  spiritually  and 
eternally  enriched,  but  that  you  have  trifled  and  fooled  awa}'-  golden 
opportunities  and  your  own  salvation.  Wealth  without  wit  is  ill  be- 
stowed, &c. 

[5.]  Fiflldy,  Walk  upnghtly,  holily,  and  obedientiaUy. 

If  ever  you  would  be  spiritually  rich,  look  to  your  walking.  It  is 
not  the  knowing  soul,  nor  the  talking  soul,  but  the  close-walking  soul, 
the  obediential  soul,  that  is  in  spirituals  the  richest  soul.  Others  may  be 
rich  in  notions,  but  none  so  rich  in  spiritual  experiences,  and  in  all  holy 
and  heavenly  grace,  as  close-walking  Christians  :  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  11,  'The 
Lord  will  give  grace  and  glory,  and  no  good  thing  will  he  withhold  from 
them  that  walk  uprightly.'  The  upright  walker  shall  be  both  of  his 
court  and  council ;  he  shall  know  anything,  and  have  anything.  In 
John  xiv.  21,  23,  compared,  '  If  any  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my  com- 
mandments, and  I  will  love  him,  and  my  Father  will  love  him.'  What 
then  ?  '  We  will  make  our  abode  with  him,  and  will  manifest  ourselves 
to  him.'  Certainly  they  cannot  be  poor  that  enjoy  such  guests  as  these; 
they  must  needs  be  full  who  enjoy  them  that  are  fulness  itself.  God 
and  Christ  are  overflowing  fountains,  and  holy  souls  find  it  so.^ 

[6.]  Sixthly,  Be  most  in  with  those  souls  tJiat  are  spiritually 
rich. 

Let  them  be  thy  choicest  companions,  that  have  made  Christ  their 
chiefest  companion.  Do  not  so  much  eye  the  outsides  of  men,  as  their 
inside  ;  look  most  to  their  internal  worth.  Many  persons  have  an  eye 
upon  the  external  garb  of  tliis  and  that  professor,  but  give  me  a  Chris- 
tian that  minds  the  internal  worth  of  persons,  that  makes  such  as  are.' 

•  Wlien  my  lieart  is  coldest  and  highest,  I  present  God  to  my  soul  under  the  notions 
of  his  gieatncss;  hut  when  my  heart  is  loose  and  fearing,  then  I  present  God  to  my  soul 
under  the  notion  of  his  goodness,  saith  Luther. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  177 

most  filled  with  the  fulness  of  God,  to  be  his  choicest  and  his  chiefest 
companions. 

In  Ps.  xvi.  2,  '  My  goodness  extends  not  to  thee,'  says  David, — now 
David  speaks  in  the  person  of  Christ, — '  but  to  the  saints  that  are  in  the 
earth,  in  whom  is  all  my  delight.'  There  are  saints,  and  there  are  ex- 
cellent saints.  Now  those  are  the  excellent  ones,  that  are  most  rich  in 
heavenly  treasures ;  and  these  you  should  make  your  bosom  friends, 
your  choicest  companions  :  Prov.  xiii.  20,  '  He  that  walketh  with  wise 
men  shall  be  wise  ;'  that  is,  he  shall  be  more  wise,  more  humble,  more 
holy,  and  more  abounding  in  all  spiritual  riches.  The  word  IX^^,  that  is 
rendered  ivalk,  is  an  Hebrew  participle,  and  signifies  walking  ;  to  note 
to  us,  that  it  is  not  he  that  talks  with  the  wise,  nor  he  that  commends 
the  wise,  nor  he  that  takes  a  step  or  two  or  three  with  the  wise,  that 
shall  be  wise,  but  he  that  gives  up  himself  to  the  society  and  company 
of  the  wise,  that  shall  be  more  and  more  wise,  more  and  more  gracious, 
more  and  more  holy.  He  that  cometh  where  sweet  spices  or  ointments 
are  stirring,  doth  carry  away  some  of  the  sweet  savour,  though  himself 
think  not  of  it.  The  spouse's  lips  drop  as  the  honeycomb  :  Cant.  iv. 
10,  'The  tongue  of  the  just  is  as  choice  silver,'  he  scatters  pearls,  he 
throws  abroad  treasures  where  he  comes  :  Prov.  xv.  7,  '  The  lips  of  the 
wise  disperse  knowledge.'  The  Hebrew  word,  "i"'!"',  from  zarah,  is 
a  metaphor  from  scattering  abroad  with  a  fan,  or  from  seedsmen 
scattering  abroad  of  their  seed  in  the  furrows  of  the  field.  They  scatter 
their  light,  their  love,  their  experiences,  among  those  with  whom  they 
converse,  as  seedsmen  scatter  their  seed  in  the  field.  Christ  says  his 
spouse's  lips  are  like  a  thread  of  scarlet,  with  talking  of  nothing  but  a 
crucified  Christ ;  and  thin  like  a  thread,  not  swelled  with  other  vain 
and  wicked  discourses. 

The  old  zealous  primitive  Christians  did  so  frequently,  and  so  effect- 
ually mind  and  talk  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  of  the  riches  and 
glory  of  that  state,  that  the  Ethnicks'  began  to  be  a  little  jealous  that 
they  affected  the  Roman  empire  ;  when,  alas,^  their  ambition  was  of  an- 
other and  a  nobler  nature  :  JPs.  xxxvii.  30,  '  The  mouth  of  the  righteous 
speaketh  wisdom,  and  his  tongue  talketh  judgment ;  for  the  law  of  the 
Lord  is  in  his  heart.'  Prov.  xii.  28,  '  The  tongue  of  the  wise  is  health, 
his  tongue  is  a  tree  of  life,  whose  leaves  are  medicinable.'  No  way 
to  be  ricli  in  spirituals,  like  being  much  in  with  precious  souls,  whose 
tongues  drop  marrow  and  fatness.^ 

Utterance  is  a  gift  ;  and  dumb  Christians  are  blameworthy,  as  well 
as  dumb  ministers.  We  should  all  strive  to  a  holy  ability  and  dexterity  of 
savoury  discourse.  If  Christ  should  come  to  many  of  us,  as  he  did  to 
his  two  disciples,  in  that  last  of  Luke,  on  Sabbath  days  and  other  times, 
and  say  to  us,  as  to  them,  *  What  manner  of  communication  had  ye,' 
or  have  ye  ?  oh  !  with  what  paleness  of  face  and  sadness  of  counte- 
nance should  we  look  !  The  story  of  Loquere  ut  videam  is  common. 
'  Speak  that  I  may  see  thee,'  said  Socrates  to  a  fair  boy.     When  the 

1  '  Heathen.'— G. 

'  See  Index,  sub  voce,  for  other  similar  uses  of  this  interjection. — G. 

3  The  very  heathen  man  could  say,  Quando  sapiens  loquitur  aurea  animi  aperit,  when 
a  wise  man  speaketh,  he  openeth  the  rich  treasures  and  wardrobe  of  his  mind,  &c. 
[Seneca  often  in  the  EpistolcB. — G.] 

VOL.  III.  M 


178  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

heart  is  full,  it  overfloweth  in  speech.  We  know  metals  by  their  tink- 
ling, and  men  by  their  talking.  Happy  was  that  tongue  in  the  primi- 
tive time,  that  could  sound  out  Aliquid  Bavidicum,  anything  of  David's 
doing  ;  but  much  more  happy  is  he  that  speaks  out  Aliquid  Christi, 
anything  of  Christ  from  experience. 

[7.]  Seventlily,  If  ever  you  ivould  be  spiritually  rich,  then  take  heed 
of  eating  or  tasting  of  forbidden  fruit. 

This  stripped  Adam  of  his  crown,  of  his  jewels,  and  of  all  his  rich 
ornaments  in  a  moment,  and  of  the  richest  and  greatest  prince  that 
ever  breathed,  made  him  the  miserablest  beggar  that  ever  lived.  Oh 
take  heed  of  tasting  of  poison,  of  eating  of  poison.  A  person  that  hath 
ate  poison  will  not  thrive,  let  him  take  never  such  wholesome  food. 
The  choicest  cordials  will  not  increase  blood,  and  spirits,  and  strength, 
but  the  man  will  throw  up  all.  Poor  souls  that  have  been  tasting  of 
poison,  are  apt  to  find  fault  with  the  minister,  and  sometimes  with  this 
and  that,  as  the  cause  of  their  not  growing  rich  in  spirituals ;  when, 
alas  !  the  only  cause  is  their  eating  of  poison.  These  are  like  him  in 
Seneca,  that  having  a  thorn  in  his  foot,  complained  of  the  roughness  of 
the  way  as  the  cause  of  his  limping.  Sirs,  it  is  not  the  minister,  nor 
this,  nor  that,  but  your  eating  of  forbidden  fruit,  that  is  the  cause  of 
your  non-thriving  in  spirituals.  Sin  is  the  soul's  sickness,  and  nothing 
more  prejudices  growth  than  sickness.  Christians,  if  ever  you  would 
be  trees,  not  only  having  the  leaves  of  honour,  but  the  fruits  of  righteous- 
ness, then  take  heed  of  sin,  abhor  it  more  than  hell,  and  fly  from  it  as 
from  your  deadliest  enemy,  &c.* 

[8.]  Eighthly  and  lastly.  Be  sure  to  maintain  a  secret  trade  with  God. 

You  know  many  men  come  to  be  very  rich  in  the  world  by  a  secret 
trade.  Though  many  have  not  such  an  open  trade  as  others,  yet  they 
have  a  more  secret  trade,  and  by  that  they  gain  very  great  estates,  as 
many  of  you  here  in  London  know  by  experience.^  Take  it,  friends,  as 
an  experienced  truth,  there  is  no  such  way  under  heaven,  to  be  rich  in 
spirituals,  as  by  driving  of  a  secret  trade  heaven-wards.  It  is  true,  it  is 
good  for  men  to  attend  upon  this,  and  that,  and  the  other  public  ad- 
ministration ;  for  in  all  divine  administrations  God  shews  his  beauty 
and  glory.  Ay,  but  such  that  delight  to  be  more  upon  the  public  stage 
than  in  the  closet,  will  never  be  rich  in  spirituals.  They  may  grow  rich 
in  notions,  but  they  will  never  grow  rich  in  gracious  experiences,  Ps. 
Ixiii.  2,  3  ;  xxvii.  4  ;  Ixxxiv.  10.  Oh  !  God  loves  to  see  a  poor  Chris- 
tian shut  his  closet  door.  Mat.  vi.  6,  and  then  to  open  his  bosom,  and 
pour  out  his  soul  before  him.  God  hath  very  choice  discoveries  for 
souls  that  drive  a  secret  trade  ;  the  best  wine,  the  best  dainties  and 
delicates  are  for  such.  And  I  never  knew  any  man  or  woman  in  my 
life,  that  was  richer  in  grace,  than  those  that  were  much  in  closet  com- 
munion with  God.  Much  of  a  Christian's  spiritual  strength  lies  in 
secret  prayer,  as  Samson's  did  in  his  hair.  Nothing  charms  Satan^  and 
weakens  sin,  like  this.  Secret  prayers  are  the  pillars  of  smoke  wherein 
the  soul  ascendeth  to  God,  out  of  the  wilderness  of  this  world.     Secret 

'  Bccaims  tells  us  tliat  the  tree  of  knowledpjo  was  ficus  indica,  and  that  it  bears  many 
leaves  and  little  fruit ;  and  so  it  with  those  tliat  taste  and  cat  of  forbidden  fruit,  &c. 
*  Acts  X.  8,  9  ;  Gen.  xxi.  33  ;  Exod.  xiv.  15  ;  1  Sam.  i.  13. 
'  '  Charms  away.'' — G. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  179 

prayer  is  Jacob's  ladder,  where  you  have  God  descending  down  into  the 
soul,  and  the  soul  sweetly  ascending  up  to  God.  No  way  to  be  rich 
in  spirituals  like  this.  Therefore  be  sure  to  maintain  and  keep  up  a 
secret  trade  between  God  and  your  own  souls.  Oh  let  God  hear  often 
of  you  in  secret.  In  Cant.  vii.  5,  '  The  king  is  held  in  the  galleries.' 
Oh  !  in  the  secret  walks,  the  soul  meets  with  the  King  of  glory.  Oh  ! 
there  the  soul  hangs  upon  Christ ;  there  the  soul  sucks  and  draws 
virtue  from  Christ ;  and  there  the  soul  is  made  rich  with  the  riches  of 
Christ.  Christ  is  much  delighted  and  taken  with  secret  prayer  :  Cant, 
ii.  14,  '  O  my  dove,  that  art  in  the  clefts  of  the  rock,  in  the  secret  places 
of  the  stairs,'  that  art  got  into  a  hole,  '  let  me  hear  thy  voice,  let  me 
see  thy  countenance  ;  for  sweet  is  thy  voice,  and  thy  countenance  is 
lovely.'  Secret  meals  are  very  fattening,  and  secret  duties  are  very  soul- 
enriching.  Christians!  set  more  close  to  this  work,  and  if  you  don't 
thrive  by  it,  trust  me  no  more.  And  thus  you  see  by  what  means  you 
may  grow  rich  in  grace. 

3.  The  third  thing  I  propounded  to  speak  to  was. 

Some  propositions  concerning  spiritual  riches. 

And  the  first  proposition  is  this  : 

[1.]  All  that  do  grow  rich  in  grace,  they  grow  rich  gradually. 

The  sun  ascends  by  degrees;  children,  plants,  and  trees  they  grow  by  de- 
grees ;  so  do  saints  in  spirituals.  It  is  true,  many  men  as  to  temporals, 
by  the  death  of  some  friend,  or  this  and  that  providence,  grow  rich  in  a 
sudden  ;  but  no  soul  that  is  rich  in  grace,  but  grows  rich  gradually.  In 
Prov.  iv.  18,  'But  the  path  of  the  just  is  like  the  shining  light,  that  shin- 
eth  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day.'  He  proceeds  from  virtue  to 
virtue,  until  at  length  he  shines  like  the  sun  in  its  strength.  And  so 
in  Mai.  iv.  2,  '  Unto  you  that  fear  my  name,  shall  the  Sun  of  righteous- 
ness arise  with  healing  under  his  wings,  and  you  shall  go  forth  and  grow 
up  as  calves  of  the  stall'  Hosea  xiv.  5-7,  '  I  will  be  as  the  dew  unto 
Israel,  he  shall  grow  as  the  lily,  and  cast  forth  his  roots  as  Lebanon. 
His  branches  shall  spread,  and  his  beauty  shall  be  as  the  olive  tree,  and 
his  smell  as  Lebanon.  They  that  dwell  under  his  shadow  shall  return, 
they  shall  revive  as  the  corn,  and  grow  as  the  vine ;  the  scent  thereof 
shall  be  as  the  wine  of  Lebanon."  I  shall  but  hint  at  this  now,  because 
I  have  spoken  more  fully  to  it  already,  &c. 

The  second  proposition  is  this  : 

[2.]  Few  or  none  are  rich  in  cdl  graces. 

There  are  some  men  in  the  world  that  are  generally  rich,  that  are 
rich  in  money,  and  rich  in  land,  and  rich  in  goods,  but  where  you  have 
one  man  that  is  a  general  rich  man  in  this  sense,  you  have  ten  thou- 
sand that  are  only  rich  in  some  one  thing,  as  money,  goods,  or  land,  &c.  ; 
so  it  is  here.  It  is  a  hard  thing,  if  possible,  to  find  a  soul  that  is  gene- 
rally rich ;  that  is  rich  in  every  grace,  that  is  rich  in  faith,  and  rich 
in  wisdom,  and  rich  in  love,  and  rich  in  patience,  &c.  Abraham  was 
rich  in  faith,  and  Job  was  rich  in  patience,  and  Moses  was  rich  in  meek- 
ness, and  David  was  rich  in  zeal,  &c ;  but  none  of  these  were  rich  in 
every  grace.  And  so  in  these  days  you  may  find  one  Christian  rich  in 
one  grace,  and  another  Christian  rich  in  another  grace  ;  but  where  will 
you  find  a  Christian  that  is  rich  in  every  grace  ?  Such  that  are  rich  in 
some  graces,  are  yet  very  defective  and  lame  in  other  graces.     The  saints 


]8()  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

once  at  Rome  were  richer  in  wisdom  and  knowledge  than  the  saints 
at  Thessalonica,  Rom.  xv.  14  ;  and  the  saints  at  Thessalonica  were 
richer  in  faith,  love,  patience,  and  charity  than  the  saints  at  Rome,  1 
Thes.  i.  4,  ii.  8,  compared  with  2  Epistle  i.  3,  4.  It  is  with  saints  as 
with  sinners,  one  sinner  excels  in  one  vice,  another  in  another  vice  ;  so 
one  saiut  excels  in  one  virtue,  and  another  in  another  virtue.  One  is 
rich  in  joy,  in  comfort ;  another  is  rich  in  humility,  in  fear  ;  another  in 
faith  and  hope  ;  and  another  in  love,*  &c.     And  mark  how  this  arises. 

It  arises  sometimes  from  hence,  that  every  saint  doth  endeavour  to 
excel  in  that  particular  grace  that  is  most  opposite  to  his  bosom  sin. 
Now  every  saint's  bosom  sin  is  not  alike.  It  may  be  pride  is  one  man's 
bosom  sin,  and  hypocrisy  another  man's  bosom  sin,  &c.  Now  it  is  the 
very  nature  of  grace  to  make  a  man  strive  to  be  most  eminent  in  that 
particular  grace  that  is  most  opposite  to  his  bosom  sin,  and  upon  this 
account  it  comes  to  pass  that  one  is  rich  in  one  grace,  and  another  in 
another. 

Again,  some  saints  have  frequent  occasions  to  act  and  exercise  such  and 
such  graces.  Others  are  called  forth  to  act  such  and  such  graces.  Now 
the  more  any  particular  grace  is  acted,  the  more  that  particular  grace  is 
increased.  Frequent  acts  cause  a  stronger  habit  both  in  graces  and  in 
sins.  If  all  Christians  should  be  rich  in  all  graces,  what  difference 
woidd  there  be  between  heaven  and  earth  ?  What  need  would  there 
be  of  ordinances  ?  And  when  would  Christians  long  to  be  dissolved, 
and  to  be  with  Christ  ?  &c. 

The  third  proposition  is  this : 

[3.]  Souls  may  he  Tick  in  grace,  and  yet  not  know  it,  and  yet  not 
jyerceive  it. 

The  child  is  heir  to  a  crown,  to  a  great  estate,  but  knows  it  not. 
Moses  his  face  did  shine,  and  others  saw  it,  but  he  perceived  it  not. 
So  many  a  precious  soul  is  rich  in  grace,  and  others  see  it,  and  know  it, 
and  bless  God  for  it,  and  yet  the  poor  soul  perceives  it  not.  Now 
because  a  right  understanding  of  this  may  be  of  much  use  to  some 
saddcd,  dejected  souls,  I  will  shew  you  how  this  comes  to  pass. 

First,  Sometimes  it  arises  from  the  soul's  strong  desires  of  spiH- 
tual  riches.  The  strength  of  the  soul's  desires  after  spiritual  riches, 
doth  often  take  away  the  very  sense  of  growing  spiritually  ricli.  Many 
covetous  men's  desires  are  so  strongly  carried  forth  after  earthly  riches, 
that  though  they  do  grow  rich,  yet  they  cannot  perceive  it,  they  cannot 
believe  it.  It  is  just  so  with  many  a  precious  Christian  ;  his  desires 
after  spiritual  riches  are  so  strong,  that  they  take  away  the  very  sense 
of  his  growing  rich  in  spirituals,^  Many  Christians  have  much  worth 
within  them,  but  they  see  it  not.  It  was  a  good  man  that  said,  '  The 
Lord  was  in  this  place,  and  I  knew  it  not,'&c.  Gen.  xxviii. 

Again,  This  ariseth  sometimes  from  men's  neglecting  the  casting  up 
of  their  accounts.  Many  men  thrive  and  grow  rich,  and  yet  by  neglect- 
ing the  casting  up  of  their  accounts,  they  cannot  tell  whether  they  go 

'  No  graco  grows  alike  in  all  saints.  In  the  parable  some  brought  forth  thirty,  some 
sixty,  some  a  hundred,  &c. 

*  The  sun  ascends  witliout  perception  ;  and  so  it  is  often  in  this  supernatural  motion, 
&c.  The  Greeks  derive  their  word  for  desire  from  a  root  tliat  signifies  to  burn.  Now,  if 
one  should  heap  never  so  much  fuel  upon  a  fire,  it  would  not  quench  it,  but  kindle  it  the 
more.     The  application  is  easy. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  181 

backward  or  forward.  It  is  so  with  many  precious  souls  ;  they  grow 
in  grace  and  are  spiritually  rich,  and  yet  by  neglecting  the  casting  up  of 
their  accounts,  they  do  not  know  it,  they  do  not  perceive  it,  &c.' 

Again,  sometimes  it  ariseth  from  the  soul's  too  frequent  casting  up 
of  its  accounts.  If  a  man  should  cast  up  his  accounts  once  a  week 
or  once  a  month,  he  may  not  be  able  to  discern  that  he  doth  grow  rich, 
and  yet  he  may  grow  rich  ;  but  let  him  compare  one  year  with  another, 
and  he  shall  clearly  see  that  he  doth  grow  rich.  Though  most  are  to 
blame  for  neglecting  the  casting  up  of  their  accounts,  yet  some  are  to 
blame  for  casting  up  their  accounts  too  often  ;  for  by  this  means  they 
are  not  able  to  perceive  their  spiritual  growth,  and  so  can  neither  be  so 
thankful  nor  so  cheerful  as  otherwise  they  might.  Let  there  be  some 
considerable  time  between  your  casting  up  of  your  accounts,  and  you 
will  find  that  your  souls  are  grown  rich,  though  for  the  present  you 
perceive  it  not. 

But  then  again,  sometimes  it  ariseth  from  the  souVs  mistake  in  east- 
ing up  of  its  accounts.  The  soul  many  times  mistakes  ;  it  is  in  a 
hurry  ;  and  there  the  soul  puts  down  ten  for  a  hundred,  and  a  himdred 
for  a  thousand  ;  as  sometimes  men  in  hurrying  over  their  books,  they 
slip  and  make  mistakes,  and  so  they  think  there  is  nothing  got,  whereas 
indeed  there  is  much  got,  and  in  the  close  they  shall  find  it  so.  Many 
a  gracious  soul  many  times  takes  a  great  deal  of  grace  for  a  little,  and 
little  grace  for  no  grace.  Look,  as  hypocrites  put  down  their  counters 
for  gold,  their  pence  for  pounds,  and  always  prize  themselves  above  the 
market ;  so  sincere  souls  do  often  put  down  their  pounds  for  pence,  their 
thousands  for  hundreds,  and  still  prize  themselves  below  the  market,  &c. 

The  fourth  proposition  is  this  : 

[4.]  That  saints  must  endeavour  to  grow  rich  in  every  grace. 

It  is  the  duty  and  the  glory  of  saints  to  endeavour  to  grow  rich  in 
every  grace.  So  the  apostle,  2  Pet.  i.  5  to  12,  'Add  to  your  faith  virtue, 
and  to  virtue  knowledge,'  &c.  It  is  the  work,  the  duty,  the  glory  of 
a  Christian,  to  be  still  adding  one  grace  to  another.  So  in  chap.  iii.  18, 
'  Grow  in  grace,'  that  is,  in  every  grace,  but  more  particularly  and 
specially,  '  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.' 

'  Grow  in  grace.'  That  is,  grow  in  love,  in  faith,  in  humility,  in  meek- 
ness, &c.,  but  especially  '  in  the  knovvdedge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,' 
because  there  was  a  special  remedy  against  the  error  of  those  times, 
&c.  All  the  graces  that  be  in  you  are  weak  ;  and  therefore  you  had 
need  to  strengthen  them  all. 

Again,  You  have  the  seeds  of  all  corruptions  in  you  ;  and  is  there 
any  way  to  be  rid  of  every  sin,  but  by  thriving  in  every  grace  ? 

Again,  You  have  opportunities  as  well  to  thrive  in  one  grace  as  in 
another. 

Again,  Will  not  Satan  labour  might  and  main  to  keep  your  graces  low 
and  poor  ?  You  never  hurt  him  less,  you  never  honour  Christ  less,  you 
never  mind  your  work  less,  than  when  grace  is  weak  and  low.  This  he 
knows,  and  therefore  labours  to  keep  your  graces  down. 

'  Seneca  reports  of  one  Sextius,  that  he  would  every  night  ask  himself  these  three  ques- 
tions :  (I).  What  evil  hast  thou  healed  this  day?  (2).  What  vice  hast  thou  stood  against 
this  day?  (.3).  In  what  part  art  thou  bettered  this  day?  &c.  [Quintus  Sextius :  in  Seneca, 
Epist.  lix.  6  ;  Ixiii.  11,  13  ;  Ixiv.  2  ;  xcviii.  13  ;  cviii.  17  ;  and  De  Ira,  ii.  36  ;  iii.  36. — G.] 


182  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

Again,  are  not  you  liable  to  several  changes  in  this  world  ?  As,  to 
be  rich  and  pot)r,  exalted  and  abased  ;  now  to  relieve,  and  anon  to  be 
relieved  ;  now  well,  and  anon  sick  ;  now  strong,  and  anon  weak  ;  now 
in  storms,  and  anon  in  calms  ;  now  tempted,  and  anon  delivered  ;  now 
in  one  condition,  and  anon  in  another  condition  ;  now^  up,  now  do\vn  ; 
now  forward,  now  backward,  &c.  Now  pray  tell  me,  doth  not  the 
several  changes  and  variety  of  providences  that  we  meet  with  in  this 
world  bespeak  us  to  be  rich,  not  in  some,  but  in  every  grace  ?  Don't 
a  state  of  prosperity  bespeak  a  man  to  be  rich  in  wisdom,  rich  in 
humility,  rich  in  love,  and  rich  in  compassion,  that  his  heart  may  be 
kept  close  to  God  in  that  state,  and  that  he  may  do  nothing  unworthy 
of  God,  who  hath  done  so  much  for  him  ?  And  now,  when  God  shall 
change  the  manner  of  his  administrations  towards  such  a  man,  when 
God  shall  put  out  his  candle,  pull  off  his  I'obes,  and  clothe  him  with 
rags,  and  set  him  with  Job  upon  the  dunghill,  don't  this  condition  be- 
speak much  patience,  much  contentation,  much  self-denial,  much  faith  ? 
How  else  will  this  man  bravely  bear  up,  when  God  shall  write  such 
bitter  things  against  him,  and  pass  the  sentence  of  death  upon  his 
nearest  and  his  dearest  comforts  ?  If  a  man  be  not  rich  in  one  grace 
as  well  as  in  another,  when  God  shall  bring  changes  upon  him,  and 
pour  him  from  vessel  to  vessel,  his  life  will  be  a  burden,  a  hell  to  him, 
&c.' 

Again,  consider  this  :  growing  rich  in  every  grace  renders  a  Christian 
most  lovely  and  beautiful  in  grace  ;  as  a  growth  in  all  the  members  of 
the  body  renders  the  body  most  lovely  and  beautiful.  The  perfect 
beauty  and  comeliness  of  the  body  rises  from  the  symmetry  and  fitness 
of  the  parts  unto  one  another.  Rare  and  excellent  beauty  ariseth  from 
the  comeliness  of  all  parts.  If  one  part  be  comely,  and  another  de- 
formed, then  there  is  no  perfect  beauty.  Well,  remember  this,  there 
is  no  such  beautiful  Christians  as  those  that  grow  rich  in  every  grace. 
Oh  !  they  are  the  beauty  of  Christ,  the  honour  of  the  gospel,  and  the 
glory  of  Christianity. 

And  so  much  for  the  fourth  proposition,  viz.  that  we  must  labour  to 
be  rich  in  every  grace. 

The  fifth  proposition  that  I  shall  lay  down  is  this, 

[5.]  Saiyits  should  labour  Tnore  2)(ii^ticularly  and  more  especially 
to  be  Hch  in  faith. 

Though  it  is  of  concernment  to  believers  to  be  rich  in  every  grace, 
yet  it  is  of  special  concernment  to  them  to  labour  to  be  rich  in  this 
particular  grace  of  faith.  In  Jude,  ver.  20,  'Building  up  yourselves  in 
your  most  holy  faith.'  It  is  not  enough  to  have  faith,  but  they  must 
build  up  themselves  and  build  up  one  another  '  in  their  most  holy 
faith.' 

There  are  three  things  that  the  Scripture  calls  precious  : 

First,  The  blood  of  Christ :  in  1  Peter  i.  19,  'Ye  are  not  redeemed 
with  silver  and  gold,  but  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  as  of  a  lamb 
without  blemish,  and  without  spot.' 

*  Wliilst  Pompey  prospered,  find  Rome  flourished,  Cato  stoutly  held  and  defended  a 
divine  providence;  but  when  he  saw  Pompey  overthrown  by  Csesar,  his  body  cast  upon 
the  shore  without  honour  of  burial,  and  himself  exposed  to  the  danger  of  Cassar's  array, 
he  changed  his  opinion,  denying  that  there  was  a  divine  providence,  but  that  all  things 
fell  out  by  chance,  &c. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  183 

Secondly,  The  promises  are  called  precious  promises  :  2  Peter  i.  4, 
*  Whereby  are  given  unto  us  exceeding  great  and  precious  promises.' 

Thirdly,  Faith  is  called  precious  faith  :  ver.  1,  '  Unto  them  that  have 
obtained  like  precious  faith  with  us.'  Now,  though  it  be  of  concern- 
ment for  every  saint  to  labour  to  be  rich  in  every  grace,  yet  more 
especially  and  more  particularly  to  be  rich  in  this  grace  of  faith  ;  and 
that  upon  this  account  that  follows  : 

(1.)  First,  Because  that  faith  is  the  soul's  greatest  and  choicest  fence 
against  her  worst  enemies. 

In  Eph.  vi.  16,  '  Above  all,  take  the  shield  of  faith,  whereby  ye  may 
be  able  to  queuch  all  the  fiery  darts  of  the  wicked.' 

'  Above  all,  take  the  shield  of  faith.'  Neglect  no  part  of  your  armour, 
but  above  all,  look  to  the  shield  of  faith.  Look,  what  the  shield  is  to 
the  body,  that  is  faith  to  a  believer's  soul,  to  secure  him  against  all  the 
fierce  and  fiery  darts  of  Satan. 

It  is  reported  of  Satan  that  he  should  say  of  a  learned  man,  Tu  me 
semper  vincis,  '  Thou  dost  always  overcome  me.  When  I  would  exalt 
and  promote  thee,  thou  keepest  thyself  in  humility  ;  and  when  I  would 
throw  thee  down,  thou  liftest  thyself  up  in  assurance  of  faith.'  Faith 
makes  the  soul  invincible  ;  it  makes  the  soul  victorious  ;  it  leads  cap- 
tivity captive  ;  it  binds  Satan  in  chains  ;  it  foils  him  at  every  weapon  ; 
and  therefore,  above  all,  labour  to  be  rich  in  faith. 

(2.)  Secondly,  Growth  in  faith  will  advance  the  growth  of  all  other 
graces. 

All  other  graces  thrive  in  the  soul  as  faith  thrives,  and  no  otherwise. 
Be  rich  in  this,  and  be  rich  in  all ;  be  weak  in  this,  and  be  weak  in  all. 
Faith  hath  an  influence  upon  all  other  graces ;  it  is  like  a  silver  thread 
that  runs  through  a  chain  of  pearls  ;  it  puts  strength  and  vivacity  into 
all  other  graces.  You  never  knew  a  man  rich  in  any  grace  that  hath 
not  been  rich  in  faith.  Every  man's  hope,  joy,  fear,  love,  humility, 
patience,  &c.,  is  as  his  faith  is.  In  Heb.  xi.  1,  '  Faith  is  the  evidence 
of  things  not  seen,  and  the  substance  of  things  hoped  for  ;'  or,  as  the 
Greek  hath  it,  h'TroaTaGig,  '  the  substance  of  things  hoped  for.'  All  other 
graces  live  upon  faith's  cost  and  charge.  Look,  what  the  breast  is  to 
the  child,  wings  to  the  bird,  oil  to  the  wheels,  and  the  soul  to  the  body, 
that  is  faith  to  all  other  graces  in  the  soul  of  man. 

It  is  reported  of  the  crystal,  that  it  hath  such  a  virtue  in  it,  that  the 
very  touching  of  it  quickens  other  stones,  and  puts  a  lustre  and  a 
beauty  upon  them.  I  am  sure  it  is  true  of  faith.  There  is  such  a 
divine  virtue  and  power  in  faith,  that  it  will  quicken  and  cast  a  lustre 
and  a  beauty  upon  all  other  graces  in  the  soul  of  man  ;  and  therefore 
you  should  labour  as  for  life  to  be  rich  in  this  particular  grace  of  faith. 

(3.)  Thirdly,  consider  this.  Of  all  graces  that  he  in  the  soul  of  man, 
faith  is  the  most  useful  grace  ;  and  therefore  you  should,  above  all, 
labour  to  be  rich  in  faith. 

It  is  a  Christian's  right  eye,  without  which  he  cannot  see  for  Christ ; 
it  is  his  right  hand,  without  which  ho  cannot  do  for  Christ ;  it  is  his 
tongue,  without  which  he  cannot  speak  for  Christ ;  it  is  his  very  vital 
spirits,  without  which  he  cannot  act  for  Christ. 

Some  say  that  king  Midas  had  obtained  of  the  gods,  that  whatsoever 
he  touched  should  be  turned  into  gold.     I  am  sure  that  whatever  faith 


]84)  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

toucheth,  it  turnetb  into  gold,  that  is,  into  our  good.  If  our  faith 
touches  the  promises,  it  turns  them  into  our  good  ;  whatsoever  faith  lays 
its  hand  upon,  it  appropriates  to  itself,  and  turns  it  into  the  soul's  good. 
If  faith  looks  upon  God,  it  saith,  '  This  God  is  my  God  for  ever  and 
ever,  and  he  shall  be  my  guide  unto  death,'  Ps.  Ixiii.  1  ;  Ixxxix.  26. 
When  it  looks  upon  Christ,  it  saith  with  Thomas,  *  My  Lord,  and  my 
God,'  John  XX.  28.  When  it  looks  upon  the  crown  of  righteousness,  it 
saith,  '  This  crown  is  laid  up  for  me,'  &c.  Faith  is  bread  to  nourish  us, 
and  wine  to  cheer  us,  and  a  cordial  to  strengthen  us.  Faith  is  a  sword 
to  defend  us,  a  guide  to  direct  us,  a  staff  to  support  us,  a  plaster  to  heal 
us,  a  friend  to  comfort  us,  and  a  golden  key  to  open  heaven  unto  us. 
Faith,  of  all  graces,  is  the  most  useful  grace  to  the  soul  of  man.  '  With- 
out faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God,'  Heb.  xi.  6  ;  iv.  2.  All  those 
services  are  lost,  wherein  faith  hath  not  a  hand.  You  may  write  loss 
upon  all  the  prayers  you  make,  and  upon  all  the  sermons  you  hear,  and 
upon  all  the  tears  you  shed,  and  upon  all  the  alms  you  give,  if  all  be 
not  managed  by  a  hand  of  faith. 

(4.)  Foinihly,  You  should  labour  above  all  to  be  rich  in  faith,  be- 
cause faith  is  that  'princely  grace  that  Christ  is  most  taken  ivith. 

Cant.  iv.  9,  '  Thou  hast  ravished  my  heart,  my  sister,  my  spouse,  thou 
hast  ravished  my  heart  with  one  of  thine  eyes,' — that  is,  with  that  piercing 
eye  of  faith  that  looks  up  to  my  mercy-seat — '  with  one  chain  of  thy  neck.' 

There  are  two  things  that  with  open  mouth  speak  out  Christ  to  be 
most  taken  with  the  faith  of  his  people. 

And  i\\e  first  is,  his  uncrowning  himself  to  crown  his  people's  faith. 
Christ  doth  often  take  the  crown  off  his  own  head,  and  put  it  upon  the 
head  of  faith.  Witness  such  passages  as  these,  which  are  frequent  in 
Scripture,  '  Thy  faith  hath  healed  thee,'  '  Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee,' 
'  Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole,'  &c.  Christ  takes  the  crown  off  his 
own  head,  and  puts  it  upon  the  head  of  faith  ;  and  no  wonder  ;  for  of  all 
graces,  faith  takes  the  crown  off  a  man's  own  head,  and  puts  it  on  the 
head  of  Christ.  Man  naturally  is  apt  to  crown  anything  but  Christ. 
He  is  apt  to  crown  his  prayers,  and  crown  his  desires,  and  crown  his 
endeavours,  &c.  Oh  but  now  faith  acts  like  a  king  of  kings,  and  un- 
crowns all,  and  sets  the  crown  upon  the  head  of  Christ. 

And  then  a  second  thing  that  speaks  out  Christ  to  be  most  taken 
with  the  grace  of  faith  is  this,  that  he  overlooks  all  other  graces  in 
comparison  of  faith,  as  you  may  see  in  the  Canaanite  woman,  Mat.  xv. 
21-29.  The  poor  woman  shews  a  great  deal  of  compassion,  a  great  deal 
of  wisdom,  a  great  deal  of  humility,  a  great  deal  of  love,  and  a  great 
deal  of  self-denial  ;  but  in  the  close  saith  Christ,  '  O  woman,  great  is 
thy  faith,  be  it  unto  thee  even  as  thou  wilt.'  He  doth  not  say,  O  woman, 
great  is  thy  love ;  nor,  O  woman,  great  is  thy  wisdom  ;  nor,  0  woman, 
great  is  thy  humility  and  self-denial  ;  nor,  O  woman,  great  is  thy 
patience,  &c.  ;  but,  '  0  woman,  great  is  thy  faith  !  He  overlooks,  as  it 
were,  all  other  graces,  and  sets  the  crown  upon  the  head  of  faith  :  '  0 
woman,  great  is  thy  faith.'  So  in  Mark  v.,  the  woman  that  had  a  bloody 
issue  twelve  years  comes  to  Christ  for  cure,  and  in  the  close  of  the  story 
saith  Christ  to  her,  '  Woman,  thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole.'  He 
doth  not  say.  Woman,  thy  pressing  hard  to  come  to  me  hath  made  thee 
whole,  but  '  Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole.'   He  doth  not  say,  Woman, 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  185 

thy  earnest  desires  and  endeavours  to  be  made  whole  hath  made  thee 
whole,  but  '  Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole.'  He  doth  not  say, 
Woman,  thy  fear  and  trembling  hath  made  thee  whole,  but  '  Thy  faiih 
hath  made  thee  whole,'  &c.  So  in  Luke  vii.  50,  '  Thy  faith  hath  saved 
thee,  go  in  peace.'  Though  she  wept  much,  and  loved  much,  yet  Christ 
doth  not  say,  Thy  tears  have  saved  thee,  thy  sorrow  hath  saved  thee. 
He  doth  not  say,  Thy  humility,  thy  charity  hath  saved  thee  ;  but  '  O 
woman,  thy  faith  hath  saved  thee.'  Christ  overlooks  all  other  graces, 
as  it  were,  and  casts  a  lovely'  eye  upon  the  grace  of  faith,  &c. 

(5.)  And  then  again,  in  the  fifth  place,  you  should  above  all  labour 
to  be  rich  in  faith,  because  of  all  graces  in  the  soul  of  man,  faith  makes 
him  m^ost  lively  and  active. 

There  is  no  grace,  I  say,  no  grace  in  the  soul  of  man,  that  makes  him 
so  full  of  life  and  action,  as  the  grace  of  faith.  Faith  is  the  pi'imum, 
mobile,  the  first  pin,  the  first  wheel  that  moves  all  the  golden  wheels 
of  obedience.  In  Heb.  xi.,  you  read  what  those  worthies  did  ;  they  left 
their  country,  their  kindred,  upon  a  bare  command  of  God.  Faith  hath 
Rachel's  eye,  but  Leah's  womb  ;  it  makes  souls  very  fruitful  in  ways  of 
well-doing.  Faith  is  as  the  spring  in  the  watch,  that  moves  the  wheels. 
Not  a  grace  stirs  till  faith  sets  it  on  work.  Faith  is  like  Solomon's 
virtuous  woman,  that  sets  all  her  maidens  on  w^ork.  Faith  sets  joy  on 
work.  'Abraham  desired  to  see  my  day,  and  saw  it,  and  rejoiced.' 
Faith  sets  love  on  work  ;  it  works  by  love  ;  Gal.  v.  6,  it  sets  hope  on 
work,  Rom.  viii.  24,  25  ;  it  sets  godly  sorrow  at  work,  Zech.  xii.  10  ;  it 
sets  patience  at  work.  I  believe  that  God  is  wise  and  loving,  and  what 
he  doth  is  out  of  some  noble  design  to  do  my  soul  good ;  this  spins  out 
patience.  Faith  fits  a  man  to  do,  to  suffer,  to  wait,  to  walk,  &c.,  there- 
fore labour  above  all  to  be  rich  in  faith. ^ 

(6.)  And  then,  sixthly,  of  all  graces,  faith  renders  the  soul  most  in- 
vincible ;  and  therefore  you  should  labour  above  all  to  be  rich  in  faith. 

It  renders  the  soul  invincible  and  unconquerable  under  all  the  hard- 
ships and  trials  it  meets  with  in  this  world.  Faith  makes  a  man 
triumph  in  all  the  changes  and  conditions  of  this  life.  It  was  their 
faith  that  made  them  invincible  in  Dan.  iii.  16-18,  '  O  Nebuchadnezzar, 
we  are  not  careful  to  answer  thee  in  this  matter.  If  it  be  so,  our  God, 
whom  we  serve,  is  able  to  deliver  us  from  the  burning  fiery  furnace ; 
and  he  will  deliver  us  out  of  thine  hand,  O  king.  But  if  not,  be  it 
known  unto  thee,  O  king,  that  we  will  not  serve  thy  gods,  nor  worship 
thy  golden  image  which  thou  hast  set  up."  And  so  Daniel's  faith  stopped 
the  lion's  mouth  ;  it  made  him  too  strong  for  the  strongest  beasts  of 
prey,  as  you  may  see  in  Dan.  vi.  Though  the  enemies  of  a  believer 
are  very  subtle,  strong,  and  experienced,  and  though  the  battle  be  hot 
and  long,  yet  a  soul  rich  in  faith  shall  have  the  day.  Faith  will  render 
a  believer  victorious  in  the  close :  '  He  may  suffer  death,'  as  Cyprian 
said  to  Cornelius,  '  but  never  conquest.'^     Faith  renders  the  soul  a  lion, 

^  '  Loving.' — Ed. 

2  True  faith  puts  forth  itself  into  vital  operations.  Ferdinand  of  Arragon  believed  the 
story  told  him  by  Columbus,  and  therefore  he  furnished  him  with  ships,  and  got  the 
West  Indies  by  his  faith  in  the  undertaking.  But  Henry  the  7th  of  England  believed  him 
not,  and  therefore  trusted  him  not  with  shipping,  and  so  lost  all  the  purchase  of  that 
faith  ;  which  purchase  may  yet  be  recovered,  if  the  Lord  shall  please  to  own  and  crown 
the  just  and  noble  design  of  General  Pen,  &c.       ^  Mori  posse,  vinci  non  posse. — Cyprian. 


186  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

a  rock,  &c.  It  is  reported  of  some  of  the  Roman  and  Grecian  captains, 
that  they  proved  always  victorious,  and  were  never  beaten  by  any. 
Such  is  the  nature  of  faith  ;  it  renders  a  soul  victorious  in  all  engage- 
ments. In  all  engagements  faith  brings  a  man  bravely  off,  and  enables 
him  to  keep  his  ground,  and  triumph.'  Ps.  Ix.  6-10,  *  God  hath  spoken 
in  his  holiness  ;  I  will  rejoice  :  I  will  divide  Shechem,  and  mete  out  the 
valley  of  Succoth.  Gilead  is  mine,  and  Manasseh  is  mine  ;  Ephraim 
also  is  the  strength  of  my  head  ;  Judah  is  ray  lawgiver ;  Moab  is  my 
wash-pot  ;  over  Edom  will  I  cast  out  my  shoe  :  Philistia,  triumph  thou 
because  of  me,'  &c.  It  is  not  great  resolutions,  nor  big  words,  nor  high 
looks,  but  faith,  that  will  make  a  man  stand  fast  in  shaking  times.  No 
hand  can  put  the  garland  upon  a  Christian,  but  the  hand  of  faith,  &c. 
Faith  alters  the  tenses,  it  puts  the  future  into  the  present ;  Gilead  is 
mine,  &c. 

(7.)  And  then,  seventhly,  above  all  labour  to  be  rich  in  faith,  because 
Satan  vjill  labour  might  and  main  to  weaken  your  faith. 

Oh  !  the  great  design  of  Satan  is  not  so  much  to  weaken  you  in  ex- 
ternals, as  it  is  to  weaken  you  in  internals.  Satan  can  be  contented 
that  men  should  have  their  heads  full  of  notions,  and  their  mouths  full 
of  religion,  and  their  bags  full  of  gold,  and  their  chests  full  of  silver, 
and  their  shops  full  of  wares,  so  their  souls  be  either  void  of  faith,  or  but 
poor  and  low  in  faith.  Satan's  greatest  plot  is  to  weaken  the  faith  of 
Christians.  Luke  xxii.  31,  32,  '  And  the  Lord  said,  Simon,  Simon,  be- 
hold, Satan  hath  desired  to  have  you,  that  he  may  sift  you  as  wheat : 
but  I  have  prayed  for  thee,  that  thy  faith  fail  not."  Satan  hath  an 
aching  tooth  at  thy  faith  ;  his  design  is  upon  that ;  he  will  labour  might 
and  main  to  weaken  that,  to  frustrate  that,  and  therefore  '  I  have  prayed 
that  thy  faith  fail  not.'  Satan  knows  that  nihil  retinet  qui  Jidem 
perdidlt. 

(8.)  And  then,  eighthly,  consider  this,  of  all  graces,  faith  contributes 
most  to  the  bringing  down  of  mercies  and  blessings  upon  yourselves 
and  friends ;  and  therefore  you  should  above  all  labour  to  be  rich  in 
this  particular  grace  of  faith. 

Faith  contributes  to  the  bringing  down  of  blessings  upon  ourselves. 
In  Dan.  vi.  23,  '  Daniel  was  delivered,'  saith  the  text,  *  because  he  be- 
lieved in  his  God.'  It  was  his  faith,  and  not  his  prayers ;  it  was  his 
faith,  and  not  his  tears ;  it  was  his  faith,  and  not  his  sighs  that  stopt 
the  lion's  mouths,  and  wrought  deliverance  for  him.  So  in  Ps.  xxvii.  13, 
'  I  had  fainted  unless  I  had  believed  to  see  the  goodness  of  the  Lord  in 
the  land  of  the  living.'  So  in  2  Chrou.  xx.  20,  '  Believe  in  the  Lord 
your  God,  so  shall  ye  be  established ;  believe  his  prophets,  so  shall  ye 
prosper,'  and  so  they  did.  That  is  a  very  famous  scripture  to  this  pur- 
pose, 2  Chron.  xiii.  15-17,  '  Then  the  men  of  Judah  gave  a  shout :  and 
as  the  men  of  Judah  shouted,  it  came  to  pass,  that  God  smote  Jeroboam, 
and  all  Israel,  before  Abijah  and  Judah.  And  the  children  of  Israel  fled 
before  Judah,  and  God  delivered  them  into  their  hands.  And  Abijah 
and  his  people  slew  with  a  great  slaughter  :  so  there  fell  down  slain  of 
Israel  five  hundi'ed  thousand  chosen  men.'  Here  was  a  great  slaughter; 
no  wars,  no  slaughters  comparable  to  those  the  Scripture  speaks  of. 

*  As  may  bo  fully  seen  in  the  Book  of  Martyrs,  and  in  Heb.  xi.  [Foxe  and  Clarke,  at 
before — (i.J 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  187 

And  the  reason  is  rendered,  verse  18,  'Because  they  relied  upon  the 
Lord  God  of  their  fathers.'  Were  men  more  rich  in  faith,  they  would 
be  more  rich  in  other  blessings,  &c.  And  as  faith  is  the  only  way  to 
bring  down  a  blessing  upon  ourselves,  so  faith  is  the  only  way  to  bring 
down  blessings  upon  our  friends  and  relations.  Though  another  man 
cannot  be  saved  by  my  faith,  yet  he  may  be  blessed  with  many  blessings, 
upon  the  account  of  my  faith.  In  Mat.  xv.  22-29,  it  was  the  Canaan- 
itish  woman's  faith  that  brought  a  blessing  of  healing  upon  her  daughter. 
And  so  in  Mat.  viii.  6-14,  the  centurion's  faith  healed  his  servant  that 
was  sick  of  a  palsy,  '  and  from  that  very  hour  he  was  healed.'  The 
servant  got  well  by  his  master's  faith.  And  so  likewise  in  Mark  ix.,  the 
faith  of  the  father  prevailed  for  the  dispossessing  of  his  son.  '  If  thou 
canst  believe,'  'saith  Christ,  '  all  things  are  possible.'  And  the  poor  man 
said  with  tears,  'Lord,  I  believe,  help  my  unbelief.'  And  presently  Christ 
charged  the  foul  spirit  to  come  out  of  him,  &c.  A  believing  husband, 
a  believing  wife,  a  believing  child,  or  a  believing  servant,  may  bring 
down,  by  the  actings  of  faith,  many  a  blessing  upon  their  relations. 
Faith  hath  a  happy  hand,  and  never  but  speeds  in  one  kind  or  another. 
It  hath  what  it  would,  either  in  money  or  money's  worth. 

Apollonius,  saith  Sozomen,  never  asked  anything  of  God,  either  for 
himself  or  his  friends,  but  he  had  it.  And  one  pointing  to  Luther  said, 
'  There  is  a  man  can  have  anything  of  God  that  he  will  ask.'  Faith 
hath  a  kind  of  omnipotency  in  it,  it  is  able  to  do  all  things,  &c. 

And  as  faith  brings  down  blessings  upon  our  own  heads  and  the  heads 
of  our  friends,  so  it  often  brings  down  wrath  upon  our  enemies.  There 
is  nothing^  contributes  so  much  to  our  enemies'  ruin  as  faith  doth.  I  am 
confident  it  hath  neither  been  armies,  nor  navies,  nor  parliaments,  that 
have  had  the  chief  hand  in  bringing  down  the  proud  and  stout  enemies 
of  Christ  and  Zion,  in  this  and  other  nations,  but  the  faith  of  his  de- 
spised people.  One  enemy  may  stand  before  the  face  of  another,  but 
what  enemy  can  stand  before  the  face  and  power  of  faith  ?  That  is  a 
remarkable  scripture,  Heb.  xi.  33,  '  Who  through  faith  subdued  king- 
doms, wrought  righteousness,  obtained  promises,  stopped  the  mouths  of 
lions,  quenched  the  violence  of  fire,  escaped  the  edge  of  the  sword,  out 
of  weakness  were  made  strong,  waxed  valiant  in  fight,  turned  to  flight 
the  armies  of  aliens.'  Other  means  were  used,  but  that  which  did  the 
work,  and  struck  all  dead,  was  faith.  Faith  engages  God  in  every  en- 
counter, and  who  can  stand  before  a  consuming  fire?^ 

Polybius,  speaking  of  Horatius  his  keeping  of  the  field  against  his 
enemies'  forces,  saith,  '  That  his  enemies  were  more  afraid  of  his  faith 
than  of  his  warlike  strength/  And  truly  there  is  nothing  that  renders 
men  more  dreadful  to  an  understanding  enemy  than  their  faith.  Oh  ! 
it  is  brave  for  men  to  believe  down  the  power  of  darkness,  to  believe 
down  those  that  war  against  the  Lamb,  &c.  No  way  to  get  an  enemy 
down  like  this  ;  nor  no  way  to  keep  an  enemy  down  like  this  ;  no  way 
to  save  a  kingdom  like  this ;  nor  no  Avay  to  keep  a  kingdom  like  this. 
The  nation  is  beholden  to  none  so  much  as  to  believing  souls.  O  Eng- 
land !  England !  thou  hadst  long  before  this  been  a  prey  to  men  that 

'  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  that  was  mother  to  king  James,  was  wont  to  say  that  she  feared 
Master  Knox's  prayers,  who  was  a  man  of  much  faith,  more  than  an  army  of  ten  thou- 
sand men. 


188  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EpH.  III.  8. 

delight  in  blood,  had  it  not  been  for  the  faith  of  the  worm  Jacob,  &c. 
Christians  !  as  you  would  have  Christ,  go  on  and  do  more  and  more 
for  England;  as  you  would  be  crowned  with  the  choicest  and  the  chiefest 
blessings,  and  as  you  would  have  vengeance  executed  upon  all  that  hate, 
that  wage  war  against  and  persecute  Christ  and  the  saints,  be  mighty 
in  believing. 

(9.)  Nintldy  and  lastly.  Faith  is  a  root  grace;  and  will  the  branches 
Jlourish  if  the  root  ivither? 

Oh  !  therefore,  water  this  root,  have  an  eye  to  this  root.  If  you  have 
a  ciioice  root  in  any  of  your  gardens,  oh  how  careful  are  you  of  it ! 
you  will  mind  it  and  water  it  and  look  to  it,  &c.  Well,  of  all  graces 
faith  is  the  root  grace,  and  if  this  die  you  will  find  your  graces  to  lan- 
guish. Your  hope,  love,  fear,  patience,  humility,  joy,  &c.,  can  never  out- 
live your  faith.  These  live  together  and  they  die  together ;  therefore, 
above  all,  labour  to  be  ricii  in  faith,  for  this  is  a  root  grace,  and  if  this 
flourish  all  other  graces  will  flourish  ;  but  if  this  decay,  all  other  graces 
will  lose  their  strength,  beauty,  glory,  &c. 

And  thus  much  for  the  fifth  proposition.  We  come  now  to  the  sixth 
proposition,  and  that  is  this  : 

[(').]  That  no  gracious  sovls  do  at  all  times  alike  grow  and  thrive 
in  spiritual  riches. 

A  child  sometimes  shoots  up  more  in  a  month  than  he  doth  at  other 
times  in  many  months,  and  sometimes  more  in  a  year  than  he  does  after- 
wards in  many  years.  And  do  not  plants  and  trees  sometimes  shoot  up 
more  in  a  week  than  in  many,  &c.  So,  many  a  Christian  thrives  more, 
and  gets  more  spiritual  riches  in  one  month  than  in  many,  in  one  year 
than  in  many.  I  appeal  to  your  experiences,  Christians  !  don't  you  find 
it  so  ?  I  know  you  do.  To  cite  Scripture  to  prove  this  would  be  to  cast 
water  into  the  sea,  and  to  light  candles  to  see  the  sun  at  noon.  Sin  and 
Satan  do  sometimes  work  more  violently  and  more  strongly  in  the  souls 
of  saints  than  at  other  times.  Now,  when  sin  and  Satan  work  most, 
and  prevail  most,  then  grace  thrives  least.  As  the  life  of  grace  is  the 
death  of  sin,  and  tiie  growth  of  grace  the  decay  of  sin,  so  the  increase 
of  sin  is  the  decay  of  grace,  and  tiie  strengthening  of  sin  is  the  weaken- 
ing of  grace. 

Again,  No  saints  have  at  all  times  alike  gales  of  the  Spirit  of  God, 
and  therefore  they  do  not  grow  in  spiritual  riches  at  all  times  alike. 
No  ships  have  at  all  times  the  same  gales  of  wind,  &c.  A  man  thrives 
in  spiritual  riches  as  the  gales  of  the  Spirit  of  God  are  upon  him,  and  no 
otherwise.  When  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  doth  blow  most  sweetly  and 
strongly  upon  his  heart,  then  his  graces  thrive  and  flourish  most,  then 
those  beds  of  spices  do  yield  the  most  fragrant  smell ;  but  when  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  doth  withdraw  and  withhold  his  influences,  how  doth 
the  strength  and  glory  of  grace  wither  and  decay  !  Latimer  said  of  the 
Spirit,  that  it  is  coming  and  going,  &c. 

The  herb  heliotropium  doth  turn  about,  and  open  and  shut,  accord- 
ing to  the  motion  of  the  s\m  ;  so  do  the  graces  of  the  saints  according 
to  the  internal  gales,  motions,  and  operations  of  tiie  Spirit,  &c. 

Again,  no  saints  have  at  all  times  the  like  external  advantages  and 
opportunities  of  growing  rich  in  spirituals.  They  have  not  the  word, 
it  may  be,  in  that  power  and  life  as  formerly;  or  it  may  be  they  enjoy 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  189 

not  the  communion  of  saints  as  formerly ;  or  if  they  do,  yet  perhaps 
those  that  have  formerly  been  as  fire  to  warm  and  inflame  them,  are 
now  become  water  to  cool  them,  and  deaden  them  ;  or  it  mav  be  they 
have  not  those  advantages  for  closet  duties  as  formerly  ;  or  it  may  be, 
the  course  of  nature  is  changed ;  and  if  so,  it  is  no  wonder  that  they 
thrive  not  in  spirituals  as  formerly.  When  children  have  not  as  good 
food,  and  as  good  lodging,  and  as  good  looking  after  as  at  other  times, 
no  wonder  if  they  thrive  not  as  at  other  times.  When  men  have  not 
the  same  advantages  and  opportunities  to  grow  rich  in  the  world  as  for- 
merly, do  we  wonder  that  they  thrive  not  as  before  ?    Surely  no. 

And  sometimes  this  arises  from  the  breaking  of  some  bone  by  sin. 
David  found  it  so.  Many  a  man,  by  breaking  a  bone,  is  much  hindered 
from  thriving  in  the  world.  Oh  !  this  broken  arm,  this  broken  leg,  hath 
cost  me  many  a  fair  pound  which  otherwise  I  might  have  got.  Oh 
friends  !  sin  is  the  breaking  of  the  bones,  the  breaking  of  a  man's  peace 
and  communion  with  God ;  it  is  the  breaking  of  his  hope  and  confidence 
in  God  ;  it  is  the  disjoining  of  a  man  from  God  ;  and  so  it  hinders  a 
man's  spiritual  growth  :  Isa.  lix.  1,  2;  chap.  Ixiv.  7  ;  Gal.  vi.  1.  Believe 
it,  Christians !  if  you  play  and  dally  with  sin,  if  you  fall  in  with  sin,  if 
you  make  one  with  sin,  you  will  never  grow  rich  in  spirituals.  Sin  will 
cause  such  a  breaking  of  bones,  as  will  undoubtedly  hinder  the  pros- 
perity of  your  souls.     And  so  much  for  the  sixth  proposition. 

[7.]  The  seventh  and  last  proposition  that  I  shall  propound  is  this  : 
A  man  may  grow  rich  in  those  graces  that  are  more  remote  from 
Christ,  that  are  less  conversant  about  Christ,  luhen  he  doth  not  groiu 
rich  in  those  graces,  that,  as  special  favourites,  stand  ahvays  at  the 
elbow  of  Christ,  and  are  most  busied  and  conversant  about  Christ. 
Let  me  open  it  thus  to  you : 

You  know  at  court  there  are  some  that  have  the  honour  to  attend 
always  at  the  prince's  elbow,  and  there  are  others  that  appertain  to  the 
same  prince,  but  are  more  remote  in  their  employments  for  him,  &c. 
So  in  the  soul,  there  are  some  graces  that  are  more  remote,  and  not  so 
conversant  about  the  person  of  Christ,  as  now  humility,  self-denial, 
patience,  meekness,  temperance,  sobriety,  and  the  like.  Now,  though 
these  graces  do  appertain  to  the  same  prince,  though  they  are  all  ser- 
vants of  the  Lord  Jesus,  yet  notwithstanding  tliey  are  more  remote,  and 
busied  about  other  objects  and  things.  Oh  !  but  now  faith  and  love  are 
choice  favourites,  that  always  stand  at  the  elbow  of  Clirist.  Faith  and 
love  are  Christ's  greatest  favourites  in  heaven.  Now  I  say,  a  Christian 
may  grow  rich  in  those  graces  that  are  more  remote  from  Christ,  that 
are  less  conversant  about  the  person  of  Christ,  when  he  doth  not  grow 
rich  in  those  particular  graces  that  are  most  active  about  the  person  of 
Christ,  He  may  grow  rich  in  humility,  in  self-denial,  in  meekness, 
in  temperance,  &c.,  when  he  doth  not  grow  up  in  joy  and  delight  and 
comfort,  &c.  The  tree  grows  downward,  when  it  doth  not  grow  upward ; 
so  a  soul  may  grow  rich  in  some  particular  graces,  when  he  doth  not 
grow  rich  in  other  graces.  He  may  grow  rich  in  those  graces  that  are 
more  remote  from  Christ,  when  he  doth  not  grow  rich  in  those  graces 
that  are  more  conversant  about  the  person  of  Christ.  Some  limbs  and 
branches  of  a  tree  grow  more  than  others. 

And  so  I  have  done  with  these  propositions  ;  the  serious  mindino-  of 


190  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

them  may  prevent  many  objections,  and  to  many  give  satisfaction  in 
several  cases,  &c. 

The  fourth  and  last  thing  propounded  was,  to  give  you, 
4'.  Some  notes  of  a  person  that  is  spiHtually  inch. 
Clearly,  as  there  are  few  worldly  rich  men  to  those  that  are  poor,  so 
there  are  few  in  this  professing  age,  that  will  be  found  to  be  spiritually 
rich,  compared  with  the  multitude  of  Laodiceans  tliat  swarm  in  these 
times.  We  have  many  that  say  they  are  rich,  and  that  think  they  are 
rich,  when  the  truth  is  they  have  either  no  grace,  or  but  a  very  little 
grace ;  and  these  five  following  things  do  clearly  evidence  it,  &c. 

[1.]  First,  Rich  men  have  more  variety  of  objects  to  delight  them- 
selves ivlth,  than  poor  men  have. 

They  have  houses  and  gardens,  and  lands  and  cattle,  and  silver  and 
gold,  and  jewels  and  pearls,  and  what  not,  to  delight  themselves  with. 
Oh !  but  poor  men  have  not  such  variety  of  objects  to  delight  themselves 
with,  as  rich  men  have.  It  is  just  thus  in  spiritual  riches.  A  man 
that  is  rich  in  grace  hath  more  variety  of  spiritual  objects,  about  which 
his  soul  is  most  conversant,  than  a  man  that  is  poor  in  grace.  He  hath 
more  objects  of  love,  of  joy,  of  delight,  of  content,  to  busy  and  exercise 
his  soul  about,  than  otliers  that  are  weak  in  grace :  2  Cor.  vi.  10, 
'  Enjoying  nothing,  and  yet  possessing  all  things.'  A  soul  rich  in  grace 
possesses  and  enjoys  all  things  in  Christ,  and  Christ  in  all  things. 
They  enjoy  all  good  in  him  who  is  the  chiefest  good,  who  is  the  spring 
and  fountain  of  good.  Joseph,  in  Pharaoh's  court,  had  more  variety  of 
objects  to  delight  him,  than  his  brethren  had  to  delight  themselves  in 
their  father's  house,  &c. 

I  have  spoken  largely  to  this  already,  and  therefore  shall  content 
myself  in  giving  you  this  hint.  It  stands  upon  you  to  inquire  what 
variety  of  objects  you  have  to  delight  your  souls  in.     But, 

[2.]  Secondly,  Rich  men  can  reach  to  those  things  that  poor  men 
cannot  reach  to. 

I  would  have  such  and  such  things,  saith  the  poor  man,  as  the  rich 
man  hath ;  I  would  fare  as  he  fares,  and  wear  as  he  wears,  and  do  as 
he  doth,  but  my  stock  will  not  reach  it.  So  a  soul  that  is  spiritually 
rich  can  reach  to  those  things  that  one  that  is  poor  in  grace  cannot 
reach  unto.  He  can  reach  to  those  joys,  to  those  comforts,  and  to  those 
contents,  to  those  heights  of  communion.with  God,  and  to  those  visions 
and  apprehensions  of  God,  that  a  soul  that  is  not  rich  in  grace  cannot 
reach  to.  Oh  !  I  would  fain  have  that  comfort,  and  that  joy,  and  that 
peace,  and  that  communion  with  God,  and  those  visions  of  God,  that 
such  and  such  souls  have,  saith  a  poor  Christian ;  but  I  cannot ;  my 
stock  will  not  reach  to  it.  It  is  an  argument  a  man  is  grown  higher, 
when  he  can  reach  higher  than  he  could  before,  whether  it  be  a  beam 
or  a  pin,  &c.  So  it  is  an  argument,  that  a  soul  is  grown  rich  in  grace, 
when  he  can  reach  beyond  what  formerly  he  could  reach  unto  ;  when 
he  can  reach  beyond  his  enlargements,  beyond  his  in-comes,  beyond  his 
comforts,  to  a  Christ ;  when  in  duty,  he  can  reach  above  duty  ;  when 
in  an  ordinance,  he  can  reach  to  Christ,  above  the  ordinance ;  when 
under  enlargements,  he  can  reach  above  enlargements,  to  Jesus  Christ. 
Oh !  but  now  a  man  that  hath  but  a  little  grace,  he  can  rarely  reach 
above  his  duties,  above  ordinances,  above  enlargements,  to  Christ.     He 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  191 

is  very  apt  to  sit  down  and  warm  himself  with  the  sparks  of  his  own 
fire,  and  to  feed  upon  ashes,  as  the  prophet  speaks,  Isa.  1.  11,  xliv.  20, 
&c.  But  now,  a  soul  that  is  rich  in  grace,  says,  Well !  these  ordinances 
are  not  Christ,  these  refreshings  are  not  Christ,  these  meltings  are  not 
Christ,  these  enlargements  are  not  Christ ;  these  are  sweet,  but  he  is 
more  sweet ;  these  are  very  precious,  but  he  is  most  precious.  And 
thus  those  that  are  spiritually  rich  do  out-reach  all  others,  &c.' 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Pdch  inen  can  with  more  ease  and  pleasure  bear 
burdens,  than  poor  men  can. 

When  taxes  and  burdens  are  laid  upon  poor  men,  they  sigh,  and 
shrug,  and  complain  that  they  are  not  able  to  bear  them,  when  rich 
men  make  nothing  of  them.  So  souls  that  are  rich  in  grace  can  bear 
burdens  without  a  burden  ;  they  can  bear  crosses,  afflictions,  and  per- 
secutions, with  abundance  of  ease,  cheerfulness,  and  contentedness  of 
spirit ;  they  do  not  shrug,  nor  grumble,  but  bear  the  greatest  trials  with 
greatest  sweetness,  as  you  may  see  in  Acts  v.,  '  They  went  out  rejoicing 
that  they  were  counted  worthy  to  suffer  for  the  name  of  Jesus.'  So 
Paul,  2  Cor.  xii.  10,  'I  take  pleasure  in  infirmities,  in  reproaches,  in  ne- 
cessities, in  persecutions,  in  distresses,  for  Christ's  sake.'  '  I  take  pleasure.' 
The  Greek  word  is  an  emphatical  word,  ihhoxu ;  it  is  the  same  word 
that  God  the  Father  uses  to  express  his  infinite  delight  in  his  Son  : 
Mat.  iii.  17,  '  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased  ;'  or, 
'  in  whom  I  am  infinitely  delighted.'  The  same  word  the  apostle  uses 
to  express  the  wonderful  delight  that  he  took  under  all  his  sufFerino-s  ; 
he  rejoices  and  leaps  under  all  his  burdens.  Oh  !  but  now  a  soul  that 
is  poor  in  grace,  he  cannot  bear  a  burden  without  a  burden  ;  every  light 
affliction  turns  him,  and  sinks  him  ;  every  molehill  is  a  mountain  ; 
every  scratch  on  the  hand  is  a  stab  at  the  heart ;  every  wave  is  a  sea, 
and  the  poor  Christian  sighs  and  groans,  and  cries  out.  Oh  !  no  sorrow 
to  my  sorrow !  no  loss  to  my  loss  !  no  cross  to  my  cross !  but  souls 
rich  in  grace  act  quite  contrary,  as  hath  been  hinted  and  proved,  &c. 

[4.]  Fourthly,  Rich  men  are  most  envied. 

History  and  Scripture  speak  out  this,  as  well  as  our  own  experience. 
The  rich  man  above  all  others  is  the  greatest  object  of  envy,  and  it  is 
as  true  that  such  that  are  most  rich  in  spirituals  are  of  all  men  the 
most  envied.  Moses  and  Aaron  were  rich  in  spirituals,  and  oh,  how 
were  they  envied  by  Korah,  Dathan,  and  Abiram,  and  other  wicked 
wretches  !  Ezra,  Nehemiah,  and  Mordecai,  were  rich  in  spirituals,  and 
who  more  envied  ?  Among  all  the  prophets  and  apostles,  those  have 
been  most  envied,  that  have  most  abounded  in  spiritual  worth  ;  and  to 
this  very  day,  none  are  such,  objects  of  scorn  and  envy,  as  those  that 
have  most  of  Christ  within.  Men  that  have  more  leaves  than  fruit, 
that  have  a  golden  outside,  but  a  threadbare  inside,  are  less  envied 
than  those  that  are  'all  glorious  within.'^  Men  of  greatest  excellencies, 
are  the  main  objects  upon  which  the  eye  of  envy  is  placed,  Ps.  xlv.  13. 
Saul's  envious  eye  was  placed  upon  David,  and  Cain's  upon  Abel,  and 
Esau's  upon  Jacob,  and  Herod's  upon  John,  and  the  Pharisees'  upon 

'  A  tree  that  is  well  grown  stands  it  out  in  the  worst  storms  ;  it  bends  not,  it  breaks 
not,  &c. 

*  It  was  said  of  Csesar  and  Pompey,  that  the  one  could  not  endure  a  superior,  nor  the 
other  an  equal.     [Plutarch:  Julius  Csesar. — G.] 


192  ,  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EpH.  III.  8. 

Cliiist.  Envious  souls  are  like  the  ravens,  that  fly  over  the  sweet 
garden,  and  light  upon  the  stinking  carrion.  Envy  doth  ever  ascend  ; 
It  never  descends.  An  envious  man  can  with  more  ease  die  miserably, 
than  SCO  another  live  happily.  An  envious  heart  weeps  to  see  others' 
mercies,  and  joys  to  see  others'  miseries.  An  envious  heart  is  like  the 
mermaid,^  which  never  sings  but  in  a  storm,  and  never  mourns  but  in 
a  calm.  An  envious  man  cannot  endure  those  excellencies  in  others 
that  he  wants  in  himself;  he  loves  not  any  light  that  outshines  his 
own,  any  crown  that  outweighs  his  own,  &c.  Socrates  calls  envy  Serram 
animce,  the  soul's  saw,  &c. 

Cimon,  the  famous  general  of  the  Athenian  commonwealth,  hearing 
a  friend  of  his  highly  commending  his  martial  achievements,  answered, 
'  That  they  were  not  worthy  of  commendations,  because  they  were  not 
envied,'  &c. 

[5.]  Fifthly,  Rich  men  are  most  tempted  and  assaulted. 

Pirates  do  not  use  to  set  upon  empty  vessels,  but  those  that  are  most 
richly  laden  ;  and  beggars  need  not  fear  the  thief,  though  the  rich  man 
do.  Those  that  have  been  most  rich  in  spirituals,  have  been  most 
assaulted  and  tempted  by  Satan.  Witness  Abraham,  Job,  Joshua, 
Peter,  Paul,  yea,  Christ  himself.  The  best  men  have  always  been  most 
and  worst  tempted.  None  so  much  in  the  school  of  temptation,  as 
those  that  are  most  rich  in  grace.  There  are  none  that  are  such  blocks, 
such  mountains  in  Satan's  ways,  as  these  ;  none  do  him  that  mischief 
as  these ;  none  are  so  active  and  so  resolute  in  their  oppositions  against 
him  as  they,  &c. ;  and  therefore  none  so  assaulted  and  tempted  as  they.^ 
And  thus  by  these  five  things  you  may  know  whether  you  are  rich  in 
grace  or  no. 

Use  2.  The  next  use  is  this : 

If  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  so  rich,  then  do  not  join  anything  with 
him,  in  the  great  work  of  your  redemiotion  and  salvation. 

There  are  riches  enough  in  Christ  to  pay  all  your  debts,  and  to  satisfy 
divine  justice  to  the  utmost  farthing,  without  being  beholden  to  your 
prayers,  tears,  or  humiliations.  Christ  will  be  Alexander  or  Nemo  on 
earth.     Kings  love  no  consorts  ;  power  is  impatient  of  participation. 

When  Augustus  Coesar  desired  the  senate  to  join  two  consuls  with 
hira,  for  the  carrying  on  the  government  of  the  state,  the  senators 
answered,  '  That  they  held  it  a  diminution  to  his  dignity  to  join  any 
with  so  incomparable  a  man  as  Augustus  Caesar  was.'  [Suetonius]. 

Was  it  a  diminution  to  his  dignity  to  join  others  with  him  in  the 
government  of  the  state  ?  And  is  it  not  a  diminution  of  the  dignity 
and  glory  of  Christ,  to  join  your  actions  and  your  endeavours  with  his 
blood,  in  the  business  of  your  redemption  ?  In  Isa.  Ixiii.  3,  '  1  have 
trodden  the  wine-press  alone ;  and  of  the  people  there  was  none  with 
me.'  And  in  Isa.  xliv.  24,  '  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  thy  Redeemer,  and 
he  that  formed  thee  from  the  womb,  I  am  the  Lord  that  maketh  all 
things  ;  that  stretcheth  forth  the  heavens  alone,  that  spreadeth  abroad 
the  earth  by  myself  It  is  a  sad  reproach  to  Christ  to  join  anything 
with  him  in  the  great  business  of  your  salvation ;  therefore  abhor  it 

*  Spelled  '  mearmaid.' — G. 

*  God  and  Satan  will  try  to  the  utmodt  those  particular  graces  wherein  any  Christian 
does  excel,  &c. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  193 

more  than  hell  itself :  let  Christ  be  all  in  all.  We  must  say  of  Christ 
as  it  was  once  said  of  Csesar,  Socium  habet  neminem,  He  may  have 
a  companion,  but  he  must  not  have  a  competitor,  &c. 

Again,  Thirdly, 

Use  3.  If  Christ  be  so  rich,  then  take  heed  of  three  things. 

(1.)  First,  Take  heed  of  sitting  down  dejected  and  discouraged  under 
any  losses  or  troubles  that  do  befall  you,  or  that  have  or  shall  befall 
you  for  the  na'\ne  of  Christ. 

Christ  is  generally  rich  ;  he  is  able  to  make  up  all  your  losses  and 
wants  :  Philip,  iv.  19,  'But  my  God  shall  supply  all  your  need,  accord- 
ing to  his  riches  in  glory  by  Jesus  Christ,'  as  he  did  the  widow's  vessel. 
The  fountain  hath  not  the  less  water  for  the  vessel  it  fills,  nor  the  sun 
the  less  light  for  that  it  gives  forth  to  the  stars  ;  so  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  hatli  never  a  whit  the  less  for  what  he  gives  forth  unto  his  saints. 

When  Zedislaus,  the  king  of  Poland's  general,  had  lost  his  hand  in 
his  service,  the  king  sent  him  a  golden  hand.  Ah,  Christians  !  when 
you  lose  this  or  that  for  him,  he  will  send  you  a  golden  hand  ;  if  you 
lose  a  penny  for  him,  "he  will  give  you  a  pearl.  Christ  will  not  live 
long  in  any  man's  debt ;  if  he  should,  he  would  lose  his  glory,  &c. 

(2.)  Secondly,  If  the  Lord  Jesus  be  ver}'"  rich.  Oh  then  take  heed  of 
despairing  by  reason  of  your  sins. 

I  confess,  the  least  sin  should  humble  the  soul,  but  certainly  the 
greatest  sin  should  never  discourasfe  the  soul,  much  less  should  it  work 
the  soul  to  despair.  Read  1  Tim.  i.  13-15,  and  despair,  I  had  almost 
said,  if  thou  can'st.  Despairing  Judas  perished.  Acts  ii.,  whenas  the 
murderers  of  Christ,  believing  on  Christ,  were  saved.  Despair  is  a  sin  ex- 
ceeding vile  and  contemptible;  it  is  a  word  of  eternal  reproach,  dishonour, 
and  confusion ;  it  declares  the  devil  a  conqueror ;  and  what  greater  dishon- 
our can  be  done  to  Christ,  than  for  a  soul  to  proclaim  before  all  the  world 
the  devil  a  crowned  conqueror  ?  A  despairing  soul  is  magor  missabib,  a 
terror  to  himself;  his  heart  a  hell  of  horror;  his  conscience  an  aceldama, 
a  field  of  black  blood.  He  hath  no  rest  at  home  nor  abroad,  at  bed  nor 
board,  but  is  as  if  infernal  devils  followed  him  in  fearful  shapes,  terrify- 
ing and  tormenting  his  perplexed  soul.  Eternity  of  misery,  feared  or 
felt,  begets  that  monster  which,  like  Medusa's  head,  astonisheth  with 
its  very  aspect,  and  strangles  hope,  which  is  the  breath  of  the  soul. 
As  it  is  said,  dum  spiro,  spero,  so  it  may  be  inverted,  dum  spero,  spiro  ; 
other  miseries  may  wound  the  spirit,  but  despair  kills  it  dead,  &c.^ 

(3.)  Thirdly,  If  Christ  be  so  rich,  then  take  heed  of  presuming. 

Take  heed  of  taking  encouragement  to  sin  upon  this  account,  that 
Christ  is  rich  in  grace  and  mercy.  Christ  is  a  lion  as  well  as  a  lamb  ; 
he  hath  a  sword  as  well  as  a  sceptre.  To  argue  from  the  riches  of 
mercy  to  sinful  liberty  is  the  devil's  logic.  A  soul  that  thus  reasons  is- 
a  soul  left  of  God,  a  soul  that  is  upon  the  last  step  of  the  ladder,  a  soul 
that  Satan  hath  by  the  hand  ;  and  the  eternal  God  knows  whither  he 
will  lead  him.  What  the  women  sung  of  Saul  and  David,  that  '  Saul 
had  slain  his  thousands,  and  David  his  ten  thousands,'  1  Sam.  xviii. 

^  '  My  sin  is  greater  than  can  be  forgiven,'  saitli  Cain.  Thou  liest,  Cain,  saith  Augus- 
tine ;  for  God's  mercy  is  greater  than  the  sins  of  all  men,  and  it  is  a  great  injury  to  God 
to  distrust  of  his  mercy.     \_fn  loco. — G.] 

VOL.  III.  N 


194  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

6,  7,  that  I  may  say  of  despair  and  presumption,  '  Despair  bath  slain 
her  thousand,  but  presumption  bath  sUiin  bor  ton  thousand.'  'Shall 
we  sin  that  <:,'race  may  abound  ?  God  forbid.  How  shall  we  that  are 
dead  to  sin,  bve  any  lonjrer  tlierein  ?'  Rom.  vi.  1,  2.  As  the  beams  of 
the  sun,  shining  on  the  firo,  put  out  the  fire,  so  the  shinings  of  God's 
mercy  on  us  should  extinguish  sin  in  us,  as  the  apostle  argues,  2  Peter 
iii.  15,  from  Paul,  Rom.  ii.  4.  Christ  seems  to  say  to  souls,  as  Theseus 
said  once,  '  Go,'  says  he,  '  and  tell  Creon,  Theseus  offers  thee  a  gracious 
offer,  yet  I  am  pleased  to  be  friends,  if  thou  wilt  submit.  This  is  my 
hrst  message,  but  if  this  offer  prevail  not,  look  for  me  to  be  up  in  arms.' 
Ah  souls  !  if  you  shall  alnise  the  riches  of  grace  to  a  presumptuous  sin- 
ning against  Chrii-t,  Christ  will  take  up  arms,  and  you  shall  die  for  it. 

The  next  use  is  this : 

Use  4.  If  Christ  be  so  rich.  Oh  !  then,  open  to  Christ  luhen  he  knocJcs. 

Christ  knocks  by  his  word,  and  he  knocks  by  his  rod  ;  he  knocks  by 
his  Spirit,  and  he  knocks  by  his  messengers,  and  he  knocks  by  con- 
science. Oh,  open  to'him  !  for  he  is  very  rich.  Though  you  shut  the 
door  against  a  poor  man,  yet  you  will  open  it  to  one  that  is  rich  ;  and 
why  not  then  to  Christ,  who  would  fain  have  entrance  ?  Rev.  iii.  20, 
'  Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door,  and  knock  :  if  any  man  hear  my  voice, 
and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him,  and 
he  with  me.' 

'  Behold,  I  stand.'  I  that  am  the  King  of  glory,  I  that  am  '  King  of 
kings,  and  Lord  of  lord.s,'  Ps.  xxiv.  7-9,  Rev.  xvii.  14.  I  that  am  rich  in 
mercy,  rich  in  goodness,  rich  in  grace,  rich  in  glory,  'I  stand  at  the  door 
and  knock.'  I  that  have  gold  to  enrich  you,  I  that  have  eye-salve  to 
enlighten  you,  I  that  have  glorious  apparel  to  clothe  you,  I  that  have 
mercy  to  pardon  you,  I  that  have  power  to  save  you,  I  that  have  wisdom 
to  counsel  you,  I  that  have  happiness  to  crown  you,  'I  stand  at  the  door 
and  knock.' 

'  If  any  man  open.'  If  the  master  will  not,  yet  if  the  servant  will ; 
if  the  mistress  will  not,  yet  if  the  maid  will  ;  if  the  parent  will  not,  yet 
if  the  child  will  ;  if  the  rich  man  Avill  not,  yet  if  the  poor  man  will ;  if 
the  pharisee  won't,  yet  if  the  publican  will ; 

'  I  will  come  in,  and  sup  with  him,  and  he  with  me.'  Jesus  Christ 
hath  the  greatest  worth  and  wealth  in  him.  As  the  worth  and  value 
of  many  pieces  of  silver  is  in  one  piece  of  gold,  so  all  the  heavenly  ex- 
cellencies that  are  scattered  abroad  in  angels  and  men,  are  united  in 
Christ ;  yea,  all  the  whole  volume  of  perfection  which  is  spread  through 
heaven  and  earth  is  epitomised  in  Christ. 

They  say  it  is  true  of  the  oil  at  Rheems,  that  though  it  be  continually 
spent  in  the  inauguration  of  their  kings  of  France,  yet  it  never  wastes. 
Christ  is  a  pot  of  manna,  a  cruse  of  oil,  a  bottomless  ocean  of  all  com- 
forts and  contents  that  never  fail.  A  saint  may  say,  '  In  having  no- 
thing, I  have  all  things,  because  I  have  Christ  Having  therefore  all 
things  in  him,  I  seek  no  other  reward,  for  he  is  the  universal  reward.' 

And  then  again. 

Use  5.  If  Christ  be  so  rich,  then  sit  down  and  ivonder  at  his  con- 
descending love. 

That  one  so  rich  should  fall  in  love  with  such  that  are  poor,  wretched, 
miserable,  blind,  and  naked,  Rev.  iii.   17-21,  &c.  ;   that  one  so  high 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  195 

should  look  so  low  as  poor  we  ;  that  one  so  great,  that  one  who  is  the 
Lord  and  heir  of  all,  .should  match  with  us  that  have  nothing  at  all. 
'  O  the  breadth,  the  length,  the  depth,  the  height '  of  Christ's 
love  to  unlovely  souls  !  to  such  that  had  neither  portion  nor  propor- 
tion ;  that  had  neither  external  nor  internal  worth  tliat  might  in  the 
least  draw  his  love  towards  them,  Heb.  i.  2-4,  Philip,  iii.  1 7-19,  &c.,  Ezek. 
vi.  16.  You  were  indebted  to  God  for  the  clothes  you  wear,  for  the 
bread  you  eat,  for  the  houses  you  live  in,  the  air  you  breathe  in,  the 
beds  you  lie  on,  the  ground  you  tread  on,  &c.  Now  for  Christ  to  love 
such,  and  to  be  willing  to  bestow  himself  upon  such  nothings,  oh  !  how 
should  this  work  them  to  spend  their  days  in  admiring  and  contem- 
plating upon  his  kindness  and  goodness  ! 

I  have  read  a  story  of  an  elephant,  who  being  fallen  down,  and 
unable  to  help  himself  or  get  up  again,  by  reason  of  the  inflexibleness 
of  his  legs,  a  forester  coming  by  helped  him  up,  wherewith  the  ele- 
phant, by  the  very  instinct  of  nature,  was  so  affected,  that  he  followed 
this  man,  would  do  anything  for  him,  and  never *left  him  till  his  dying 
day.'     The  application  is  easy. 

The  next  use  that  we  shall  make  of  this  point  is  this. 

Use  6.  If  Christ  be  so  rich  as  hath  been  discovered  to  you,  then  prize 
Christ  above  all. 

As  the  people  prized  David  above  themselves,  saying, '  Thou  art  worth 
ten  thousand  of  us,'  2  Sam.  xviii.  3,  so  should  saints  lift  up  Jesus  Christ 
above  themselves,  and  above  everything  below  himself  He  that  lifts 
not  Christ  up  above  all  hath  no  interest  in  Christ  at  all ;  he  that  sets 
not  Christ  above  all  is  not  a  disciple  of  Christ :  Luke  xiv.  26,  '  If  any  man 
come  to  me,  and  hate  not  his  father,  and  mother,  and  wife,  and  children, 
and  brethren,  and  sisters,  yea,  and  his  own  life  also,  he  cannot  be  my 
disciple.'  Surely  they  do  not  truly  love  Christ  who  love  anything  more 
than  Christ.^ 

It  was  a  notable  saying  of  Jerome,  '  If  my  father  should  hang  upon 
me,  my  brethren  should  press  round  about  me,  and  my  mother  should 
stand  before  me,  I  would  throw  down  my  father,  I  would  break  through 
my  brethren,  and  I  would  trample  upon  my  mother,  to  come  to  Christ.' 

Other  saints  have  lifted  up  Christ  above  all  their  lands,  relations,  and 
lives,  as  you  may  see  in  Heb.  xi. ;  and  so  did  a  multitude  of  the  martyrs 
under  the  ten  persecutions,  &c.  As  Pharoah  set  up  Joseph  above  all, 
and  made  him  governor  of  the  land,  and  as  Darius  set  up  Daniel  over 
ail,  so  you  must  prize  Christ,  and  set  up  Christ  above  all. 

Remember  a  few  things,  that  this  may  the  better  stick  upon  your 
hearts. 

[1.]  First,  A  Christ  highly  ^prized  ivill  be  a  Christ  greatly  delighted  in. 

Every  soul  delights  in  Christ  as  he  prizes  Christ,  and  no  otherwise. 
The  reason  of  reasons  why  Christ  is  no  more  delighted  in,  is  because  he 
is  no  more  prized  among  the  sons  of  men :  Cant.  ii.  5,  '  As  the  apple- 
tree  among  the  trees  of  the  wood,  so  is  my  well-beloved  among  the  sons. 
I  sat  down  under  his  shadow  with  great  delight,  and  his  fruit  was  plea- 
sant to  my  taste.'     The  seeing  of  this  object  delights  the  eye  of  a  believer, 

*  Love  is  like  fire,  very  operative.     Si  non  operatur,  non  est. 

*  Austin  saith  he  would  willingly  ^o  through  hell  to  Christ.  .  .  .  Certe  non  amant  illi 
Christum,  qui  aliquid plus  quam  Christum  amant. 


l!)G  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

tlie  hearing  of  this  object  delights  the  ear  of  a  believer,  the  enjoying, 
tlie  possessing  of  this  object  delights  the  heart  of  a  believer :  '  1  sat 
down  under  his  siuidovv  witii  great  delight.' 

The  apple-tree  is  delightful  for  shadow,  so  is  Christ ;  he  is  a  shadow 
to  poor  souls  when  they  arc  scorched  with  troubles  within  and  terrors 
without:  Isa.  xxxii.  2,  'And  a  man,' that  is,  Christ,  '  sliall  be  as  an 
hiding-place  from  the  wind,  and  as  a  covert  from  the  tempest,  as  rivers 
of  waters  in  a  dry  place,  as  the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary  land.* 

The  apple-tree  is  delightful  for  pleasantness  of  fruit,  so  is  the  Lord 
Jesus  for  those  pleasant  fruits  of  righteousness  and  holiness  that  grow 
upon  hiin. 

And  the  apple-tree  is  delightful  for  varieties,  so  is  Christ ;  for  there 
are  all  varieties  of  excellencies  in  himself:  Col.  i.  19,  'It  pleased  the 
Father  that  in  him  should  all  fulness  dwell.'  We  delight  in  persons 
and  things  as  we  prize  them,  and  no  otherwise.  Jonathan  highly  prized 
David,  and  delighted  in  him  accordingly.  Jacob  highly  prized  Rachel, 
and  delighted  in  her*  answcrably.  You  will  delight  in  Christ  as  you 
prize  him ;  if  you  prize  him  but  a  little,  you  will  delight  in  him  but  a 
little. 

[2.]  Secondly,  Remember  this,  a  Christ  highly  prized  will  he  a  Christ 
gloriously  obeyed. 

Every  man  obeys  Christ  as  he  prizeth  Christ,  and  no  otherwise.  The 
higher  price  any  soid  sets  upon  Christ,  the  more  noble  will  that  soul  be 
in  his  obedience  to  Christ.  If  Christ  were  more  prized  in  the  world,  he 
w^ould  be  more  obeyed  in  the  world.  A  soul  that  highly  prizeth  Christ 
is  better  at  obeying  than  at  disputing  any  command  of  Christ.  If 
Christ  will  command  such  a  soul  to  step  over  the  world's  crown  to  take 
up  his  cross,  the  soul  will  do  it,  as  you  may  see  in  Moses,  Heb.  xi.  24- 
26.  He  sets  a  higher  jDrice  upon  (Christ's  cross  than  upon  Pharoah's 
crown.  When  Christ's  cross  and  the  world's  crown  stood  in  competi- 
tion, upon  a  bare  command  of  God  Moses  steps  over  the  world's  crown 
to  take  up  Christ's  cross  :  '  He  chose  rather  to  suffer  affliction  with  the 
people  of  God,  than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season.'  And  so 
Abraham,  upon  a  bare  command  of  God,  leaves  his  country,  and  his 
near  and  dear  relations.  He  wholly  resigns  up  himself  to  God ;  lie  puts 
his  hand  into  God's,  and  is  willing  that  God  should  lead  him  whither  he 
pleases,  and  do  with  him  what  he  pleases.* 

I  remember  an  excellent  saying  of  Luther,  Mallem  mere  cum, 
Christo,  quaiyi  regnare  cum  Ccesare,  '  I  had  rather/  saith  he,  '  fall  with 
Christ  than  stand  with  Csesar.'  And  indeed  every  gracious  soul  that 
highly  prizes  Christ  will  rather  choose  to  fall  with  Christ  than  to  neglect 
Ids  obedience  to  Christ.  By  obeying  Christ  we  gain  more  honour  than 
we  can  give  ;  by  kissing  the  Son  we  even  command  him,  and  make  him 
ours,  &c. 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Christians,  remember  this,  all  the  causes  of  prizing 
l^ersons  and  things  are  eminndly  and  mily  in  Christ ;  which  bespeaks 
you  all  to  set  a  very,  very  high  price  upon  the  Lord  Jesus.  Christ's 
beauty  needs  no  letters  of  commendation.  You  prize  some  for  their 
beauty  ;  why,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  fairest  among  the  children 

'  Non  parentum  ant  majorum  authoritas,  sed  Dei  dicenlis  imperium-     The  command  of 
God  must  outweigh  all  authority  aud  example  of  men. — Jerome. 


EpH.  III.  8. J  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  197 

of  men,  Ps.  xlv.  1,  2  ;  Cant.  v.  10,  '  My  beloved  is  white  and  ruddy;  the 
chiefest,'  or,  the  standard-bearer,  '  among  ten  thousand.'  You  prize 
others  for  their  strength;  why,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath  in  him  ever- 
lastincy  strensfth  :  Isa.  xxvi.  4,  '  Trust  in  the  Lord  for  ever,  for  in  the 
Lord  Jehovah  is  everlasting  strength  ;  he  is  the  rock  of  ages.'  You 
prize  others  for  bearing  their  father's  image  ;  why  the  Lord  Jesus  bears 
the  imao-e  of  his  Father  :  Heb.  i.  3,  '  He  is  the  brisjhtness  of  his  Father's 
glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his  person.'^  You  prize  others  for  their 
wisdom  and  knowledge  ;  such  a  one  is  a  very  Avise  man,  you  say,  and 
therefore  you  prize  him  ;  and  such  a  one  is  a  very  knowing  man,  and 
therefore  you  prize  him ;  why,  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  know- 
ledge are  in  Christ :  Col.  ii.  .'3,  '  In  whom,'  saith  he,  speaking  of  Christ, 
'  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge.'  The  truth  is,  all 
those  perfections  and  excellencies  that  are  in  all  angels  and  men,  they 
all  centre  in  Christ,  they  are  all  epitomised  in-Christ.  All  the  angels 
in  heaven  have  but  some  of  those  perfections  that  be  in  Christ.  All 
wisdom,  and  all  power,  and  all  goodness,  and  all  mercy,  and  all  love,  &c., 
is  in  no  glorified  creature,  no,  not  in  all  glorified  creatures  put  together. 
But  now  in  Christ  all  these  perfections  and  excellencies  meet,  as  all 
water  meets  in  the  sea,  and  as  all  light  meets  in  the  sun.  Others  you 
prize  for  their  usefulness ;  the  more  useful  persons  and  things  are,  the 
more  you  prize  and  value  them.  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  of  universal 
use  to  his  people  ;  why,  he  is  the  right  eye  of  his  people,  without  which 
they  cannot  see ;  and  the  right  hand  of  his  people,  without  which  they 
cannot  do,  &c.  He  is  of  singular  use  to  all  his  people.  He  is  of  use  to 
weak  saints,  to  strengthen  them  ;  and  he  is  of  use  to  doubting  saints, 
to  resolve  them  ;  and  he  is  of  use  to  dull  saints,  to  quicken  them ;  and 
he  is  of  use  to  falling  saints,  to  support  them  ;  and  he  is  of  use  to  wan- 
dering saints,  to  recover  them.  In  prosperity  he  is  of  use  to  keep  his 
saints  humble  and  watchful,  spotless  and  fruitful ;  and  in  adversity  he 
is  of  use  to  keep  them  contented  and  cheerful.  All  which  should  very 
much  engage  our  hearts  to  prize  this  Christ.^ 

Again,  we  prize  things  as  they  suit  us;  why,  Christ  is  not  only  a  good, 
but  a  suitable  good.  Christ  is  light  to  enlighten  us,  John  i.  8,  9  ;  and 
he  is  life  to  enliven  us,  Philip,  v.  14.  He  is  riches  to  supply  us,  and  he 
is  raiment  to  clothe  us  ;  he  is  a  staff  to  support  us,  and  he  is  a  sword  to 
defend  us;  he  is  bread  to  nourish  us,  and  he  is  water  to  refresh  us,  and 
wine  to  cheer  us  ;  and  what  would  we  have  more  ? 

[4.]  Fourthly,  Yet  once  more,  that  this  may  stick  upon  us,  let  us  con- 
sider, that  luhere  tue  are  highly  prized  there  ive  highly  prize? 

Why,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  doth  exceedingly  prize  every  believing 
soul ;  yea,  even  such  poor  weak  saints,  that  many  swelled  souls  slight 
and  despise  as  persons  of  no  worth,  because  they  want  that  light  and 
knowledge,  and  those  parts  and  gifts,  that  others  have.  Well,  Chris- 
tians, remember  this,  Christ"  prizes  you  as  the  apple  of  his  eye,  Zech. 
ii.  8  ;  he  prizes  you  as  his  jewels,  Mai.  iii.  17  ;  he  prizes  you  as  his  por- 

'  Tlie  character  of  his  subsistence.  A  comparison  from  the  seal  of  a  ring,  the  form  of 
wliich  is  imprinted  in  tiie  wax. 

2  Christ  is  quicquid  appetibile,  as  Origen  speaks,  whatever  we  can  desire.  If  we  hunger 
and  thirst,  he  is  pabulum  animcB,  the  food  of  the  soul. 

3  Christ  may  well  be  compared  to  tlie  trees  of  the  sanctuary,  Ezek.  xlvii.  12,  which 
were  both  for  meat  and  for  medicine. 


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[Eph.  III.  8. 


tion,  Dcut.  xxxii.  9,  '  The  Lord's  portion  is  his  people;'  he  prizes  you  as 
his  glory,  Isa.  xlvi.  13  ;  he  prizes  you  as  his  ornaments,  Ezek.  vii.  20  ; 
he  prizes  you  as  his  throne,  Jer.  xl.  21  ;  he  prizes  you  as  his  diadem, 
Isa.  Ixii.  3  ;  lie  prizes  you  as  his  friends,  John  xiv. ;  he  prizes  you  as  his 
brethren,  Heb.  ii.  11,  12;  he  prizes  you  as  his  bride,  Isa.  Ixii.  5  ;  he 
prizes  you  above  his  Father's  bosom,  for  he  leaves  that  to  do  you  ser- 
vice, John  xvi.  28  ;  yea,  he  prizes  you  above  his  very  life,  he  lays  down 
his  life  to  save  your  souls,  John  x.  Now,  oh  who  would  not  highly 
prize  such  a  Christ,  that  sets  such  an  invaluable  price  upon  such  worth- 
less souls ! 

[5.]  Fifthly  and  lastly,  consider,  That  your  high  pHzhig  of  Christ 
vjill  work  you  to  value  the  least  things  of  Christ  above  the  greatest 
worldly  good. 

It  wdl  make  you  value  the  least  nod  of  Christ,  the  least  love-token 
from  Christ,  the  least  good  look  from  Christ,  the  least  good  word  from 
Christ,  the  least  truth  of  Christ,  &c.,  above  all  the  honours,  treasures, 
pleasures,  and  glories  of  this  world  :  Ps.  cxix.  72,  '  The  law  of  thy  mouth 
is  better  than  thousands  of  gold  and  silver.'  Luther  would  not  take 
all  the  world  for  one  leaf  of  the  Bible.  And  oh  that  a  serious  considera- 
tion of  these  things  might  work  all  your  hearts  to  a  high  prizing  of  the 
Lord  Jesus ! 

Use.  7.  The  next  use  that  we  shall  make  of  this  point,  is  this. 

If  Christ  be  so  rich,  then  trust  to  Christ. 

Who  will  not  trust  a  rich  man  ?  Every  one  strives  to  trust  a  rich 
man  :  '  The  rich  hath  many  friends,'  Prov.  xiv.  20.  Why,  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  is  very  rich  ;  will  you  be  persuaded  to  trust  bim  ?  Oh  trust 
him  with  your  best  treasures,  with  your  choicest  jewels,  with  your  names, 
souls,  estates,  relations  !  The  apostle  was  excellent  at  this  :  2  Tim.  i.  12, 
'  I  know  him,'  saith  he,  '  in  whom  I  have  believed,  that  he  is  able  to 
keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him,  until  that  day.'*  I  have 
committed  my  soul  to  him,  and  my  life  to  him,  and  my  name  to  him, 
and  all  my  mercies  and  enjoyments  to  him.  The  child  cannot  better 
secure  any  precious  thing  it  hath,  than  by  putting  it  into  the  father's 
hands  to  keep.  Our  mercies  are  always  safest  and  surest  when  they 
are  out  of  our  hands,  when  they  are  in  the  hands  of  God.  We  trust  as 
we  love,  and  we  trust  where  we  love  ;  where  we  love  much,  we  trust 
much.  Much  trust  speaks  out  much  love ;  if  you  love  Christ  much, 
surely  you  will  trust  him  much. 

That  was  a  notable  bold  expression  of  Luther,  '  Let  him  that  died 
for  my  soul,  see  to  the  salvation  of  it.'  I  have  committed  my  soul  to 
him,  I  have  given  it  up  into  his  hands,  who  is  my  life,  who  is  my  love, 
and  let  him  look  after  it,  let  him  take  care  of  it.  In  securing  of  that, 
he  secures  his  own  glory.  Oh  that  Christians  would  trust  in  this  rich 
Christ  for  a  supply  of  necessaries  !  Is  Christ  so  rich,  and  will  you  not 
take  his  word  that  he  will  not  see  you  want  ?  Will  you  trust  a  rich 
man  upon  his  word,  and  Avill  you  not  trust  a  rich  Christ  upon  his  word? 
Do  you  believe  he  will  give  you  a  crown,  and  will  you  not  trust  him  for 

'  Interpreters  differ  about  the  pawn  or  pledge  which  the  apostle  committed  to  God's, 
rnstddy.  One  saith  it  was  his  soul;  a  aecond  saith  it  was  himself,  which  is  all  one  ;  ai 
third  saith  it  was  his  works  ;  a  fourth  sdith  it  was  h\>i  suflVriiigs  :  a  fifth  saith  it  was  his] 
salvation.     Without  doubt,  it  was  all  that  was  near  and  dear  to  him. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  199 

a  crust  ?  Do  you  believe  he  will  give  you  a  kingdom,  and  do  you 
doubt  whether  he  will  give  you  a  cottage  to  rest  in  ?  Has  he  given  you 
his  blood,  and  do  you  think  that  he  will  deny  you  anything  that  is 
really  for  your  good  ?     Surely  he  will  not,  he  cannot.'  ^ 

Again,  Trust  him  for  jpower  against  all  the  remainders  of  sin  in 
you. 

Hath  Christ  freed  you  from  the  damnatory  power  of  sin,  and  from  the 
dominion  of  sin,  and  will  not  you  trust  him  for  deliverance  from  the 
remainders  of  sin  ?  Ps.  Ixv.  3,  '  Iniquities  prevail  against  me  :  as  for  our 
transgressions,  thou  shalt  purge  them  away.'  Oh  excellent  faith  !  Rom. 
viii.  1,  vi.  14. 

Again,  Ti'ust  him  to  bring  you  into  the  land  of  rest. 

Do  you  think  that  this  Joshua  is  not  able  to  carry  you  through  all 
difficulties,  dangers,  and  deaths  ?  Do  you  think  that  he  will  leave  you 
to  die  in  the  wilderness,  who  have  already  had  some  glimpses  of  heaven's 
glory  ?  Oh  trust  to  this  Christ  for  the  bringing  your  souls  into  the 
promised  land !  Christ  would  lose  his  glory  should  you  fall  short  of 
glory,  &c. 

Use  8.  Again,  If  Christ  be  so  rich,  then  do  not  forsake  him,  do  not 
leave,  do  not  turn  your  hacks  upon  him. 

Is  there  riches  of  justification,  and  riches  of  sanctifi cation,  and  riches 
of  consolation,  and  riches  of  glorification  in  Christ?  Yes,  why  then  do 
not  depart  from  him,  do  not  shake  hands  with  hini.'^  That  is  a  sad  com- 
plaint of  God  in  Jer.  ii.  12,  13,  'Be  ye  astonished,  O  ye  heavens,  at 
this,  and  be  horribly  afraid,  be  ye  very  desolate,  saith  the  Lord.  For 
my  people  have  committed  two  evils ;  they  have  forsaken  me,  the 
fountain  of  living  waters,  and  hewed  them  out  cisterns,  broken  cisterns, 
that  can  hold  no  water.'  It  is  madness  and  folly  to  fly  from  the  fountain 
to  the  stream,  from  the  light  of  the  sun  to  the  light  of  a  candle.  And 
is  it  not  greater  madness  and  folly  to  forsake  the  Creator  to  run  after 
the  creature  ?  Oh  say  as  Peter,  '  Whither  should  we  go,  thou  hast  the 
words  of  eternal  life,'  John  vi.  68.  To  run  from  Christ,  is  to  run  from 
all  life,  peace,  and  joy ;  it  is  to  run  from  our  strength,  our  shelter,  our 
security,  our  safety,  our  crown,  our  glory.  Crabs,  that  go  backward, 
are  reckoned  among  unclean  creatures.  Lev.  xi.  10.  The  application  is 
easy. 

Origen  coming  to  Jerusalem,  after  that  he  had  shamefully  turned  his 
back  upon  Christ  and  his  truth,  and  being  exceedingly  pressed  to  preach, 
at  last  he  yields,  and  as  he  opened  the  book,  he  happened  to  cast  his 
eye  upon  that  place  of  the  psalmist,  '  What  hast  thou  to  do  to  declare 
my  statutes,  or  that  thou  shouldest  take  my  covenant  in  thy  mouth, 
seeing  thou  hatest  instruction,  and  castest  my  word  behind  thee  ?'  Ps.  1. 
16,  17.  Now  the  remembrance  of  his  own  folly  so  reflected  upon 
his  conscience,  that  it  made  him  close  the  book  and  sit  down  and 
weep.  Such  as  forsake  a  rich,  a  full  Christ,  shall  have  weeping  work 
enough. 

That  is  a  very  dreadful  scripture,  Jer.  xvii.  13,  '  All  you  that  forsake 
the  Lord,  shall  come  to  be  ashamed,  and  they  that  depart  from  him, 

»   (1.)  Christ's  promises  are  ever  performed,  2  Cor.  i.  20.     (2.)  His  promises  arc  over- 
performed,  1  Cor.  ii.  9.  &c. 
2   You  read  of  no  arms  for  the  back,  though  you  do  for  the  breast,  Eph.  vi.  11. 


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shall  be  written  in  the  dust.'  Can  you  read  this  text,  backsliding  souls, 
and  not  tremble  ?  &.c. 

Use  9.  Again,  If  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  so  rich,  Oh  !  then  all  you 
that  have  an  interest  in  him,,  labour  mifihtily  to  clear  up  your  interest, 
and  to  he  more  ainiviore  confident  of  your  inter  est  in  so  rich  a  Jesus. 

My  brethren,  it  is  one  thing  for  a  man  to  have  an  interest  in  Christ, 
and  anotlier  thing  to  have  his  interest  cleared  up  to  him,  I  do  speak 
it  with  grief  of  heart,  that  even  among  such  Christians  that  I  hope  to 
meet  in  heaven,  there  is  scarce  one  of  forty,  nay,  one  of  a  hundred,  that 
is  groundedly  able  to  make  out  his  interest  in  the  Lord  Jesus.  Most 
Cliristians  live  between  fear  and  hope,  between  doubting  and  believing. 
One  day  tliey  hope  that  all  is  well,  and  that  all  shall  be  well  for  ever ; 
the  next  day  they  are  ready  to  say  that  they  shall  one  day  perish  by 
the  hand  of  such  a  corruption,  or  else  by  the  hand  of  such  or  such  a 
temptation  ;  and  thus  they  are  up  and  down,  saved  and  lost,  many  times 
in  a  day. 

But  you  will  say  unto  me.  What  means  should  vje  use  to  clear  up 
our  interest  in  Christ  ? 

I  will  tell  you. 

There  are  six  singular*  means  that  you  should  labour  after,  for  the 
evidencing  more  and  more  your  interest  in  Christ.  And  take  it  from 
experience,  you  will  find  that  they  will  contribute  very  much  for  the 
evidencing  your  interest  in  Christ. 

[1.]  And  xXxQ  first  is  this.  Faithfully  and  constantly  fall  in  vjiththe 
interest  of  Christ. 

Holiness  is  the  interest  of  Christ,  the  gospel  is  the  interest  of  Christ, 
the  precious  ordinances  are  the  interest  of  Christ,  &c.  Now  the  more 
sincerely  and  roundly  you  fall  in  with  the  interest  of  Christ,  the  more 
abundantly  you  will  be  confirmed  and  persuaded  of  your  interest  in 
Christ.  Such  souls  as  fall  in  with  strange  interests,  or  with  base  and 
carnal  interests,  may  justly  question  whether  ever  they  had  any  real 
interest  in  Christ.  Christians  !  did  you  more  sincerely  and  fully  fall  in 
with  Christ's  interest,  you  would  less  question  your  interest  in  Christ ; 
this  would  scatter  many  a  cloud." 

[2.]  Secondly,  Be  Iciiid  to  the  Spirit  of  Christ.  ^ 

Do  not  grieve  him,  do  not  slight  him.  If  you  should  set  this  Spirit 
a-mourning,  that  alone  can  evidence  your  interest,  that  alone  can  seal  up 
your  interest  in  Christ,  by  whom  shall  your  interest  in  Christ  be  sealed 
up  ?  Oh  do  not  grieve  the  Spirit  by  acting  against  light,  against  con- 
science, against  engagements  ;  do  not  grieve  him  by  casting  his  cordials 
and  comforts  behind  your  backs  ;  do  not  grieve  him  by  slighting  and 
despising  his  gracious  actings  in  others ;  do  not  cast  water  upon  the 
Spirit,  but  wisely  attend  the  hints,  the  items,  and  motions  of  the  Spirit, 
and  he  will  clear  up  thy  interest  in  Christ,  he  will  make  thee  say,  '  My 
beloved  is  mine,  and  I  am  his,'  Cant.  ii.  16. 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Labour  more  and  more  after  a  full  and  universal 
conformity  to  Jesus  ChHst. 

»  Distinct.— G. 

'  TIk;  primitive  Christians  did  generally  fall  in  with  the  interest  of  Christ,  and  they 
generally  bud  an  assurance  of  their  interest  in  Christ. 

*  Lam.  i.  16,  Philip,  iv.  30,  Isa.  Ixiii.  10.  Spiritus  sanctus  est  res  delicala,  Ps.  Ixxvii.  2, 
1  Thes.  V.  19. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  201 

The  more  the  soul  is  conformable  to  Christ,  the  more  confident  it  will 
be  of  its  interest  in  Christ :  1  John  iv,  17,  '  Herein  is  our  love  made 
perfect,  that  we  may  have  boldness  in  the  day  of  judgment,  because  as 
he  is,  so  are  we  in  this  world."  '  As  he,  so  are  we.'  The  child  is  not 
more  like  the  father  than  we  are  like  our  Saviour.  The  child  is  the 
father  multiialied,  the  father  of  a  second  edition.  Our  summum  bonum 
consists  in  our  full  communion  with  Christ,  and  in  our  full  conformity 
to  Christ.  Oh  !  if  men  were  more  universally  conformable  to  Christ  in 
their  affections,  ends,  designs,  and  actings,  &c.,  they  would  have  abun- 
dantly more  clear,  full,  and  glorious  evidences  of  their  interest  in  Christ. 
A  more  full  conformity  to  Christ  in  heart  and  life  will  make  your  lives 
a  very  heaven,  &c.  As  all  good  orators  endeavour  to  be  like  Demos- 
thenes, so  all  good  Christians  should  endeavour  to  be  like  Jesus  Christ ; 
for  therein  lies  their  glory  and  perfection. 

[4.]  Fourthly,  Interest  Christ  in  the  glory  of  all  you  enjoy,  and  in 
the  glory  of  all  you  do. 

This  is  a  precious  way  to  have  your  interest  in  Christ  more  and  more 
evidenced  to  your  own  souls,  1  Cor.  x.  31.  Such  as  are  good  at  this, 
as  are  much  in  this,  will  find  Christ  every  day  a-clearing  up  more  and 
more  their  interest  in  himself  It  is  not  usually  long  night  with  such 
souls.  Oh  Christians  !  interest  Christ  more  and  more  in  the  glory  of 
all  your  graces,  interest  him  in  the  glory  of  all  your  duties,  interest  him 
in  the  glory  of  all  your  abilities,  as  Christ  doth  interest  you  in  himself, 
in  his  Spirit,  in  his  graces,  in  his  riches,  in  his  titles,  in  his  dignities,  in 
his  offices.  Ah  Christians  !  did  you  interest  Christ  more  in  all  you 
have,  in  all  you  are,  and  in  all  you  do,  you  would  never  be  so  full 
of  fears,  and  doubts,  and  questions  about  your  interest  in  Christ  as  you 
are,  John  i.  16,  Rev.  i.  5,  6,  1  Peter  ii.  9.  Your  interesting  of  Christ 
in  all  you  have  and  do,  will  speak  out  not  only  the  truth  of  your  love, 
but  also  the  strength  and  greatness  of  your  love ;  and  where  men  love 
much,  where  they  love  strongly,  there  they  do  not  question  the  truth  of 
their  love.' 

The  heathen  gods  were  contented  to  divide  their  honours  amongst 
themselves,  and  hence  the  senate  of  Kbme  rejected  Christ,  from  taking 
him  to  be  a  god,  after  that  they  had  consulted  about  it ;  for,  said  they, 
if  Christ  come  to  be  acknowledged  a  god,  he  will  not  share  with  the 
rest,  he  will  have  all  himself;  and  so  upon  this  reason  they  refused  him.* 
Christians  !  Christ  will  not  have  any  competitor ;  he  will  rather  part 
with  anything  than  with  his  glory  :  Isa.  xlii.  8,  'I  am  the  Lord,  that  is  my 
name,  and  my  glory  will  I  not  give  to  another,  neither  my  praise  to 
graven  images.'  Christ  will  rather  part  with  his  life  than  with  his 
honour ;  therefore,  let  every  Christian  say  as  David  does  :  1  Chron.  xxix. 
11-13,  '  Thine,  O  Lord,  is  the  greatness,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory, 
and  the  victory,  and  the  majesty;  for  all  that  is  in  the  heaven  and  in 
the  earth  is  thine  ;  thine  is  the  kingdom,  0  Lord,  and  thou  art  exalted 
as  head  above  all.  Both  riches  and  honour  come  of  thee,  and  thou  reign- 
est  over  all  ;  and  in  thine  hand  is  power  and  might,  and  in  thine  hand 
it  is  to  make  great,  and  to  give  strength  unto  all.  Now,  therefore,  our 
God  we  thank  thee,  and  praise  thy  glorious  name.'    And  clearly,  friends, 

'  The  mother  that  strongly  loves  her  child  does  not  question  the  truth  of  her  love  to 
her  child.  ^  Tertullian,  Apolog.,  c.  v. ;  and  cf.  Lardner. — G. 


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the  more  your  hearts  are  led  forth  to  interest  Christ  in  all  you  enjoy, 
and  in  all  you  do,  the  more  clear  and  glorious  evidence  you  will  have 
of  your  interest  in  Christ.  Let  his  honour  and  glory  lie  nearer  and 
nearer  to  your  hearts,  and  you  shall  see  that  he  has  set  you  as  a  seal 
upon  his  arm,  as  a  seal  upon  his  heart. 

[5.]  The  ///"///,  means  to  gain  the  knowledge  of  your  interest  in  Christ 
is,  By  cleaving  to  Christ,  and  luhatsoever  is  deai'  to  Christ,  in  the  face 
of  all  miseHes,  di£iculties,  and  dangers. 

It  is  nothing  to  cleave  to  Christ  in  fair  weather,  when  every  one  cleaves 
to  Christ,  when  every  one  professes  Christ ;  but  to  cleave  to  him  in  a 
storm,  when  every  one  runs  from  him,  this  speaks  out  a  child-like  dis- 
position ;  it  speaks  out  a  Jacob's  spirit :  Ps.  xliv.  ;  Acts  v.  ;  Heb.  xi. ; 
Dan.  iii.  ;  Acts  xxi.  13.  Surely  he  must  needs  have  much  of  Christ, 
that  nothing  can  take  off  from  cleaving  to  Christ.  When  the  soul  says 
to  Christ,  as  Ruth  said  to  Naomi,  '  Whither  thou  goest  I  will  go;  and 
where  thou  lodgest  I  will  lodge  :  thy  people  shall  be  my  people,  and  thy 
God  shall  be  my  God.  The  Lord  do  so  to  me,  and  more  also,  if  aught 
but  death  part  thee  and  me,'  Ruth  i.  15-18.  When  neither  the  frowns 
of  men,  nor  the  reproach  of  men,  nor  the  contempt  of  men,  nor  opposi- 
tions from  men,  can  take  the  soul  off  from  cleaving  to  Christ,  it  will  not 
be  long  before  Christ  speaks  peace  to  such  a  soul :  Ps.  Ixiii.  8,  '  My  soul 
follovveth  hard  after  thee,  thy  right  hand  upholds  me.'  In  the  Hebrew 
it  is,  '  My  soul  cleaveth  to  thee,'  or  '  is  glued  to  thee,'  as  Jonathan's 
soul  cleaved  to  David,  and  as  Jacob's  soul  cleaved  to  Rachel,  in  the  face 
of  all  difficulties  and  troubles.  Doubtless,  when  the  soul  cleaves  to 
Christ  in  the  face  of  all  afflictions  and  difficulties,  this  carries  with  it  very 
much  evidence  of  its  interest  in  Christ.  In  temporals  men  cleave  to 
persons  and  things,  as  their  interest  is  in  them  ;  and  so  it  is  in  spirituals 
also.  Christ  cannot,  Christ  will  not,  throw  such  to  hell  that  hang  about 
him,  that  cleave  to  him.^ 

[6.]  Sixthly  and  lastly.  If  you  would  know  vjhetJier  you  have  an  in- 
terest in  Christ,  then  he  very  much  in  obsei^ing  what  interest  Christ 
has  in  you. 

Observe  whether  he  has  the  interest  of  a  head,  a  husband,  a  father, 
or  no.  Christ  has  a  general  interest  in  all  creatures,  as  he  is  the  Crea- 
tor and  preserver  of  them ;  and  he  has  a  head's  interest,  a  husband's 
interest,  a  father's  interest,  only  in  them  that  have  a  saving  interest  in 
him.  The  interest  of  the  head,  the  husband,  the  father,  is  the  greatest 
interest ;  it  is  the  sweetest  interest,  it  is  a  commanding  interest,  it  is 
a  growing  interest,  it  is  a  peculiar  interest,  it  is  a  lasting  interest ;  and 
really,  if  the  Lord  Jesus  hath  such  an  interest  in  you,  you  may  be  as 
confident  that  you  have  a  real  and  glorious  interest  in  him,  4s  you  are 
confident  that  you  live.  And  thus  much  for  the  means  whereby  you 
may  come  to  know  your  interest  in  rich  Jesus. 

Before  I  close  up  this  discourse,  give  me  leave  to  speak  a  few  words 
to  poor  sinners  who,  to  this  very  day,  are  afar  off  from  this  Jesus,  who 
is  so  rich  in  all  excellencies  and  glories.  Ah  poor  hearts  !  you  have 
heard  much  of  the  riches  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  oh  that  I  could  per- 
suade with  you  to  get  an  interest  in  this  Christ !  Get  this  Christ,  and 
you  get  all ;  miss  him,  and  you  miss  all.     It  is  a  matter  of  eti-rnal  con- 

'   Sl)amm;i,  one  of  David's  worthies,  stood  aud  defended  tlie  field  when  all  tlie  rest  fled. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  203 

cernraent  to  your  souls.  Nothing  can  make  that  man  miserable  that 
hath  this  rich  Christ ;  nothing  can  make  that  man  happy  that  wants 
this  rich  Christ.  In  Pro  v.  iv.  5-7,  '  Get  wisdom  (that  is  Christ),  get 
understanding,  forget  it  not.  Wisdom  is  the  principal  thing,  there- 
fore get  wisdom,  and  with  all  thy  getting  get  understanding.'  And 
so  in  Prov,  xvi.  1 6,  '  How  much  better  is  it  to  get  wisdom  than  gold  ? 
and  to  get  understanding,  rather  to  be  chosen  than  silver  T  Hadst  thou 
all  the  power  of  the  world,  without  an  interest  in  Christ,  thou  wouldst 
be  but  weak,  1  Cor.  i.  25-29.  Hadst  thou  all  the  wit  and  learning 
in  the  world,  without  an  interest  in  Christ,  thou  wilt  be  but  a  fool. 
Hadst  thou  all  the  honours  in  the  world,  yet  without  an  interest  in 
Christ,  thou  wouldst  be  but  base.  Hadst  thou  all  the  wealth  in  the 
world,  yet  without  an  interest  in  Christ,  thou  wouldst  be  but  a  beggar, 
Dan.  iv.  17;  Luke  xvi.  22-26,  &c.  Oh,  therefore,  labour  for  an  in- 
terest in  Christ !  Oh,  turn  the  wise  merchant  at  last !  The  wise  mer- 
chant in  the  Gospel  parts  with  all  to  buy  the  pearl,  to  get  an  interest 
in  Christ,  Mat.  xiii.  45-47.  Oh  it  is  your  greatest  wisdom,  it  is  of  an 
eternal  concernment  to  your  souls,  to  sell  all,  to  part  with  all,  for  an  in- 
terest in  the  Lord  Jesus  !  Oh  do  not  deal  with  your  own  souls,  when 
Christ  is  tendered  and  offered  to  you,  as  sometimes  simple  people  do 
when  they  go  to  market ;  they  might  have  a  good  pennyworth,  but  that 
they  are  loath  to  part  with  some  old  piece  of  gold  that  has  been  given 
them  by  a  father  or  a  friend  ;  somewhat  willing  they  are  to  have  a  good 
pennyworth,  but  unwilling  they  are  to  part  with  their  gold.  It  is  so 
with  many  poor  sinners,  when  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  presented  to 
their  souls  as  a  very  glorious  pennyworth,  somewhat  willing  they  are  to 
have  him,  but  unwilling  they  are  to  part  with  their  old  good,  with  some 
old  sweet  darling  lust.  But,  sinners,  don't  you  deceive  your  own  souls ; 
sin  and  your  souls  must  part,  or  Christ  and  your  souls  can  never  meet. 
Sin  and  your  souls  must  be  two,  or  Christ  and  your  souls  can  never  be 
one.  Christ  is  a  most  precious  commodity;  he  is  better  than  rubies, 
Prov.  viii.  11,  or  the  most  costly  pearls  ;  and  you  must  part  with  your 
old  gold,  with  your  shining  gold,  your  old  sins,  your  most  shining  sins, 
or  you  must  perish  for  ever.  Christ  is  to  be  sought  and  bought  with 
any  pains,  at  any  price.  We  cannot  buy  this  gold  too  dear.  He  is  a 
jewel  more  worth  than  a  thousand  worlds,  as  all  know  that  have  him. 
Get  him,  and  get  all ;  miss  him  and  miss  all. 

Now  if  ever  you  would  get  an  interest  in  Christ,  and  so  by  gaining 
an  interest  in  him,  be  possessed  of  all  the  riches  and  glory  that  come 
by  him,  then  be  sure  to  get  your  hearts  possessed  with  these  nine  prin- 
ciples that  follow. 

[1.]  And  the  first  principle  is  this.  That  the  great  end  and 
design  of  Christ's  coming  into  the  world  was  the  salvation  of 
sinners. 

Get  this  principle  rooted  in  your  spirits.  '  I  came  not  to  call  the 
righteous,'  saith  he,  '  but  sinners  to  repentance,'  Mat.  ix.  13,  Mark  ii.  17. 
And  in  ]  Tim.  i.  15,  '  This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  accep- 
tation, that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners.'  Christ 
lays  aside  his  royal  crown  ;  he  puts  off  his  glorious  robe  ;  he  leaves  his 
Father's  bosom  ;  he  takes  a  journey  from  heaven  to  earth  ;  and  all  to 
save  poor  lost  sinners.     That  which  Christ  had  most  in  his  eye,  and 


204 


THE  UNSEARCHABLE 


[Eph.  III.  8. 


upon  his  heart,  in  his  coming  into  tlie  world,  vv^is  the  salvation  of  sinners. 
Lay  up  this  truth,  feed  upon  this  lioney-comb. 

[2]  Secondly,  Get  this  principle  rooted  upon  your  hearts,  viz., 
That  none  ever  yet  obtained  an  interest  in  Christ  hut  unworthy 
creatu  rea. 

When  you  are  pressed  to  get  an  interest  in  Christ,  you  are  ready 
to  say,  Oh  '  I  ;ini  unworthy,'  will  Christ  ever  look  after  such  a  one  as 
I  am  ? 

I  answer,  yes  ;  for  this  is  a  most  certain  principle,  that  none  ever 
attained  an  interest  in  Christ  but  unworthy  creatures.  Was  Paul 
worthy  before  he  had  an  interest  in  Christ  1  What  worthiness  was  in 
Matthew  when  Christ  called  him  from  the  receipt  of  custom  ?  And 
what  worthiness  was  in  Zaccheus  when  Christ  called  him  down  from 
the  sycamore  tree,  and  told  him  that  this  day  salvation  was  come  to  his 
house  ?  Was  Manasseh  or  Mary  Magdalene  worthy  before  they  had  an 
interest  in  Christ  ?  Surely  no.  Though  you  are  unworthy,  yet  Christ 
is  worthy  ;  though  you  have  no  merit,  yet  God  has  mercy ;  though 
there  is  no  salvation  for  you  by  the  law,  yet  there  is  salvation  for  you 
by  the  gospel. 

Again,  Christ  requires  no  worthiness  in  any  man  before  he  believes  ; 
and  he  that  won't  believe  before  he  is  worthy  will  never  believe.'  If 
you  look  upon  God  with  an  evangelical  eye,  you  shall  see  that  he  that 
is  most  unworthy  is  most  capable  of  mercy.  A  real  sense  of  our  own 
unworthiness  renders  us  most  fit  for  divine  mercy.  This  objection,  I 
am  unworthy,  is  an  unworthy  objection,  and  speaks  out  much  pride 
and  ignorance  of  the  gospel,  and  of  the  freeness  and  riches  of  God's 
grace,  &c. 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Let  this  principle  dwell  in  you,  viz..  That  ChHst 
hath  lost  none  of  his  affections  to  iwor  siJiners  by  going  to 
heaven. 

Oh  how  did  his  bowels  work  toward  sinners  when  he  w'as  on  earth ! 
And  certainly  they  work  as  strongly  towards  them  now  he  is  in  heaven. 
His  love,  his  heart,  his  good-will,  is  as  much  towards  them  as  ever. 
Christ  is  Alpha  and  Omega  ;  the  phrase  is  taken  from  the  Greek  let- 
ters, whereof  Alpha  is  the  first,  and  Omega  the  last,  Rev.  i.  8.  I  am 
before  all,  and  I  am  after  all.  *  Jesus  Christ,  the  same  yesterday,  to- 
day, and  for  ever,'  Heb.  xiii.  8.  [Vide  Grotius.]  Christ  is  the  same 
before  time,  in  time,  and  after  time.  Christ  is  unchangeable  in  his 
essence,  in  his  promises,  and  in  his  love  to  poor  sinners. 

[4.]  Fourthly,  Get  this  principle  riveted  in  your  hearts,  That 
fie  is  able  to  save  to  tlie  uttermost  all  those  that  come  unto  God  by 
him. 

Hob.  vii.  2o,  '  He  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  ;'^  that  is,  to  all 
ends  and  purposes,  perfectly  and  perpetually.  He  needs  none  to  help 
him  in  the  great  business  of  redemption  ;  he  is  thorough  Saviour ;  '  he 
has  trod  the  wine-press  alone,'  Isa.  Ixiii.  3. 

[5  ]  Fifthly,  Get  this  principle  riveted  in  your  hearts,  Thai  the 
want  of  such  preparations  or  qualifications  that  many  men  lay 
a  great  sto^ess  upon,  shall  be  no  impediment  to  hinder  your  soul's 

•  Such  as  sliall  go  to  prove  he  does,  must  make  a  new  gospel,  a  new  Bible. 

*  i(f  TO  xavTikif.     The  original  word  signifies  all  manner  of  perfection. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  205 

interest  in  Christ,  if  you  ivill  hut  oijen  to  Christ,  and  close  ivith  Jesus 
Christ} 

Rev.  iii.  20,  '  Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door,  and  knock  :  if  any  man 
hear  my  voice,  and  open  to  me,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with 
him,  and  he  with  me/  Pray  tell  me  at  whose  door  was  this  that  Christ 
stood  and  knocked  ?  Was  it  not  at  the  Laodiceans'  door  ?  Was  it  not 
at  their  door  that  thought  their  penny  as  good  silver  as  any?  that 
said  they  were  rich,  and  had  need  of  nothing,  when  Christ  tells  them 
to  their  very  faces,  *  that  they  were  poor,  and  miserable,  and  blind,  and 
naked.'  None  more  unprepared,  unqualified,  and  unfitted  for  union 
and  communion  with  Christ  than  these  lukewarm  Laodiceans  ;  and  yet 
the  Lord  Jesus  is  very  ready  and  willing  that  such  should  have  inti- 
mate communion  and  fellowship  with  him. 

'  If  any  man  will  open,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him, 
and  he  with  me.'  Tlie  truth  of  this  you  have  further  evidenced,  Prov. 
i.  20-24,  and  viii.  1-6,  and  ix.  1-6.  All  these  scriptures  with  open 
mouth  speak  out  the  truth  asserted,  viz.,  That  the  want  of  preparations 
or  qualifications  shall  not  hinder  the  soul's  interest  in  Christ,  if  the 
soul  will  adventure  itself  by  faith  upon  Christ.  I  pray,  what  qualifica- 
tions and  preparations  had  they  in  Ezek.  xvi.,  when  God  saw  them  in 
their  blood,  and  yet  that  was  a  time  of  love,  and  God  even  then  spread 
his  skirt  over  them,  and  made  a  covenant  with  them,  and  they  became 
his.  What  qualifications  or  preparations  had  Paul,  Mary  Magdalene, 
Zaccheus,  and  Lydia,  &c.  ?  And  yet  these  believed  in  Christ,  these  had 
a  blessed  and  glorious  interest  in  Christ,  &c. 

Ay,  but  some  may  object,  and  say, 

Ohj.  What  is  the  meaning  of  that  text.  Mat.  xi.  28,  '  Come  unto  me, 
all  you  that  are  weary  and  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest '  ? 

Ans.  There  is  a  threefold  answer  to  be  given  to  this  objection. 

First,  Though  the  invitation  be  to  those  that  are  weary  and  heavy 
laden,  yet  the  promise  is  made  to  coming,  to  believing.^ 

Secondly,  This  text  shews  only  this,  that  those  that  are  burdened 
and  bowed  down  under  sin,  and  under  the  sense  of  divine  wrath,  are 
to  come  to  Christ,  and  that  there  is  no  way  for  them  to  obtain  ease 
and  rest  but  by  coming  to  Christ.  But  this  text  doth  not  shew  that 
only  these  must  come  to  Christ,  or  that  only  these  may  come  to  Christ. 

Thirdly,  and  lastly.  No  one  scripture  speaks  out  the  whole  mind  of 
God  f  and  therefore  you  must  compare  and  consult  this  scripture  with 
the  scriptures,  and  instances  lately  cited,  and  then  you  will  clearly  see 
that  souls  may  believe  in  Christ,  and  come  to  obtain  an  interest  in 
Christ,  though  they  are  not  so  and  so  prepared,  nor  so  and  so  qualified, 
as  some  would  have  them. 

[6.]  Sixthly,  Get  this  principle  rooted  in  your  hearts.  That  Christ  is 

•  Some  men  there  be  that  would  have  men  better  Christians  before  they  come  to 
Christ,  before  they  believe  in  Christ,  than  usually  tliey  prove  after  they  are  come  to 
Christ.  Surely,  did  legal  preachers  seriously  weigh  the  following  scriptures,  they  would 
not  so  vehemently,  I  say  not  angerly,  press  the  absolute  necessity  of  such  and  such 
qualifications  before  faith  in  Christ,  as  they  do  :  Mark  xvi.  1(J ;  John  iii.  34  ;  Heb.  xi.  6  ; 
Hom.  xiv.  28  ;  .John  v.  12  ;  Mat.  vii.  17,  18,  xii.  33 ;  Eom.  viii.  2  ;  Gal.  v.  6. 

-  The  dove  found  no  rest  till  she  returned  to  the  ark.  No  more  will  the  troubled  soul 
till  it  returns  to  Christ. 

*  Adoro  i>Unitudinem  Scripturarum. — TertuUian. 


206  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

appointed  and  anointed  by  the  Father  to  this  very  ojffice  of  receiv- 
ing and  savlnr/  poor  s'uuiers.^ 

Turn  to  Isa.  Ixi.  1-4,  John  vi.  28,  and  Ps.  Ixviii.  18,  'Thou  hast 
ascended  on  high,  thou  hast  led  captivity  captive  ;  thou  hast  received 
gifts  for  men  ;  yea,  for  the  rebellious  also  (what  for?),  that  the  Lord 
God  might  dwell  among  them.'  Christ  has  received  gifts  for  rebellious 
sinners,  for  rebellious  Sabbath  breakers,  for  rebellious  swearers,  for 
rebellious  drunkards,  «&c. 

'  That  the  Lord  God  might  dwell  among  them.'  That  is,  that  he 
might  have  near  communion  and  fellowship  with  them. 

[7.]  Seventhly,  Get  this  principle  rooted  in  you,  That  it  is  the  de- 
light of  Chrid  to  give  poor  sinners  an  iiiterest  in  himself. 

He  is  not  only  able  to  do  it,  but  it  is  his  delight  to  do  it.  Christ's 
soul  is  in  nothing  more.  Witness  his  leaving  his  Father's  bosom  ;  wit- 
ness his  laying  down  his  crown  ;  witness  those  many  suflferings  and 
deaths  that  he  went  through  in  this  world  ;  witness  those  gospel  accla- 
mations, Mark  xvi.  16,  Rev.  xxii.  17  ;  witness  those  persuasive  exhorta- 
tions and  gracious  impetrations  and  entreaties,  Ezek.  liii.  11,  Mat.  xi.  28, 
2  Cor.  V.  20  ;  witness  divine  injunctions  and  coraminations,  1  John, 
v.  23,  Mat.  xi.  21  ;  witness  those  pathetical  lamentations,  Mat.  xxiii.  37, 
Luke  xix.  42,  Ps.  Ixxxi.  13  ;  and  witness  the  inward  motions  and  secret 
excitations  of  his  blessed  Spirit,  Gen.  vi.  3,  all  which  speak  out  his 
great  willingness  and  delight  to  save  poor  sinners  ;  so  in  I's.  xl.  7,  8, 
'  I  delight  to  do  thy  v/ill,  O  my  God  ;  thy  law  is  in  my  heart ;'  or,  as  the 
Hebrew  hath  it,  >v'^  ~l"inn,  '  It  is  in  the  midst  of  my  bowels.'  Now 
mark,  the  will  of  the  Father  was  the  salvation  of  smners.  This  was 
the  will  of  the  Father,  'That  Jesus  Christ  should  seek  and  save  them 
that  are  lost,'  Mat.  xviii.  1 1 .  Now,  saith  Christ,  '  I  delight  to  do  thy 
will,  O  my  God  ;'  it  is  the  joy  and  rejoicing  of  my  heart  to  be  a-seeking 
and  a-saving  lost  sinners.  When  Christ  was  an  hungry,  he  went  not 
into  a  victualling  house,  but  into  the  temple,  and  taught  the  people 
most  part  of  the  day,  to  shew  how  much  he  delighted  in  the  salvation 
of  sinners,  &c.* 

[8.]  Eighthly,  Get  tiiis  principle  riveted  in  your  hearts.  That  as  there 
is  nothing  in  Christ  to  discourage  you  from  looking  after  an  interest 
in  him,  so  there  is  everything  in  Christ  that  may  encourage  you  to 
get  an  interest  in  him. 

Look  upon  his  name  ■?  '  Thy  name  is  an  ointment  poured  out,  and 
therefore  do  the  virgins  love  thee,'  Cant.  i.  3.  The  name  of  Jesus  hath 
a  thousand  treasures  of  joy  and  comfort  in  it,  saith  Chrysostom  ;  and  so 
hath  all  his  other  names.  If  you  look  upon  Christ  in  his  natures,  in 
his  offices,  in  his  graces,  in  his  beauties,  in  his  gifts,  and  in  his  works, 
you  will  find  nothing  but  what  may  encourage  you  to  believe  in  him, 
and  to  resign  up  yourselves  to  him.  Ah,  poor  sinners,  what  would  you 
have  1     Is  there  not  power  in  Christ  to  support  you,  and  mercy  in 

'  Moses  was  faithful  in  his  office  as  a  servant,  but  Christ  as  a  Son,  Heb.  iii.  2-6. 
Chri.st  had  never  entered  into  glory  had  he  not  been  faithful  in  his  offices,  &c. 

"  Christ  did  so  much  delight,  and  his  heart  was  so  much  set  upon  the  conversion  and 
Balvation  of  the  Samaritans,  that  he  neglected  his  own  body  to  save  their  souls,  as  you 
may  clearly  see  in  John  iv. 

'  The  name  of  a  Saviour  is  honey  in  the  mouth,  and  music  in  the  ear,  and  a  jubilee 
in  the  heart,  saith  one.     [Bernard,  as  before. — G.] 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  207 

Christ  to  pardon  yon,  and  grace  in  Christ  to  heal  you,  and  goodness  in 
Christ  to  relieve  you,  and  happiness  in  Christ  to  crown  you,  and  what 
would  you  have  more  ?     Oh  that  you  would  believe  ! 

[9.]  Ninthly,  Let  this  principle  be  rooted  in  you.  That  the  surest  tvay, 
and  the  shortest  cut  to  mercy,  and  to  get  an  interest  in  Christ,  is  by 
a  'pereraptory  casting  of  the  soul  by  faith  on  Christ. 

There  is  no  way  under  heaven  to  be  interested  in  Christ  but  by  be- 
lieving. There  is  no  way  to  get  an  interest  in  the  riches  of  Christ  but 
this,  '  he  that  believes  shall  be  saved,'  let  his  sins  be  never  so  great; 
'  and  he  that  believes  not,  shall  be  damned,'  let  his  sins  be  never  so 
little.^  And  so  much  shall  suffice  to  have  spoken  concerning  this  great 
and  weighty  point.  I  shall  follow  what  hath  been  said  with  my 
prayers,  that  what  has  been  said  may  work  for  your  internal  and  eternal 
welfare,  &c. 

Unto  me,  who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,  is  this  grace  given, 
that  I  should  preach  among  the  Gentiles,  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ,  Eph.  iii.  8. 

There  are  other  two  observations  that  arise  from  these  words.  I  shall, 
by  divine  assistance,  speak  something  to  them,  and  so  finish  this  text. 
And  the  first  is  this,  viz., 

Doct.  That  it  is  the  great  duty  of  preachers  to  preach  Jesus  Christ 
to  the  people. 

'  To  me,  who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,  is  this  grace  given, 
that  I  should  preach  among  the  Gentiles  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ.' 

It  is  the  great  duty  of  ministers  to  preach  the  Lord  Christ  to  the 
people. 

I  shall  prove  it,  and  then  open  it  to  you. 

I.  In  Acts  v.  42,  '  And  daily  in  the  temple,  and  in  every  house,  they 
ceased  not  to  teach  and  preach.'  What?  Jesus  Christ.  So  in  Acts 
iii.  20,  '  And  he  shall  send  Jesus  Christ,  which  before  was  preached 
unto  you/  So  in  1  Cor.  i.  23,  24,  and  2  Cor.  iv.  5,  '  We  preach  not 
ourselves,  but  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord  ;  and  ourselves  your  servants  for 
Jesus'  sake.'  So  in  Acts  iv.  2,  and  ii.  35,  and  ix.  20.  As  soon  as  Paul 
was  converted,  straightway  he  preached  Christ  in  the  synao-oo-ue,  that 
he  was  the  Son  of  God. 

Now  for  the  opening  of  the  point,  I  shall  only  attempt  two  things. 

(1.)  Give  you  the  reasons  why  it  is  the  great  duty  of  ministers  to 
preach  Christ  to  the  people. 

(2.)  Which  will  be  the  main,  to  shew  you  Jioiv  they  are  to  preagh 
Christ  to  the  people. 

I  confess  this  a  very  useful  point  in  these  days,  wherein  many  men 
preach  anything,  yea,  everything  but  a  crucified  Jesus.  Well,  Christians, 
remember  this,  as  it  is  your  duty  to  take  heed  how  you  hear,  so  it  is  as 
much  your  duty  to  take  heed  who  you  hear.  Many  there  are  that  count 
and  call  themselves  the  ministers  of  Christ,  and  yet  have  neither  skill 
nor  will  to  preach  Jesus  Christ,  to  exalt  and  lift  up  Jesus  Christ  in  lip 

'  John  iii.  16-18,  36,  and  viii.  24,  and  xvi.  9,  and  iv.  50,  53,  and  v.  24,  and  vi.  35  40 
and  vii.  38,  and  xi.  25,  26,  and  xii.  46  ;  Acts  x.  43  ;  Rom.  iii,  26  ;  1  John  v.  10-12. '      ' 


208 


THE  UNSEARCHABLE 


[Eph.  III.  8. 


or  life,  in  word  or  work.  A  sad  reckoning  these  will  have  to  make  up 
at  last. 

II.  But  to  come  to  the  reasons  of  the  point,  why  it  is  the  great  work 
and  duty  of  mini.sters  to  preach  Jesus  Christ  to  the  people.' 

[].]  First,  Because  that  is  the  only  ivay  to  save  and  to  vAn  souls  to 
Jesus  Christ. 

There  is  no  other  way  of  winning  and  saving  souls,  but  by  the  preach- 
ing of  Christ  to  the  people.  In  Acts  iv.  10-12  compared,  'Neither  is 
there  salvation  in  any  other  :  for  there  is  none  other  name  under 
heaven  given  among  men,  whereby  we  must  be  saved.'  You  may 
preach  this  and  that,  and  a  thousand  things  to  the  people,  and  yet 
never  better  them,  never  win  them.  It  is  only  preaching  of  Christ, 
that  allures  and  draws  souls  to  Christ :  John  xvii.  3,  '  This  is  life  eternal, 
to  know  thee  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  thou  hast  sent.' 
Ah,  nothing  melts  the  hearts  of  sinners,  nor  wins  upon  the  hearts  of 
sinners,  like  the  preaching  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  It  is  true,  the  teaching 
of  this  and  that  opinion,  may  please  many  a  man's  fancy,  but  it  is  only 
the  preaching  of  Christ  that  changes  the  heart,  that  conquers  the  heart, 
that  turns  the  heart,  &c.  Peter,  by  preaching  of  a  crucified  Christ,  con- 
verts three  thousand  souls  at  once,  Acts  ii.  14-42.  Were  Christ  more 
preached,  men  would  be  more  enamoured  with  him.  He  is  only  pre- 
cious to  them  that  hear  of  him,  and  that  believe  in  him.  Christ  is  in 
all  respects  incomparable  ;  and  therefore,  as  you  would  lionour  liim,  and 
win  upon  others,  make  him  more  and  more  known  to  the  world, 
1  Peter  ii.  7,  &c. 

[2.]  Secondly,  They  are  to  preach  Christ  to  the  people,  because  it  is 
the  choicest  and  the  chiefest  way  to  ingratiate  Christ  with  poor 
souls. 

Tins  brings  Christ  and  the  soul  together,  and  this  keeps  Christ  and 
the  soul  together.  Nothing  endears  Christ  to  the  soul  like  this.  We 
see,  by  woful  experience,  Christ  neglected,  despised,  scorned,  and 
trampled  upon  by  most  ;  and  no  wonder,  for  many  preach  themselves 
more  than  Christ,  and  they  preach  men  more  than  Christ,  and  their 
own  notions  and  impressions  more  than  Christ.  Surely  Christ  is  but 
little  beholding  to  such  ministers,  and,  I  think,  the  souls  of  men  as  little ; 
and  oh  that  tliey  were  so  wise  as  to  consider  of  it,  and  lay  it  to  heart ! 
Surely  a  real  Christian  cares  not  for  anything  that  hath  not  aliquid 
Christi,  something  of  Christ  in  it.  There  is  a  strange  and  strong  energy 
or  forcibleness  in  hearing  Christ  and  his  beauties  and  excellencies  dis- 
played and  discovered.^ 

The  daughters  of  Jerusalem,  by  hearing  the  church  presenting  Christ 
in  so  high  a  character,  and  by  describing  and  painting  him  out  in  such 
lively  colours,  are  so  enchanted  and  inflamed  that,  might  they  but  know 
where  to  find  him,  they  would  be  at  any  pains  to  seek  him.  When 
Christ  is  set  forth  in  his  glories,  with  much  affection  and  admiration, 
others  fall  in  love  with  him,  as  you  may  see  by  comparing  Cant.  v.  10, 
seq,  with  chap.  vi.  1. 

'  Jewel,  Cowper,  and  others,  had  no  such  pleasure  or  joy  as  they  had  in  preaching 
Christ  unto  the  people.     [The  '  Bishops '  of  these  names.— G] 

=*  Martian,  arulibishop  of  Constantinople,  said  once  of  Sabbatius,  a  wretched  and  un- 
worthy man,  wlioni  he  had  ordained  to  be  a  presbyter,  We  wish  we  had  rather  laid  our 
hands  on  the  briars  than  ou  such  heads. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  209 

[8.]  Thirdly,  It  is  their  great  duty  to  preach  Jesus  Christ  to  the 
people,  because  the  preaching  up  of  Christ  is  the  only  way  to  pjreach 
down  antichrist,  or  whatever  makes  against  Christ. 

Some  would  have  antichrist  down,  yea,  they  would  have  him  down 
root  and  branch,  but  there  is  no  such  way  for  his  total  and  final  over- 
throw as  the  preaching  of  Christ;  for  the  more  the  glory,  fulness,  perfec- 
tion, and  excellency  of  Christ  is  discovered,  the  more  the  horrid  vileness 
and  matchless  wickedness  of  the  man  of  sin  will  be  discovered  and  ab- 
horred, &c. :  2  Thes.  ii.  3,  4,  7-10,  '  And  then  shall  that  wicked  one  be 
revealed.'  The  Greek  word  properly  signifies  a  lawless,  yokeless, 
masterless  monster  ;  one  that  holdeth  himself  subject  to  no  law.^ 

Pope  Nicholas  the  First  said  '  that  he  was  above  law,'  because  Con- 
stantme  styled  the  pope  God  ;  and  of  the  same  opinion  were  most  of 
the  popes. 

'  Whom  he  shall  consume.'  The  Greek  word  signifies  to  consume  by 
little  and  little,  till  a  thing  come  to  nothing. 

'  With  the  spirit  of  his  mouth.'  That  is,  with  the  evidence  and  glory 
of  his  word  in  the  mouths  of  his  messengers.  The  ministers  of  the 
word  are  as  a  mouth  whereby  the  Lord  breatheth  out  that  glorious, 
mighty,  and  everlasting  gospel  which  shall  by  degrees  bruise  anti- 
christ and  all  his  adherents,  and  break  them  in  sunder  like  a  rod  of 
iron,  &c. 

When  Christ  was  born,  all  the  idols  that  were  set  up  in  the  world, 
as  historians  write,  fell  down.  When  Jesus  Christ  comes  to  be  lifted 
up  in  a  nation,  in  a  city,  in  a  town,  in  a  family,  yea,  in  any  heart,  then 
all  idols  without  and  within  will  fall  before  the  power,  presence,  and 
glory  of  Jesus.  Since  Luther  began  to  lift  up  Christ  in  the  gospel, 
what  a  deal  of  ground  has  antichrist  lost !  and  he  does  and  will  lose 
more  and  more,  as  Christ  comes  to  be  more  and  more  manifested  and 
lifted  up  in  the  chariot  of  his  word.  Many  in  these  days  that  speak 
much  against  antichrist,  have  much  of  antichrist  within  them.  And 
certainly  there  is  no  such  way  to  cast  him  out  of  men's  hearts,  and  out 
of  the  world,  as  the  preaching  and  making  known  of  Christ,  as  the  ex- 
alting or  lifting  up  of  Christ  in  the  gospel  of  grace.^ 

[4.]  A  fourth  reason  why  they  are  to  preach  Christ  to  the  people  is 
this,  because  else  they  contract  upon  themselves  the  blood  of  souls. 

There  is  no  other  way  for  them  to  avoid  the  contracting  of  the  blood 
of  men  and  women's  souls  upon  them,  but  the  preaching  of  Christ 
unto  them.^  Now,  a  man  were  better  to  have  all  the  blood  of  the  world 
upon  him  than  the  blood  of  one  soul.  The  blood  of  souls,  of  all  blood, 
cries  loudest  and  wounds  deepest.  The  lowest,  the  darkest,  and  the 
hottest  place  in  hell  will  be  the  sad  and  dreadful  portion  of  such  upon 
whose  skirts  the  blood  of  souls  shall  be  found  at  last.     Hence  that  pas- 

'  In  the  canon  law  the  pope  is  said  to  be  solutus  omni  lege  Mimana. 

2  Bellarmine  confesseth,  to  his  great  grief,  that  ever  since  the  Lutherans  have  dech^red 
the  pope  to  be  antichrist,  his  kingdom  hath  not  only  not  increased,  but  every  day  more 
and  more  decreased  and  decayed. — Lib.  iii.  de  Papa  Rom.,  cap.  31. 

3  The  Germans  have  this  proverb  :  say  they,  The  pavement  of  hell  is  made  of  the  bare 
skulls  of  priests  and  the  glorious  crests  of  gallants.  Their  meaning  is,  that  the  more 
eminent  any  one  is  in  church  or  state,  and  doth  not  employ  his  eminency  accordingly, 
the  more  low  shall  they  lie  in  hell,  Rev.  xviii.  11-14. 

VOL.  III.  0 


210  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

sage  of  Paul  in  1  Cor.  ix.  16,  '  Woe  unto  me  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel' 
The  motto  tliat  slioukl  be  writ  upon  preachers'  study-doors,  and  on  their 
walls,  and  on  all  tlie  books  they  look  on,  on  the  beds  they  lie  on,  and 
on  the  seats  they  sit  on,  &c.,  should  be  this,  *  The  blood  of  souls,  the 
blood  of  souls/  The  soul  is  the  better,  the  noble  part  of  man  ;  it  bears 
most  of  the  image  of  God  ;  it  is  capable  of  union  and  communion  with 
God.  Christ  sweat  for  it,  and  bled  for  it ;  and  therefore  woe  to  those 
merchants  that  make  merchandise  of  the  souls  of  men.  This  was  a 
comfort  and  an  honour  to  Paul,  that  he  kept  himself  from  the  blood  of 
souls,  Acts  XX.  25-27.  He  appeals  to  them  that  they  were  witnesses 
that  *  he  was  free  from  the  blood  of  all  men.'  Paul  had  held  out  Jesus 
Christ  in  his  natures,  in  his  names,  in  his  offices,  and  in  all  his  excel- 
lencies and  perfections,  and  so  frees  himself  from  the  blood  of  all  men. 
And  ministers  can  no  way  secure  themselves  from  the  blood  of  souls, 
but  by  preaching  up  and  living  out  a  crucified  Jesus. 

[5.]  The  last  reason  is  this,  because  the  preaching  of  ChHst  con- 
tributes most  to  their  comfoii  here,  and  to  their  reward  hereafter  ; 
therefore  they  are  to  preach  the  Lord  Christ  to  the  ])eople. 

When  Luther  was  upon  a  dying  bed,  this  was  no  small  joy  and  com- 
fort to  his  spirit.  '  Thee,  O  Lord,'  saith  he,  '  have  I  known,  thee  have  I 
loved,  thee  have  I  taught,  thee  have  I  trusted,  and  now  into  thy  hand 
I  commend  my  spirit.'  There  can  be  no  greater  joy  to  a  minister  than, 
by  preaching  Christ,  to  win  souls  to  Christ :  1  Thes.  ii.  19,  20,  '  For 
what  is  our  hope,  or  joy,  or  crown  of  rejoicing?  Are  not  even  ye  in 
the  presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  at  his  coming.  Ye  are  our  glory 
and  joy.'  They  that  by  preaching  Christ  win  souls  to  Christ  shall  shine 
as  the  stars  in  the  firmament,  Dan.  xii.  3.  Every  soul  won  to  Christ  is 
a  glorious  pearl  added  to  a  preacher's  crown  :  1  Peter  v.  4,  '  And  when 
the  chief  Shepherd  shall  appear,  you  shall  receive  a  crown  of  glory.' 
A  crown  imports  perpetuity,  plenty,  and  dignity,  the  height  of  human 
ambition.' 

It  is  the  opinion  of  some  that  there  are  three  places  of  exaltation  in 
heaven  : 

The  first  and  highest  is  for  converting  ministers. 

The  second  is  for  suffering  martyrs. 

The  third  is  for  persevering  Christians. 

Without  doubt,  those  ministers  shall  be  high  in  heaven  who  make  it 
their  heaven  to  hold  forth  Christ,  and  to  win  souls  to  Christ  ;  who  are 
willing  to  be  anything,  to  be  notliing,  that  Christ  may  be  all  in  all  to 
poor  souls.     And  thus  I  have  given  you  the  reasons  of  the  point. 

I  shall  now  come  to  the  second  thing,  which  is  the  main,  and  that  is, 
to  shew  you, 

II.  Hoiu  ministers  are  to  preach  ChHst  to  the  people. 

Many  weak  and  slight  spirits  in  these  days  think  that  it  is  as  easy  to 
preach  as  to  play,  and  so  they  hop  from  one  thing  to  another,  and  those 
that  are  not  qualified  nor  fit  for  the  least  and  lowest  employment,  yet 
judge  themselves  fit  enough  for  the  greatest  and  the  weightiest  em- 
ployment in  the  world,  and  that  which  would  certainly  break  the  back.s, 
not  only  of  the  best  and  strongest  men,  but  even  of  the  very  angels, 

'  Bernard  comfortably  observes  that  miuisters  have  their  reward  secundum  labovm, 
uot  tecunditm  proventum. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  211 

should  not  God  put  under  his  'everlasting  arms.'  No  labour  to  that 
of  the  mind,  no  travail  to  that  of  the  soul,  and  those  that  are  faithful 
in  the  Lord's  vineyard  find  it  so.  Luther  was  wont  to  say  that  if  he 
were  again  to  choose  his  calling,  he  would  dig,  or  do  anything,  rather 
than  take  upon  him  the  office  of  a  minister.^  And  many  other  eminent 
lights  have  been  of  the  same  opinion  with  him.^ 

But  what  are  those  rules  that  every  preacher  is  to  observe  in  his 
preaching  of  Christ  to  the  people  f 
I  answer.  These  eleven  : 

[1.]  First,  Jesus  Christ  must  be  Tpreached  plainly ,  perspicuously,  so 
as  the  meanest  capacity  may  understand  what  they  say  concerning 
Christ.     They  must   preach    Christ  for  edification,  and  not  to  work 
admiration,  as  too  naany  do  in  these  days.     Paul  was  excellent  at  this 
kind  of  preaching,  1  Cor.  xiv.  18,  19.     He  had  rather  speak  five  words 
to  edification  than  ten  thousand  words  to  work  admiration  in  ignorant 
people.     So  in  1  Cor.  ii.  4,  5,  '  And  my  speech  and  my  preaching  was 
not  with  enticing  words  of  man's  wisdom,  but  in  demonstration  of  the 
Spirit  and  of  power  ;  that  your  faith  should  not  stand  in  the  wisdom 
of  men,  but  in  the  power  of  God  ;'^  as  if  he  should  say,  such  preach  with 
little  power  who  come  with  the  excellency  of  speech,  or  with  the  en- 
ticing  words   of  man's  wisdom.     Ah  !  many  there   are, — I   speak   it 
with  grief,  and  to  their  shame, — that  delight  to  soar  aloft  in  obscure  dis- 
courses, and  to  express  themselves  in  new-minted  words  and  phrases, 
and  to  shew  high  strains  and  flashes  of  wit,  and  all  to  work  admiration 
in  the  ignorant.     Such  kind  of  preachers  are  as  clouds,  and  painted 
glass  windows,  that  hinder  the  light  from  shining  in  upon  souls,  that 
hinder  the  sun  of  righteousness  from  breaking  forth  in  his  beauty  and 
glory  upon  the  spirits  of  poor  creatures.     Woe  unto  these  men  in  the 
day  when  such  souls  shall  plead  against  them,  when  they  shall  say, 
Lord,  here  are  the  persons  whose  office  and  work  was  to  make  dark 
things  plain,  and  they  have  made  plain  things  dark  and  obscure,  that 
Ave   might  rather  wonder  at  them  than  any  ways  profit  by  them.* 
Aaron's  bells  were  of  pure  gold.    Our  whole  preaching  must  be  Scripture 
proof,  or  we  and  our  works  must  burn  together.     The  profoundest  pro- 
phets accommodated   themselves  to  their  hearers'  capacities.^     Holy 
Moses  covers  his  glistering  face  with  a  veil  when  he  was  to  speak  to  the 
people.     Yea,  it  is  very  observable  that  the  evangelists  spake  vulgarly 
many  times  for  their  hearers'  sake,  even  to  manifest  incongruity,  as  you 
■  may  see  in  John  xvii.  2,  E,ev.  i.  4.     But  above  all,  it  is  most  observable 
concerning  God  the  Father,  who  is  the  great  Master  of  speech,  when  he 
spake  from  heaven,  he  makes  use  of  three  several  texts  of  Scripture  in 
one  breath  :   Mat.  xvii.  5,  '  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well 

1  Cf.  Sibbes,  vol.  iv.  309,  485.— G. 

"  2  Cor.  ii.  16,  '  Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things?'  Almost  every  upstart  in  these 
days  thinks  himself  sufficient.  '  Who  am  I  ?'  says  Moses.  Who  am  I  not?  saith  every 
green-head  in  these  days. 

3  Preaching  is  not  a  matter  of  parts,  words,  or  wit ;  it  is  Scripture  demonstration  that 
works  upon  the  conscience,  and  that  God  owns  and  crowns. 

*  It  was  a  saying  of  Luther  :  From  a  vain-glorious  doctor,  from  a  contentious  pastor, 
and  from  unprofitable  questions,  good  Lord  deliver  his  church  !  ['  Table  Talk,'  as 
before. — G.] 

^  Si  vis  fieri  bonus  concionator,  da  operam  ut  sis  bonus  Bihlicns.  If  you  will  be  a  good 
preacher,  study  to  be  well  acquainted  with  the  Scripture,  said  one  in  the  monastery. 


212  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

pleased,  hear  him  ;'  'Tliis  is  my  beloved  Son,'  that  scripture  you 
have  in  Ps.  ii.  7  ;  'In  whom  I  am  well  pleased,'  this  you  have  in  Isa, 
xlii.  1  ;  '  Hear  him,'  this  you  have  in  Dcut.  xviii.  15  ;  all  which  may 
bespeak  them  to  blush,  who  through  curious  wiseness  disdain  at  the 
stately  plainness  of  the  Scripture !  Oh  how  unlike  to  God  are  such 
preachers,  that  think  to  correct  the  divine  wisdom  and  eloquence  with 
their  own  infancy,  vanity,  novelty,  and  sophistry  !  Yea,  Jesus  Christ 
himself,  the  great  doctor  of  the  church,  teaches  this  lesson:  Mark  iv. 
33,  '  And  with  many  such  parables  spake  he  the  word  unto  them,  as 
they  were  able  to  hear  it ;'  not  as  he  was  able  to  have  spoken.  He 
could  have  expressed  himself  at  a  higher  rate  than  all  mortals  can  ! 
he  could  have  been  in  the  clouds.  He  knew  how  to  knit  such  knots 
that  they  could  never  untie,  but  he  would  not.  He  delights  to  speak 
to  his  hearers'  shallow  capacities.  So  in  John  xvi.  12,  '  I  have  many 
things  to  say  unto  you,  but  you  cannot  bear  them  now.'  He  that  speaks 
not  to  the  hearers'  capacities  is  as  a  barbarian  to  them,  and  they  to  him. 

'  He  is  the  best  teacher,'  saith  Luther,  'that  preaches  vulgarly,  that 
preaches  most  plainly.'  He  is  not  the  best  preacher  that  tickles  the 
ear,  or  that  works  upon  the  fancy,  &c.,  but  lie  that  breaks  the  heart 
and  awakens  the  conscience.  It  is  sad  to  consider  how  many  preachers 
in  these  days  are  like  Heraclitus,  who  was  called  '  the  dark  doctor,' 
because  he  affected  dark  speeches.  Oh  how  do  many  in  these  days 
affect  sublime  notions,  uncouth  phrases,  making  plain  truths  difficult, 
and  easy  tiiiths  hard  !  '  They  darken  counsel  by  words  without  know- 
ledge,' Job  xxxviii.  2.  But  how  unlike  to  Christ,  the  prophets,  and 
apostles  these  dark  doctors  are,  I  will  leave  you  to  judge  ;  nor  would  I 
have  their  accounts  to  make  up  for  all  the  world  ;  I  will  leave  them  to 
stand  or  fall  to  their  own  Master.  God  loves,  owns,  and  crowns  plain 
preaching.  Though  some  account  it  foolishness,  yet  '  to  them  that  are 
vsaved,  it  is  the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of  God/  1  Cor.  i.  20-30. 
I  have  stayed  the  longer  upon  this  first  direction,  because  of  its  great 
usefulness  in  these  deluding  days. 

[2.]  Secondly,  As  they  must  preach  Christ  plainly,  so  they  must 
preach  Christ  faWi fully ,  Pro  v.  xiii.  17,  xxv.  1 3,  Job  xxxiii.  23.  Ministers 
are  stewards,  1  Cor.  iv.  2  ;  and  you  know  it  is  the  duty  of  a  steward  to  be 
faithful  in  his  stewardship,  to  give  to  every  man  the  portion  that  is  due 
to  him,  cheering  up  those  hearts  that  God  would  have  cheered,  and 
weakening  those  wicked  hands  that  God  would  have  weakened,  and 
strengthening  those  feeble  knees  that  God  would  have  strengthened. 
Ministers  are  ambassadors  ;  and  you  know  it  is  the  great  concernment 
of  ambassadors  to  be  very  faithful  in  their  master's  messages.  God 
looks  more,  and  is  affected  and  taken  more,  with  a  minister's  faithful- 
ness than  with  anything  else.  A  great  voice,  an  affected  tone,  studied 
notions,  and  silken  expressions,  may  affect  and  take  poor  weak  souls  ; 
but  it  is  only  the  faithfulness  of  a  minister  in  his  ministerial  work  that 
takes  God,  that  wins  upon  God  :  Mat.  xxv.  21-23,  '  Well  done,  good  and 
faithful  servant  ;  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  the  Lord  :'  a  joy  too  big  to 
enter  into  thee,  and  therefore  thou  must  enter  into  it.  This  was  Paul's 
glory.  Acts  xx.  27,  that  he  '  had  not  shunned  to  declare  unto  them  the 
whole  counsel  of  God.'  Neither  fear  nor  favour  swayed  him  one  way 
or  another,  but  he  was  faithful  in  liis  Master's  work,  and  usually  God 


i 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  213 

crowns  him  and  his  labours  most,  and  sends  most  fish  into  his  net,  that 
is  most  faithful,  though  he  be  less  skilful ;  that  hath  more  of  the  heart 
in  the  work,  though  he  hath  less  of  the  brain. ^ 

The  maid  in  Plutarch  being  to  be  sold  in  the  market,  when  a  chap- 
man asked  her, '  Wilt  thou  be  faithful  if  I  buy  thee  ?'  '  Ay,'  said  she, 
etiamsi  non  emeris,  '  that  I  will  though  you  do  not  buy  me.'  So  minis- 
ters must  be  faithful,  though  God  should  not  buy  them,  though  he 
should  not  thus  and  thus  encourage  them  in  their  work.  Their  very 
feet  are  beautiful  who  are  faithful,  and  their  message  most  comfortable 
to  those  that  sigh  and  mourn,  that  labour  and  languish  under  the  sense 
of  sin  and  fear  of  wrath,  Isa,  lii.  7. 

[3.]  Thirdly,  They  must  preach  Christ  humbly  as  well  as  faithfully :' 
2  Cor.  iv.  5, '  We  preach  not  ourselves,  but  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,  and  our- 
selves your  servants  for  Jesus'  sake.'  Paul  doth  not  compliment  as  the  men 
of  the  world  do,  '  Your  servants,  sir,'  but  he  spake  as  it  was,  for  there 
are  no  greater  servants  than  those  that  are  servants  to  the  souls  of  men 
for  Jesus'  sake.  So  John  was  very  humble  in  the  exercise  of  his  ministry : 
John  iii.  30,  31,  '  He  must  increase,  but  I  must  decrease,'  &c. 

Luther  used  to  say,  '  that  a  minister  must  take  heed  of  bringing  three 
dogs  into  the  pulpit,  viz.,  pride,  covetousness,  and  envy.'  The  friends  of 
the  bridegroom  must  not  woo  and  sue  for  themselves,  but  for  the  bride- 
groom. Dispensers  of  the  gospel  are  the  bridegroom's  friends,  and  they 
must  not  speak  one  word  for  the  bridegroom  and  two  for  them&elves,  as 
hath  been  the  trade  of  many  weak  and  worthless  men.  It  is  the  greatest 
glory  of  a  minister  in  this  world  to  be  high  in  spiritual  work  and  humble 
in  heart.  Vain-glory  is  a  pleasant  thief ;  it  is  the  sweet  spoiler  of 
spiritual  excellencies.  Paul  was  very  humble  in  the  exercise  of  his 
ministry  :  none  so  high  in  worth  as  he,  nor  none  so  low  nor  humble  in 
heart  as  he.  Though  he  was  the  greatest  among  the  apostles,  yet  he 
accounts  himself  '  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints  ;'  yea,  he  counted  it 
not  only  his  duty  but  his  glory,  to  be  a  servant  to  the  weakest  saints : 
'  To  the  weak  I  became  as  weak  ;'  '  Who  is  weak,  and  I  am  not  weak  ? 
who  is  offended,  and  I  burn  not,'  1  Cor.  ix.  22,  2  Cor.  xi.  29. 

[4.]  Fourthly,  As  they  are  to  preach  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  humbly, 
so  they  are  to  preach  him  wisely.  In  Prov.  xi.  30,  '  He  that  wmneth 
souls  is  wise  ;'  and  indeed  the  greatest  wisdom  in  the  world  is  requisite 
to  the  winning  of  souls  to  Christ.  He  that  wins  souls,  or  he  that 
catcheth  souls,  as  the  fowler  doth  birds,  as  the  Hebrew  word  imports 
[  Velokeach,  taketh,  from  Lahach,  to  take],  or  fishermen  fishes,  '_  he  is 
wise.'  There  is  a  holy  and  a  heavenly  craft  required  in  the  winning  of 
souls  to  Christ:  2  Cor.  xii.  16,  'Nevertheless  being  crafty,' saith  the 
apostle,  '  I  caught  you  with  guile.'  He  speaks  of  a  holy  and  heavenly 
craft.^ 

It  is  written  of  the  fox,  that  when  he  is  very  hungry  after  prey,  and 
cm  find  none,  that  he  lies  down  and  feigneth  himself  dead,  and  so  the 

1  The  office  of  a  minister  is  the  highest  office  ;  and  if  his  office  be  highest,  his  faith- 
fulness must  be  answerable,  or  he  will  be  doubly  miserable. 

2  Gregory  Nazianzen,  that  famous  preacher,  setteth  no  other  price  upon  all  his  Athen- 
ian learning,  wherein  he  excelled,  than  this,  that  he  had  something  of  worth  to  esteem 
as  nothing  in  comparison  of  Christ.     [Homil.  in  Huinil. — G.] 

3  If  one  soul  is  more  worth  than  a  world,  as  he  hath  told  us,  who  only  went  to  the 
price  of  it.  Mat.  xyi.  2G,  then  they  must  needs  be  wise  who  win  souls  to  Christ. 


214  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

fowls  light  upon  him,  and  then  he  catcheth  them.  Paul,  hungering  after 
the  welfare  of  the  Corinthians'  souls,  makes  use  of  his  heavenly  craft  to 
catch  them.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  wisdom  required  to  hold  out 
Christ  unto  the  people,  not  only  as  a  good,  but  as  the  greatest  good,  as 
the  choicest  good,  as  the  chiefest  good,  as  the  most  suitable  good,  as  an 
immutable  good,  as  an  independent  good,  as  a  total  good,  and  as  an 
eternal  good.  Christ  must  thus  be  held  forth  to  draw  souls  to  fall  in 
love  witli  him,  and  to  work  their  hearts  to  run  out  after  him.  There 
is  wisdom  required  to  answer  all  cavils  and  objections  that  keep  Christ 
and  poor  souls  asunder.  There  is  wisdom  required  to  take  souls  off  from 
all  false  bottoms  that  they  are  apt  to  build  upon  ;  there  is  wisdom 
required  to  present  Christ  freely  to  souls,  in  opposition  to  all  unright- 
eousness, and  to  all  unworthiness  in  man  ;  there  is  wisdom  required 
to  suit  things  to  the  capacities  and  conditions  of  poor  souls,  to  make 
dark  things  plain,  and  hard  things  easy.  Ministers  must  not  be  hke 
him  in  the  emblem'  that  gave  straw  to  the  dog  and  a  bone  to  the  ass ; 
but  they  must  suit  all  their  discourses  to  the  conditions  and  capacities 
of  poor  creatures,  or  else  all  will  be  lost :  time  lost,  pains  lost,  God  lost, 
heaven  lost,  and  souls  lost  for  ever. 

[5.]  Fifthly,  They  must  preach  Christ,  zealously,  boldly,  as  well  as 
wisely,  Acts  iv.  20.     When  they  had  charged  them  that  they  should 
preach  no  more  in  the  name  of  Christ,  Why,  say  they !  what  do  you 
tell  us  of  the  whip,  or  of  prisons,  or  of  this  and  that  ?  '  We  cannot  but 
speak  the  things  we  have  seen  and  heard.'     So  in  Jer.  xx.  9,  '  Thy  word 
was  in  my  heart  as  a  burning  fire  shut  up  in  my  bones,  and  I  was 
weary  with  forbearing,  and  I  could  not  stay;'  Isa.  Iviii.  J,  'Cry  aloud, 
spare  not ;  lift  up  thy  voice  like  a  trumpet,  and  shew  my  people  their 
transgression,  and  the  house  of  Israel  their  sins.'^     And  Isaiah  had  his 
tongue  touched  with  a  coal  of  fire  from  the  altar,  chap.  vi.  6,  7.     And 
when  the  disciples  were  to  go  and  preach  the  gospel,  the  fire  sat  upon 
their  tongues,  Acts  ii.  34.^     The  worst  of  men  are  in  a  dead  sleep,  and 
the  best  of  men  are  too  often  in  a  sinful  slumber,  as  the  spouse  in  Cant, 
v.  2,  and  the  wise  virgins  in  Mat.  xxv. ;  and  therefore  faithful  ministers 
had  need  cry  aloud  ;  they  had  need  to  be  courageous  and  zealous,  to 
awaken  both  sinners  and  saints,  that  none  may  go  sleeping  to  hell. 
Every  coward  is  a  murderer,  as  the  philosopher  well  observed.*     The 
cowardice  of  the  minister  is  cruelty  ;  if  he  fear  the  faces  of  men  he  is  a 
murderer  of  the  souls  of  men.    Ministers  must  say,  as  Hector  in  Homer, 
'  I  will  combat  with  him,  though  his  hands  were  as  fire,   and  his 
strength  as  iron.'    Let  men's  hands  be  as  fire  and  their  strength  as  iron, 
yet  ministers  must  deal  with  them,  and  strive  to  make  a  conquest  on 
them,  Ezek.  ii.  3,  seq. 

Luther  professed  that  he  had  rather  be  accounted  anything  than  be 
accused  of  wicked  silence  in  Christ's  cause.  '  Let  me  be  accounted,' 
says  he,  '  proud,  let  me  be  accounted  covetous,  let  me  be  accounted  a 
murderer,  yea,  guilty  of  all  vices,  so  I  be  not  proved  guilty  of  wicked 
silence  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.* 

'  The  Emhlemata,  as  before,  one  of  Brooks's  favourite  volumes. — G. 

"^  As  Croesus  his  dumb  son  did  for  his  father.  »  Heads,  not  tongues. — G, 

*  Basil,  Luther,  Latimer,  Bering,  and  multitudes  of  others,  have  been  very  zealous 
and  courageous  in  their  ministry,  &c. 

*  They  that  write  the  story  of  the  travels  of  the  apostles  report  that  Simon  Zelotea 


EpH.  III.  8. J  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  215 

Themistocles  being  about  to  speak  to  the  general  of  the  Greek's 
army,  against  Xerxes,  he  held  up  his  staff,  as  if  he  had  been  about  to 
strike  him,  '  Strike,'  said  Themistocles,  '  but  yet  hear.'^  So  should 
ministers  say,  strike,  but  yet  hear  ;  rail,  but  yet  hear ;  despise,  but  yet 
hear ;  censure,  but  yet  hear  ;  oppose,  but  yet  hear  ;  do  what  you  will, 
but  yet  hear.  Non  amat,  qui  non  zelat,  saith  Augustine,  '  He  is  no 
friend  to  God  that  is  not  zealous  for  him.'' 

When  one  desired  to  know  what  kind  of  man  Basil  was,  there  was, 
saith  the  history,  presented  to  him  in  a  dream,  a  pillar  of  fire  with  this 
motto.  Talis  est  Basilius,  Basil  is  such  a  one,  all  on  a-light  fire  for  God. 
So  every  minister  should  be  all  on  a-fire  for  God. 

[6.]  Sixthly,  They  are  to  preach  Christ  laboriously,  'painfully,'^  fre- 
quently!^ A  minister  must  be  like  the  bee,  that  is  still  a-flying  from 
one  flower  to  another  to  suck  out  honey  for  the  good  of  others.  Should 
not  that  dreadful  word  make  every  idle  shepherd  tremble  :  Jer.  xlviii. 
10,  '  Cursed  be  he  that  doth  the  work  of  the  Lord  negligently  ;'  1  Cor. 
XV.  ult., '  Be  ye  stedfast  and  unmoveable,  always  abounding  in  the  work 
of  the  Lord,  knowing  that  your  labour  is  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord.'  Oh 
the  dreadful  woes  that  are  pronounced  in  Scripture  against  idle  shep- 
herds! Jer.  xxiii.  1;  Ezek.  xiii.  3,  xxxiv.  2;  Zech.  xi.  17 ;  Mat.  xxiii.  13- 
16,  23,  25,  27.  The  great  Shepherd  of  our  souls,  the  Lord  Jesus, 
was  still  a-feeding  of  his  flock,  and  much  in  provoking  others  to  the 
same  work  :  John  xxi.  15,  '  Feed  my  lambs,  feed  my  sheep  ;'  2  Tim.  iv. 
2,  '  Preach  the  word  in  season,  and  out  of  season.'  Christ  wept  for 
souls,  and  bled  for  souls,  and  prayed  for  souls  ;  and  shall  not  ministers 
sweat  much  for  souls,  and  work  much  for  the  good  of  souls  ?  Doubtless 
they  will  give  but  a  sad  account  to  Christ  that  make  anything  serve  to 
fill  up  the  hour  ;  that  spend  two  or  three  hours  at  the  end  of  a  week  to 
fit  themselves  for  Sabbath  exercises.  Idleness  is  hateful  in  any,  but 
most  abominable  and  intolerable  in  ministers ;  and  sooner  or  later  none 
shall  pay  so  dear  for  it  as  such.  Witness  the  frequent  woes  that  are 
denounced  in  Scripture  against  them.  Where  should  a  soldier  die  but 
in  the  field?     And  where  should  a  minister  die  but  in  the  pulpit  ?* 

Pompey,  in  a  great  dearth  at  Rome,  having  provided  store  of  pro- 
visions for  his  citizens  that  were  ready  to  perish,  and  being  ready  to 
put  to  sea,  he  commanded  the  pilot  to  hoist  sail  and  be  gone.  The 
pilot  told  him  that  the  sea  was  tempestuous,  and  that  the  voyage  was 
like  to  be  dangerous.  '  It  matters  not,'  said  Pompey,  '  hoist  up  sail ;  it  is 
not  necessary  that  we  should  live,  it  is  necessary  that  they  should  be 
preserved  from  ruin  and  famine.'^  So  should  ministers  say,  it  is  not 
necessary  that  we  should  live,  but  it  is  necessary  that  poor  souls  should 
live  and  be  happy  for  ever ;  it  is  necessary  that  they  should  be  acquainted 
with  the  things  of  their  peace  ;  it  is  necessary  that  they  should  be  de- 
preached  here  in  England.  If  ever  there  needed  some  Zelotes  it  is  now  ;  such,  as  Epi- 
phanius  speaks  of  Elijah,  that  he  sucked  fire  out  of  his  mother's  breast. 

•  Plutarch  :  Themistocles  vi.,  et  alibi. — G.  *  Painstakingly.' — G. 

3  The  father  pays  the  nurse  though  the  child  dies,  the  doctor  has  his  fee  though  the 
patient  dies,  and  the  vine-dresser  has  his  reward  though  the  vine  wither  ;  so  will  God 
deal  with  faithful  ministers,  2  Cor.  ii.  15  ;  Isa.  xlix.  2-4. 

*  If  a  minister  had  as  many  eyes  as  Argus  to  watch,  and  as  many  hands  as  Briareus 
to  labour,  he  might  find  employment  enough  for  them  all.  [Cf.  Vol.  I.  p.  3,  footnote  1. 
— G.]  5  Plutarch  :  Pompey G. 


216 


THE  UNSEARCHABLE 


[Eph.  III.  8. 


livered  from  the  power  of  Satan  and  from  wrath  to  come ;  and  therefore 
it  is  necessary  that  we  should  bo  frequent  and  '  abundant  in  the  work 
of  the  Lord,'  and  not  plead  storms  and  tempests,  or  that  a  lion  is  in 
the  way." 

It  was  Vespasian  the  emperor's  speech,  and  may  well  be  applied  to 
ministers,  Oporfet  im2)cratorein  slantem  niovi,  an  emperor  ought  to 
die  standing.* 

[7.]  Seventhly,  As  they  are  to  preach  Christ  painfully,  so  they  are  to 
preach  Christ  exeviplarily  :^  1  Peter  v.  3,  'Be  thou  an  example  to  the 
flock.'  They  must  preach  Christ  as  well  in  life  as  in  doctrine.  Ministers 
must  not  be  like  the  drugs,  that  physicians  say  are  hot  in  the  mouth 
and  cold  in  operation  ;  hot  in  the  pulpit,  and  cold  and  careless  in  their 
lives  and  conversations.  They  must  say,  as  Gideon  said  to  his  soldiers: 
Judges  xvii.  17,  '  Look  on  me  and  do  likewise  ;'  Mat.  v.  16,  'Let  your 
light  so  shine  before  men,  that  they  may  see  your  good  works,  and 
glorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven.'  They  are  called  angels,  and 
they  are  called  stars,  because  they  should  shine  in  righteousness  and 
holiness. 

What  Csesar  once  said  of  his  wife,  'that  it  was  not  enough  for  her  to 
be  without  fault,  but  she  should  be  without  all  suspicion  of  fault,'  may 
well  be  applied  to  ministers,  who,  of  all  men  in  the  world,  should  be 
most  free  from  the  very  appearances  of  evil.  The  lives  of  ministers 
oftentimes  do  convince  more  strongly  than  their  words ;  their  tongues 
may  persuade,  but  their  lives  command.* 

i'ace  lingua,  loquere  vita,  'Talk  not  of  a  good  life,'  said  the  heathen, 
'but  let  thy  life  speak.'  God  appointed  that  both  the  weights  and 
measures  of  the  sanctuary  should  be  twice  as  large  as  those  of  the 
commonwealth,  to  shew,  that  he  expects  much  more  of  those  that  wait 
upon  him  in  the  sanctuary  than  he  doth  of  others.  Ministers  should 
be  like  musk  among  linen,  which  casts  a  fragrant  smell,  or  like  that 
box  of  spikenard,  which  being  broken  open,  filled  the  house  with  its 
odour. 

Gregory  saith  of  Athanasius,  that  his  life  was  a  continual  sermon 
and  wooing  men  to  Christ.  Aristotle  requires  this  in  an  orator,  that 
he  be  a  good  man  ;  how  much  more  then  should  God's  orators  be  good 
and  gracious  ?  When  Eli's  sons  were  wicked,  the  people  abhorred  the 
offering  of  the  Lord,  1  Sam.  ii.  17  ;  and  what  is  that  that  renders  the 
things  of  God  so  contemptuous  and  odious  in  the  eyes  of  many  people  in 
this  nation,  but  the  ignorance,  looseness,  profaneness,  and  baseness  of 
those  that  are  the  dispensers  of  them.  Unholy  ministers  pull  down 
instead  of  building  up.  Oh  the  souls  that  their  lives  destroy  !  These, 
by  their  loose  lives,  lead  their  flocks  to  hell,  where  theirselves  must 
lie  lowermost.^ 

A  painter  being  blamed  by  a  cardinal  for  putting  too  much  red  upon 

•  The  angels  on  Jacob's  ladder  were  some  ascending,  others  descending,  none  standing 
or  sitting  still.     Ministers  must  be  like  tliem. 

'  Suetonius.     [Vesp. — G.] 

'  A  preacher,  as  Quintiliau  saith  of  an  orator,  should  be  vir  botms,  diccndi  peritus,  a 
well-spoken  and  well-deeded  person. 

*  Joiin  the  abbot  professeth  that  he  had  never  taught  others  anything  which  he  had 
not  first  practised  himself. 

"  The  souls  of  priests,  I  may  say  of  ministers,  must  bo  purer  than  the  sunbeams,  saith 
Chrysostom.     Jewel,  Bucer,  and  Bradford,  were  famous  examples  for  holiness. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  217 

the  visages  of  Peter  and  Paul,  tartly  replied,  that  he  painted  them  so, 
as  blushing  at  the  lives  of  those  men  who  styled  themselves  their 
successors.  Ah  how  do  the  lewd  and  wicked  lives  of  many  that  are 
called  and  accounted  ministers,  make  others  to  blush  ! 

Salvian  relates  how  the  heathen  did  reproach  some  Christians,  who 
by  their  ungodly  lives,  made  the  gospel  of  Christ  to  be  a  reproach  : 
'  Where,'  said  they,  '  is  that  good  law  which  they  do  believe  ?  Where 
are  those  rules  of  godliness  which  they  do  learn  ?  They  read  the  holy 
Gospel,  and  yet  are  unclean  ;  they  hear  the  apostle's  writings,  and  yet 
are  drunk  ;  they  follow  Christ,  and  yet  disobey  Christ ;  they  possess  a  holy 
law,  and  yet  do  lead  impure  lives."  As  this  is  very  applicable  to  many 
professors  in  those  days,  so  it  is  applicable  to  many  preachers  also. 

I  have  read  of  a  scandalous  minister  that  was  struck  at  the  heart,  and 
converted  in  reading  those  words :  Rom.  ii.  21,  '  Thou  which  teachest 
another,  teachest  thou  not  thyself?'  If  this  treatise  should  fall  into 
any  such  hand,  oh  that  it  might  have  the  same  operation  !  Wicked 
ministers  do  more  hurt  by  their  lives  than  they  do  good  by  their 
doctrine. 

I  have  read  of  a  gentlewoman  that  turned  athiest  because  she  lived 
under  a  great  learned  doctor  that  preached  excellently  but  lived  very 
licentiously. 

The  heathen  brings  in  a  young  man,  who  hearing  of  the  adulteries  and 
wickedness  of  the  gods,  said,  '  What !  do  they  so,  and  shall  I  stick  at  it  V 
So  say  most,  when  their  teachers  and  leaders  are  lewd  and  wicked,  what ! 
do  they  such  and  such  abominations,  and  shall  we  stick  at  it  ? 

When  one  deboist^  in  life  among  the  Lacedemonians  stept  up  and 
gave  good  counsel,  they  would  not  receive  it  ;  but  when  another  of  a 
better  life  stept  up  and  gave  the  same  counsel,  they  presently  followed 
it.  The  application  is  easy.  Every  minister's  life  should  be  a  com- 
mentary upon  Christ's  life  ;  nothing  wins  and  builds  like  this.* 

[8.]  Eighthly,  Ministers  must  preach  feelingly,  experimentally,  as 
well  as  exemplarily.  They  must  speak  from  the  heart  to  the  heart ; 
they  must  feel  the  worth,  the  weight,  the  sweet  of  those  things  upon 
their  own  souls  that  they  give  out  to  others  :  1  John  i.  1-3, '  That  which 
was  from  the  beginning,  which  we  have  heard,  which  we  have  seen  with 
our  eyes,  which  we  have  looked  upon,  and  our  hands  have  handled,  of 
the  word  of  life  (for  the  life  was  manifested,  and  we  have  seen  it,  and 
bear  witness,  and  shew  unto  you  that  eternal  life  which  was  with  the 
Father,  and  was  manifested  unto  us)  ;  that  which  we  have  seen  and 
heard  declare  we  unto  you,  that  ye  also  may  have  fellowship  with  us : 
and  truly  our  fellowship  is  with  the  Father,  and  with  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ.'  The  highest  mystery  in  the  divine  rhetoric,  is  to  feel  what  a 
man  speaks,  and  then  speak  what  a  man  feels. 

Praxiteles  exquisitely  drew  love,  taking  the  pattern  from  that  passion 
which  he  felt  in  his  own  heart. 

It  was  said  of  Luther,  that  he  spake  as  if  he  had  been  within  a  man. 
Ministers  must  so  speak  to  the  people,  as  if  they  lived  in  the  very  hearts 
of  the  people  ;  as  if  they  had  been  told  all  their  wants,  and  all  their 

1  Sahianus  de  G.  D.  lib.  iv.  2  Debauched.— G. 

3  Chrysostom  preached  so  feelingly  and  so  aflfectionately  that  his  hearers  tliought  they 
had  as  good  be  without  the  sun  in  the  firmament  as  Chrysostom  in  the  pulpit. 


218  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

ways,  all  their  sins,  aud  all  their  doubts.     No  preaching  to  this,  no 
preachers  to  these. 

Ministers  should  not  be  like  Caesar's  soldier,  that  digged  a  fountain 
for  CiBsar,  and  himself  perished  for  want  of  water.  Yet  many  such  there 
be  in  these  days,  that  dig  and  draw  water  out  of  the  wells  of  salvation 
for  others,  and  yet  themselves  eternally  perish,  by  their  non-drinking  of 
the  waters  of  life.  If  they  are  monsters,  and  not  to  be  named  among 
men,  that  feed  and  feast  their  servants,  but  starve  their  wives,  then 
what  monsters  are  they  that  feed  and  feast  other  men's  souls,  with  the 
dainties  and  delicates  of  heaven,  but  starve  their  own  ?  No  misery,  no 
hell  to  this  ! 

[9.]  Nmtlily,  As  ministers  must  preach  the  word  feelingly,  experi- 
mentally, so  tliey  must  preach  the  word  Hghtly.  They  must  divide  and 
distribute  the  word  according  to  every  one's  spiritual  estate  and  con- 
dition. They  must  give  comfort  to  whom  comfort  belongs,  and  counsel 
to  whom  counsel  belongs,  and  reproof  to  whom  reproof  belongs,  and 
terror  to  whom  terror  belongs  :  2  Tim.  ii.  15,  '  Study  to  shew  thyself 
approved  unto  God,  a  workman  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed,  rightly 
dividing  the  word  of  truth  ;'  or,  word  for  word,  '  Rightly  cutting  into 
parts  the  word  of  truth,'  Isa.  xl.  1,  2,  1.  4  ;  2  Cor.  v.  10-12.  Some 
say  [Gerhard,  Perkins,  &c.]  the  metaphor  is  taken  from  the  priests  of 
the  Old  Testament,  who  having  slain  the  beasts  that  were  to  be  sacri- 
ficed, did  joint  and  divide  the  same  in  an  accurate  manner.  Others  say 
[Chrysostom,  Bullinger,  Tlieophylact,  &c.]  it  is  a  metaphor  taken  from 
a  cutter  of  leather,  who  cutteth  off  that  which  is  superfluous,  when  he 
cutteth  out  reins  aud  thongs.  So  in  the  handling  of  the  word,  questions 
that  are  superfluous  and  unprofitable,  ought  to  be  cut  off ;  and  that 
only  is  to  be  held  forth  that  makes  for  the  hearer's  instruction,  edification 
and  consolation.  Others  say  the  metaphor  is  taken  from  the  cutting 
and  squaring  out  of  the  streets  and  highways,  and  setting  out  the 
bounds  of  men's  lands  and  possessions.  Others  by  cutting  the  word  of 
truth  aright,  understand  the  raising  of  right  instructions,  by  following 
the  rule  of  the  word,  only  as  a  ploughman  that  draweth  or  cutteth  a 
right  furrow  in  the  ground.^ 

To  divide  the  word  aright,  is  to  cut  out,  saith  Calvin  and  others,  to 
every  one  his  portion,  as  a  parent  cutteth  out  bread  to  his  children,  or 
a  cook  meat  to  his  guests.  A  general  doctrine  not  applied,  is  as  a  sword 
without  an  edge,  not  in  itself,  but  to  the  people,  who  by  reason  of  their 
own  singular  senselessness  and  weakness,  are  not  able  to  apply  it  to  their 
own  estates  and  conditions  ;  or  as  a  whole  loaf  set  before  children, 
that  will  do  them  no  good.  A  garment  fitted  for  all  bodies,  is  fit  for 
nobody  ;  and  that  which  is  spoken  to  all  is  taken  as  spoken  to  none. 
Doctrine  is  but  the  drawing  of  the  bow,  application  is  the  hitting  of  the 
mark.  How  many  are  wise  in  generals,  but  vain  in  their  practical  in- 
ferences !  Such  preachers  are  fitter  for  Rome  than  England.  Souls 
may  go  sleeping  and  dreaming  to  hell  before  such  preaching,  ere  such 
preachers  will  awaken  them  and  shew  them  their  danger.  Oh  that 
therefore  the  people  were  so  wise  as,  that  when  sin  is  reproved,  judg- 

'  And  if  Galen  could  say  that  in  anatomising  a  man's  brain,  physicians  must  carry 
themselves  as  men  do  in  the  temple,  how  much  more  must  ministers  do  so  in  dividing 
the  word  of  life  ! 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  219 

ments  threatened,  miseries  promised,  and  Christ  freely  and  fully  offered, 
they  would  apply  all  to  their  own  souls  !  This  is  the  misery  of  many 
in  our  days  ;  they  come  to  sermons  as  beggars  come  to  banquets,  carry- 
ing nothing  but  the  scraps  away  with  them. 

[10.]  Tenthly,  They  must  preach  the  word  acceptably,  as  well  as 
rightly  :  Eccles.  xii.  10,  '  The  preacher  sought  to  find  out  acceptable 
words  ;'  or  words  of  delight,  as  the  Hebrew  has  it,  '  and  that  which  was 
written  was  upright,  even  words  of  truth. '^  Ministers'  words  should  be 
divinely  delectable  and  desirable;  they  should  divinely  please,  and 
divinely  profit ;  they  should  divinely  tickle,  and  divinely  take  both  ear 
and  heart,  A  minister  should  be  a  weighty  speaker  ;  he  should  clothe 
his  doctrine  in  such  a  comely,  lovely  dress,  as  that  he  may  by  it  slide  in- 
sensibly into  his  hearers'  hearts.  Ministers  should  clothe  their  matter 
with  decent  words.  The  leaves  give  some  beauty  to  the  tree.  Good 
matter  in  an  unseemly  language,  is  like  a  bright  taper  in  a  sluttish 
candlestick,  or  like  a  fair  body  in  unhandsome  clothes,  or  like  a  gold 
ring  on  a  leprous  hand.  '  Truth,'  saith  one,  '  loves  to  be  plain,  but  not 
sluttish.'  As  she  loves  not  to  be  clad  io  gay  colours,  like  a  wanton 
strumpet,  so  not  in  lousy  rags  like  a  nasty  creature.  Aaron's  bells  were 
golden  bells,  dulce  sonantes,  sounding  pleasantly,  and  not  as  sounding 
brass,  or  tinkling  cymbals.  Holy  eloquence  is  a  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
Acts  xviii.  24,  and  may  doubtless,  as  well  as  other  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  be 
made  prudently  useful  to  the  setting  forth  of  divine  truth,  and  the 
catching  of  souls  by  craft,  as  the  apostle  speaks,  2  Cor.  xii.  1 6.  Surely 
where  it  is,  it  may  be  made  use  of  as  an  Egyptian  jewel  to  adorn  the 
tabernacle.^ 

Lactantius  [De  falsa  Sap.  lib.  v.cap.  1]  hath  well  observed,  that  philoso- 
phers, orators,  and  poets,  were  therefore  ver}'- pernicious,  in  that  they  easily 
ensnared  incautious  minds  with  sweetness  of  speech  ;  therefore  his 
advice  is,  even  in  delivering  the  truth  of  Christ,  to  sweeten  the  speech 
for  the  winning  of  them  to  Christ,  who  will  neither  hear,  nor  read,  nor 
value,  nor  regard  the  truth,  except  it  be  polished  and  trimmed  up  in  a 
lovely  dress.* 

[11.]  In  the  last  place,  and  so  to  add  no  more,  as  they  must  preach 
the  word  acceptably,  so  they  must  preach  the  word  constantly.*'  They 
must  not  lay  down  the  Bible,  to  take  up  the  sword,  as  some  have  done 
for  worldly  advantages,  1  Cor.  vii.  10,  24< ;  they  must  not  leave  the  word 
to  serve  tables,  Acts  vi.  1,  as  others  have  done  upon  the  same  account ; 
they  must  not  change  their  black  cloaks,  for  scarlet  cloaks  ;  they  must 
abide  and  continue  in  their  places  and  employments  ;  they  must  neither 
change  their  work  nor  their  master  :  Acts  vi.  4,  '  But  we  will  give  our- 
selves continually  to  prayer,  and  to  the  ministry  of  the  word,'  They 
would  not  assign  their  charge  to  some  surrogates  or  deputies,  that 
themselves  might  live  at  ease.  No  !  they  were  peremptorily  resolved  to 
hold  on,  to  continue  in  these  two  choice  duties,  prayer  and  ministry  of 

^  K*p3  in  Pihil,  from  Bakash,  signifies  an  earnest,  vehement  seeking,  &c. 

2  It  was  a  fine  commendation  given  by  Quintilian  of  Thucydides  :  Thiicydides  writes 
thick  and  quick,  close  and  clear  ;  he  is  solid  and  succinct,  sententious  and  judicious. 

^  Basil  and  Bucer  were  curt  and  concise,  full  and  clear,  in  their  discourses. 

*  The  shew-bread  stood  all  the  week  before  the  Lord,  to  shew  that  preaching  is  not 
out  of  season  on  any  day. 


220  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

tlic  word.  So  in  chap.  xxvi.  22,  '  Havin<T  therefore  obtained  help  of 
God,  1  continue  unto  this  day,  witnessing  both  to  small  and  great,  say- 
ing no  other  things  than  those  which  the  prophets  and  Moses  did  say 
should  come.'  1  Tim.  iv.  15,  16, '  Meditate  upon  these  things  ;  give  thy- 
self wholly  to  them,  [iv  rolroig  "adi,  spend  thy  time  in  them],  that  thy  pro- 
fiting may  appear  to  all,  or  in  all  things.  Take  heed  unto  thyself,  and 
unto  thy  doctrine  ;  continue  in  them  :  for  in  doing  this  thou  shalt  both 
save  thyself,  and  them  that  hear  thee;'  2  Tim.  iii.  14,  'But  [M£^s. 
abide,  keep  thy  station,  thou  wilt  be  put  to  it,  thou  wilt  meet  with 
earthquakes]  continue  thou  in  the  things  which  thou  hast  learned, 
and  hast  been  assured  of,  knowing  of  whom  thou  hast  learned  them  ;' 
Eccles.  xii.  9,  'And  moreover,  because  the  preacher  was  wise,  he  still 
taught  tlie  people  knowledge  ;  yea,  he  gave  good  heed,  and  sought  out, 
and  set  in  order  many  proverbs.' 

Hosea  was  foiu'score  years  a  prophet  in  Israel,  and  yet  did  not  con- 
vert them  ;  yet  notwithstanding  all  discouragements  he  continued  con- 
stant, and  that  with  abundance  of  freshness  and  livelines.s. 

Chrysostom  compares  good  pastors  to  fountains  that  ever  send  forth 
waters,  or  conduits  that  are  always  running,  though  no  pail  be  put 
under.     [Chrysost.  in  Mat,  Horn,  xv.] 

Erasmus  saith  of  Jerome,  Minima  "pars  noctis  dabatur  somno, 
minor  cibo,  nulla  olio,  He  allowed  least  time  for  sleep,  little  for  food, 
none  for  idleness.  It  best  becomes  a  minister  to  die  preaching  in  a 
pulpit. 

Now  if  this  be  so,  then  by  way  of  use  let  me  say.  That  this  truth 
holes  very  sourly  and  wistly  ujmn  all  those  tJiat  preach  anything 
rather  than  Christ. 

The  Lord  be  merciful  to  them  !  How  have  they  forgotten  the  great 
work  about  which  their  heads  and  hearts  should  be  most  exercised,  to 
wit,  the  bringing  in  of  souls  to  Christ,  and  the  building  up  of  souls  in 
Christ.  Where  do  we  find  in  all  the  Scripture,  that  Christ,  his  prophets 
or  apostles,  did  ever  in  their  preaching  meddle  with  businesses  of  state, 
or  things  of  a  mere  civil  concernment?  '  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this 
world.     Who  has  made  me  a  judge  ? '  says  Christ. 

1  hope  it  will  not  be  counted  presumption  in  me  if  I  shall  propound 
a  few  rules  for  such  to  observe  that  are  willing  to  preach  Christ  to 
poor  souls.     I  will  only  propound  three. 

[1.]  And  the  first  is  this,  //  you  tuoidd  preach  Christ  to  the  people, 
according  to  the  rules  last  raentioned,  then  you  must  get  a  Christ 
within  you. 

There  is  nothing  that  makes  a  man  indeed  so  able  to  preach  Christ 
to  the  people,  as  the  getting  a  Christ  within  him ;  and  it  is  very  ob- 
servable, that  the  great  rabbles  and  doctors  that  want  a  Christ  within, 
they  do  but  bungle  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  in  the  preaching  of  a 
crucified  Jesus  ;  and  were  it  not  for  the  help  of  Austin,  Chrysostom, 
Ambrose,  and  TertuUian,  &c.,  what  sad,  dead,  and  pitiful  work  would 
they  make !  Yea,  for  want  of  a  Christ  within,  how  little  of  Christ  do 
they  understand  !  How  little  of  Christ  do  they  make  known,  notwith- 
standing all  their  borrowed  helps  !  Paul  was  a  man  that  had  got  a  Christ 
within  him:  Gal.  ii.  20,  '  I  live;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  lives  in  me :  and 
the  life  that  I  live  is  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,'  &c.     Compare 


EpH.  III.  8.J  ElCflES  OF  CHRIST.  221 

this  with  Gal.  iv.  1 9,  '  My  little  children,  of  whom  I  travail  in  birth  till 
Christ  be  formed  in  you.'  A  Christ  within,  makes  him  travail  in  birth. 
The  Greek  word  translated,  '  I  travail  in  birth,'  signifies  not  only  the 
travail  of  the  woman  at  the  birth  of  the  child,  but  also  the  painful  bear- 
ing thereof  before  the  birth.  The  pains  of  travail  breed  not  a  greater 
desire  to  see  a  man-child  born  into  the  world,  than  Paul's  love  bred  in 
him,  till  Christ  were  anew  formed  in  them,  2  Cor.  xi.  23.  No  man  did 
so  much  for  the  winning  of  souls  to  Christ  as  Paul,  nor  no  man  had  so 
much  of  a  Christ  within  him  as  Paul.  Nothing  will  naturalise  a 
minister's  heart  to  his  work  like  a  Christ  within  ;  nothing  will  make 
him  so  wise,  so  painful,  so  watchful,  so  careful  to  win  souls,  as  a  Christ 
within  ;  nothing  will  make  him  hold  out  and  hold  on  in  the  work  of 
the  Lord,  in  the  face  of  all  oppositions,  persecutions,  dangers,  and  deaths, 
as  a  Christ  within  ;  nothing  will  make  a  man  strive  with  sinners,  and 
weep  over  sinners,  and  wait  upon  sinners  for  their  return,  as  a  Christ 
within.'  Such  ministers  as  have  not  a  Christ  within  them,  will  find  no 
comfort,  and  as  little  success,  in  their  preaching  of  Christ.  Above  all 
gettings,  get  a  Christ  within,  or  else  after  all  thy  preaching,  thyself  will 
be  a  cast-away. 

[2.]  Secondly,  They  that  would  preach  Christ  to  the  people,  must 
study  more  Scripture  truths,  Scripture  mysteries,  than  human 
histories. 

They  must  study  God's  book  more  than  all  other  books.  The  truth 
and  antiquity  of  the  book  of  God  finds  no  companion,  either  in  age  or 
authority.  No  histories  are  comparable  to  the  histories  of  the  scriptures, 
for,  1,  antiquity  f  2,  rariety  ;^  3,  variety  ;  4,  brevity;  5,  perspicuity  ;  6, 
harmony ;  7,  verity. 

'  Gregory '  calls  the  Scripture,  cor  et  animam  dei,  the  heart  and 
soul  of  God ;  for  in  the  Scriptures,  as  in  a  glass,  we  may  see  how  the 
"  heart  and  soul  of  God  stands  towards  his  poor  creatures.  It  was  the 
glory  of  Apollos  that  he  was  mighty  in  the  Scripture,  Acts  xviii.  24 ; 
John  V.  39,  '  Search  the  Scriptures,'  saith  Christ.  The  Greek  word 
signifies  to  search  as  men  search  for  gold  in  mines,  s^swan.  You  must 
search  the  Scriptures,  not  superficially  but  narrowly.  The  Scriptures 
are  a  great  depth,  wherein  the  choicest  treasures  are  hid  ;  therefore  you 
must  dig  deep  if  you  will  find:  Col.  iii.  IG,  'Let  the  word  of  Christ 
dwell  richly  in  you  ;'  or  as  the  Greek  hath  it,  ivoixiiru  sv  h/j^Tv.  '  Let  the 
word  of  Christ  indwell  in  you,  as  an  engrafted  word,  incorporated  into 
your  souls.'  Let  the  word  be  so  concocted  and  digested  by  you,  as  that 
you  turn  it  into  a  part  of  yourselves.  You  must  be  familiarly  acquainted 
with  the  word ;  you  must  not  let  it  pass  by  you  as  a  stranger,  or  lodge 
and  sojourn  with  you  as  a  wayfaring  man  ;  it  must  continually  abide 
with  you,  and  dwell  richly  in  you  :  2  Tim.  iii.  16,  17,  '  All  scripture  is 
given  by  inspiration  of  God,  and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof, 
for  correction,   for  instruction  in  righteousness  ;  that  the  man  of  God 

^  As  nurses  to  princes'  children  are  fed  witli  the  most  delicate  fare,  but  not  for  their 
own  sakes,  but  for  the  children's  sake  to  whom  they  give  nurse,  so  it  is  with  many 
ministers  that  want  a  Christ  within,  2  Tim.  ii.  24,  25. 

2  Moses  is  found  more  ancient  than  all  those  whom  the  Grecians  make  most  ancient ; 
as  Homer,  Hesiod,  and  Jupiter  himself,  whom  the  Greeks  have  seated  in  the  top  of  their 
divinity.     [Theophilus  Gale,  as  before. — G.]  ^  Earity,  =  preciousness. — G. 


009 


THE  UNSEARCHABLE 


[Eph.  hi.  8. 


may  be  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished  unto  all  good  works.'  All  books 
and  helps  are  not  companible  to  the  Bible,  for  the  completing  and  per- 
fecting of  a  man  for  the  work  of  the  ministry. 

That  which  a  papist  reports  of  their  sacrament  of  the  mass,  that  there 
are  as  many  mysteries  in  it  as  there  are  drops  in  the  sea,  dust  on  the 
earth,  angels  in  heaven,  stars  in  the  sky,  atoms  in  the  sunbeams,  or 
sands  on  the  sea-shore,  &c.,  may  be  truly  asserted  of  the  word  of  God ; 
no  study  to  the  study  of  the  Scripture  for  profit  and  comfort.  Count 
Anhalt,  that  princely  preacher,  was  wont  to  say,  '  That  the  whole 
Scriptures  were  the  swaddhng  bands  of  the  child  Jesus,'  he  being  to  be 
found  almost  in  every  page,  in  every  verse,  in  every  line.^ 

Luther  would  often  say,  *  That  he  had  rather  that  all  his  books  should 
be  burned,  than  that  they  should  be  a  means  to  hinder  persons  from 
studying  of  the  Scripture.' 

[3.]  The  tliird  and  last  rule  I  shall  lay  down,  is  this,  Such  as  would 
preach  Christ  aright  to  the  people  had  need  dwell  miuch  upon  the 
vanity  of  human  doctrines. 

The  vanity  of  which  doctrines  may  be  thus  discovered  : 
First,  They  do  not  discover  sin  in  its  ugliness  and  filthiness  as  the 
Scriptures  do.     They  search  but  to  the  skin,  they  reach  not  to  the  heart; 
they  do  not  do  as  the  master  did  in  Jonah's  ship,  when  they  were  in  a 
storm. 

Secondly,  Human  doctrines  have  no  humbling  power  in  them.  They 
may  a  little  tickle  you,  but  they  can  never  humble  you  ;  they  cannot 
cast  down  Satan's  strongholds ;  they  cannot  melt  nor  break  the  heart 
of  a  sinner ;  they  cannot  make  him  cry  out  with  the  leper,  *  Unclean, 
unclean.'  ^ 

Thirdly,  Human  doctrines  nourish  not  the  noble  part,  the  soul  of 
man.  The  prodigal  was  like  to  starve  before  he  returned  to  his  father's 
house.  A  man  may  study  much,  and  labour  much,  and  lay  out  much 
of  his  time  and  spirits  about  human  doctrines,  and  yet  after  all  be  like 
to  Pharoah's  lean  kine.  A  man  that  studies  human  doctrines  doth  but 
feed  upon  ashes. 

FouHhly,  Human  doctrines  cannot  cure  a  wound  in  the  conscience. 
The  diseased  woman  spent  all  she  had  upon  physicians,  but  was  not  a 
penny  the  better.  The  remedy  is  too  weak  for  the  disease.  Conscience, 
like  Prometheus'  vulture,  will  still  lie  gnawing  notwithstanding  all  that 
such  doctrines  can  do. 

Fifthly,  Human  doctrines  are  so  far  from  enriching  the  soul,  that 
they  usually  impoverish  the  soul.  They  weaken  the  soul ;  they  expose 
the  soul  to  the  greatest  wants  and  to  the  greatest  weaknesses  ;  they 
play  the  harlot  with  the  soul;  they  impoverish  it,  and  bring  it  to  'a 
morsel  of  bread.'  Who  so  poor  in  spiritual  experiences  and  heavenly 
enjoyments  as  such  that  sit  under  the  droppings  of  human  doctrines  ? 

Sixthly,  Human  doctrines  make  men  servants  to  the  humours  and 
corruptions  of  men  ;  they  make  men-pleasers  of  men  rather  than 
pleasers  of  God ;  yea,  they  make  men  set  up  themselves  and  others, 
sometimes  in  the  room  of  Christ,  and  sometimes  above  Christ.     I  hope 

'  Whiles  they  burned  us,  said  reverend  Du  Moulin,  for  reading  the  Scriptures,  we 
burned  with  zeal  to  be  reading  of  them.     But  where  is  this  brave  spirit  now  ? 

*  These  things  had  need  be  seriously  minded  in  these  days,  wherein  human  doctrines 
are  so  much  exalted  and  admired. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  223 

these  few  short  hints  may  prevail  with  some  to  fall  in  with  this  counsel, 
that  so  they  may  the  better  preach  the  Lord  Jesus  to  the  people. 
And  so  much  for  this  doctrine. 

Unto  me,  who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,  is  this  grace  given, 
that  I  should  ])reach  among  the  Gentiles  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ,  Eph.  iii.  8. 

Having  spoken  much  concerning  ministers'  duty,  I  shall  now  speak 
a  little  concerning  their  dignity,  and  so  finish  this  text. 

'  Unto  me,  who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,  is  this  grace 
given,  that  I  should  preach  among  the  Gentiles  the  unsearchable  riches 
of  Christ.'  This  grace,  this  favour,  this  honour  is  given  to  me,  that  I 
should  preach,  &c.  I  look  not  upon  it  as  a  poor,  low,  mean,  contemptible 
thing,  but  as  a  very  great  honour,  '  that  I  should  preach  among  the 
Gentiles  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.' 

The  observation  that  I  shall  speak  to  is  this  : 

Ohs.  That  the  office  of  a  minister  or  preacher  is  honourable. 

For  the  understanding  of  this  point,  premise  with  me  two  things  : 

First,  That  by  a  minister,  I  understand  one  that  is  qualified  ac- 
cording to  gospel  rules,  and  that  is  internally  called  by  God,  and  exter- 
nally called  by  the  people  of  God,  to  the  ministerial  office. 

The  second  thing  that  I  would  have  you  premise  with  me  for  the 
understanding  of  the  point  is  this,  that  the  common  appellation  of  those 
that  are  set  apart  for  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment is  didxovoi,  ministers.  So  in  1  Cor.  iii,  5;  2  Cor.  iii.  6,  and 
chap.  vi.  4,  and  chap.  xi.  1 5,  23 ;  1  Tim.  iv.  ]  6,  and  in  divers  other 
places,  the  word  minister  is  a  title  of  office,  service,  or  administration 
given  frequently  to  the  preachers  of  the  gospel.  As  for  the  names  of 
ambassadors,  stewards,  and  the  like,  wherewith  they  are  often  honoured, 
they  are  figurative,  and  given  to  them  by  allusion  only. 

These  two  things  being  premised,  we  shall  now  proceed  to  the  open- 
ing of  the  point. 

1.  And,  in  the  first  place,  I  shall  prove  that  the  office  of  a  minister 
is  an  honourable  office. 

2.  And  then,  in  the  second  place,  I  shall  shew  you  what  honour  is 
due  to  them. 

3.  And  then,  in  the  third  place,  I  shall  shew  you  how  you  are  to 
honour  them. 

4.  And  then,  in  the  last  place,  we  shall  bring  home  all  by  a  word  of 
application. 

Christians,  give  me  leave  to  tell  you  this  by  the  way,  that  since  the 
gospel  hath  shined  in  England,  a  godly,  faithful,  painful  ministry  was 
never  more  subtilly  and  vehemently  struck  at  by  men  that  make  a  fair 
show,  and  by  men  of  corrupt  opinions  and  wicked  lives.  This  age 
affords  many  church-levellers  as  well  as  state-levellers.  Some  there  be, 
that  under  that  notion  of  plucking  up  corrupt  ministers,  would  pluck 
up  by  the  very  roots  the  true  ministry.  But  God  has  and  will  be  still 
too  hard  for  such  men.  If  they  will  be  monsters,  God  will  be  sure  to 
be  master.  His  faithful  ministers  are  stars  that  he  holds  in  his  right 
hand.  Rev.  ii.  1 ;  and  men  shall  as  soon  pull  the  sun  out  of  the  firma- 
ment, as  pull  them  out  of  the  hand  of  God. 


224)  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EpH.  III.  8. 

Now,  considering  that  there  is  such  a  spirit  abroad  in  the  world,  I 
hope  no  sober,  serious  Christians  will  1)0  offended  at  my  standing  up  to 
vindicate  the  honour  of  a  godly,  faithful  niinistry.  In  order  to  which, 
I  sliall  first  prove  that  the  office  of  a  minister  is  honourable;  and  to  me 
these  following  things  speak  it  out: 

[1.]  First,  tlic  several  oiames  and  titles  that  are  given  to  them  in 
Scrijdure,  doth  speak  them  out  to  be  honourable.  They  are  called 
fathers,  stewards,  ambassadors,  overseers,  and  angels,  as  you  all  know 
that  know  anytiiing  of  Scripture.  To  spend  time  to  prove  this,  would 
be  to  light  candles  to  see  the  sun  at  noon. 

[2.]  Secondly,  Their  work  is  honuurahle.  Their  whole  work  is 
about  souls,  about  winning  souls  to  Christ,  and  about  building  souls  up 
in  Christ  ;  and  to  these  two  heads  the  main  work  of  the  ministry  may 
be  reduced.  The  more  noble  the  soul  is,  the  more  honour  it  is  to  })e 
busied  and  exercised  about  it  :  James  v.  20,  '  Let  him  know,  that  he 
which  converteth  the  sinner  from  the  error  of  his  way,  shall  save  a  soul 
from  death,  and  shall  hide  a  multitude  of  sins.'^ 

'  Let  him  know,'  that  is,  let  him  take  notice  that  an  honourable  and 
glorious  work  is  done  by  him.  The  soul  is  the  immediate  work  of 
God  ;  the  soul  is  the  image  of  God  ;  the  soul  is  capable  of  union  and 
communion  with  God  ;  the  soul  is  worth  more  than  a  world,  yea,  than 
a  thousand  worlds.  Christ  prayed  for  souls,  and  wrought  miracles  for 
souls,  and  wept  for  souls,  and  left  his  Father's  bosom  for  souls,  and  bled 
out  his  heart's  blood  for  souls,  and  is  gone  to  heaven  to  make  provision 
for  souls,  yea,  he  is  now  a-making  intercession  for  souls.  All  which 
speaks  out  the  excellency  of  their  office  whose  whole  work  is  about 
souls. 

The  Jews  say  of  Moses  his  soul,  that  it  was  sucked  out  of  his  mouth 
with  a  kiss.     Souls  are  dear  and  sweet  to  Christ. 

[3.]  A  third  thing  that  speaks  out  this  truth  is  this,  they  are  fellow - 
labourers  with  God  ;  they  are  co-workers  with  God  in  the  salvation  of 
sinners.  And  this  is  a  mighty  honour,  to  be  a  fellow-labourer  with 
God,  to  be  a  co-worker  with  God:  1  Cor.  iii.  9,  'For  we  are  labourers 
together  with  God.'  Who  would  not  work  hard  with  such  sweet  com- 
pany ?  Who  would  not  affect,  prize,  love,  and  honour  such  service  ? 
Ministers  are  called  the  light  and  salt  of  the  world,  because  they  en- 
lighten blind  souls,  and  season  unsavoury  souls,  and  so  save  them  from 
coiTuption  and  perdition,  Mat.  v.  14  ;  John  v.  35;  Mat.  v.  13;  Mark 
ix.  59,  CO.  Oh,  to  be  joined  in  any  work  with  God,  is  an  honour  beyond 
what  I  am  able  to  express  ! 

The  senate  of  Rome  accounted  it  a  diminution  of  Augustus  Caesar's 
dignity  to  join  any  consuls  with  him  for  the  better  carrying  on  the 
affairs  of  the  state.  Oh,  but  our  God  doth  not  think  it  a  diminution  of 
his  dignity,  that  even  his  poor  despised  servants  should  be  fellow- 
labourers  and  co-workers  with  him  in  the  salvation  of  souls. 

[4.]  Fourthly,  The  honourable  account  that  the  Lord  hath  of  them 
in  this  onployment,  speaks  out  this  truth, that  their  office  is  honourable. 
In  Mat.  X.  41,  42,  compared,  '  He  that  rcceiveth  you,  rcceiveth  me ;  he 

'  O  anima  Dei  insignita  imagine,  desponsata  fide,  donata  Spiritu,  &c.,  0  divine  soul, 

invested  witli  the  imago  of  God,  espoused  to  him  by  faith,  &c. — Bernard.     [Sermons  on 
Cuuticles,  as  before. — U.] 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  225 

that  receiveth  a  prophet  in  the  name  of  a  prophet,  shall  receive  a  pro- 
phet's reward  ;'  and  Luke  x.  16,  'He  that  receiveth  you,  receiveth  me  ; 
and  he  that  despises  you,  despises  me/  This  honourable  account  God 
hath  of  all  his  faithful  servants  in  this  employment.  Kiugs  and  princes 
have  their  ambassadors  in  very  high  account :  so  has  God  his. 

[5.]  The  fifth  thing  that  speaks  out  this  truth  is  this,  they  serve  an 
honourable  master.  They  serve  him  that  is  all  ear  to  hear,  all  hand 
to  punish,  all  power  to  protect,  all  wisdom  to  direct,  all  goodness  to 
relieve,  and  all  mercy  to  pardon.  They  serve  that  God  that  is  optimum,, 
maximum,  the  best  and  gfreatest.  God  hath  within  himself  all  the 
good  of  angels,  men,  and  universal  nature  ;  he  hath  all  dignity,  all 
glory,  all  riches,  all  treasure,  all  pleasure,  all  delight,  all  joy,  all  beati- 
tudes. Mark,  abstracts  do  better  express  God  than  concretes  and 
adjectives.^  God  is  being,  bonity,^  beauty,  power,  wisdom,  justice, 
mercy,  and  love  itself  '  God  is  love,'  saith  the  apostle,  in  the  very 
abstract.  God  is  one  infinite  perfection  in  himself,  which  is  eminently  and 
virtually  all  perfections  of  the  creatures.  And  oh  then,  what  an  honour 
must  it  be  to  those  that  are  employed  under  so  honourable  a  master  P 

[6.]  Sixthly,  Their  very  work  and  service  is  honourable.  Why  else 
did  the  apostle  cry  out,  '  Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things  ?'  There  is 
no  such  embassage  in  the  world  as  this  is  in  which  they  are  employed: 
Eph.  vi.  19,  20,  '  Pray  for  me,  that  I  may  make  known  the  mystery  of 
the  gospel,  for  which  I  am  an  ambassador  in  bonds.'*  Faithful  ministers 
do  represent  the  person  of  the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords  ;  their 
work  is  to  treat  of  peace  between  God  and  man,  or  of  open  hostility 
between  the  Creator  and  the  creature,  2  Cor.  v.  19,  20. 

[7.]  Seventhly,  and  lastly,  Their  reward  from  God  is  honourable. 
Though  the  world  crown  them  with  thorns,  as  it  did  their  Lord  and 
master  before  them,  yet  God  will  crown  them  with  honour  :  Dan.  xii.  3, 
*  They  shall  shine  as  the  stars  in  the  firmament.'  You  know  ambas- 
sadors have  not  preferments  while  they  are  abroad,  but  when  they  come 
home  into  their  own  country,  then  their  princes  prefer  them,  and  put 
much  honour  upon  them.  So  will  God  deal  with  his  ambassadors  : 
2  Tim.  iv.  7,  8,  '  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course, 
I  have  kept  the  faith :  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of 
righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  shall  give  me  at 
that  day  ;  and  not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also  that  love  his 
appearing.'  So  in  Isa.  xlix.  4,  5.  'I  have  laboured  in  vain,  I  have  spent 
my  strength  for  nought,  and  in  vain ;  yet  surely  my  judgment  is  with 
the  Lord,  and  my  reward  with  my  God.  Though  Israel  be  not  gathered, 
yet  shall  I  be  glorious  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  and  my  God  shall  be 
my  strength.'  So  in  2  Cor.  ii.  15,  ^For  we  are  unto  God  a  sweet  savour 
of  Christ  in  them  that  are  saved,  and  in  them  that  perish.'^  Ministers 
shall  be  rewarded  according  to  their  faithfulness  and  dilioence,  though 
some  perish.  It  shall  be  with  them  as  with  vine-dressers.  You  know 
vine-dressers  are  rewarded  according  to  their  diligence  and  faithfulness, 

^  Habet  omnia  qui  habet  hahentem  omnia,  He  hath  all  that  hath  the  haver  of  all. — Augus- 
tine. 2  Goodness.— G. 
3  It  is  truly  said  of  God  that  he  is  omnia  super  omnia. 
*  Their  main  work  is  to  treat  with  sinners  about  eternity,  &c. 
^  God  will  at  last  highly  reward  those  very  services  that  men  don't  regard,  &c. 
VOL.  III.  P 


22G  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  [EPH.  III.  8. 

though  some  vines  never  bear,  nor  bring  forth  fruit  at  all.  As  ministers 
are  diligent  and  faithful,  so  the  reward,  the  crown,  shall  be  given  forth 
at  last.  You  know  the  barber  is  as  much  rewarded  for  trimming  a 
blat'kamore,  though  all  his  pains  in  rubljing  him  can  never  make  him 
Avhitc,  as  lie  is  for  trimming  and  rubbing  another  man  that  is  white, 
and  by  a  little  pains  is  made  more  white.  This  is  many  a  faithful 
minister's  grief,  that  he  takes  a  great  deal  of  pains  in  rubbing  and 
washing,  as  it  were,  to  make  souls  white  and  clean,  pure  and  holy,  and 
yet  they  remain  after  all  as  black  as  hell ;  but  surely  their  reward  shall 
be  never  the  less  with  God.^  The  nurse  looks  not  for  her  wages  from 
the  child,  but  from  the  parent.  If  ministers,  like  clouds,  sweat  them- 
selves to  death  that  souls  may  be  brought  to  life,  great  will  be  their 
reward,  though  their  souls  should  perish  for  ever,  for  whom  they  have 
wept,  sweat,  and  bled. 

God  won't  deal  by  faithful  ministers,  as  Xerxes  did  by  his  steerman, 
who  crowned  him  in  the  morning,  and  beheaded  him  in  the  evening  of 
the  same  day.  No;  God  will  set  an  everlasting  crown  upon  their  heads 
who  remain  laborious  and  faithful  to  the  death.  The  Avorld  for  all  their 
pains  will  crown  them  with  thorns,  but  God  at  last  will  crown  them 
with  glory  ;  he  will  set  a  crown  of  pure  gold  upon  their  heads  for  ever. 
And  thus  you  have  the  point  proved. 

The  second  thing  that  I  am  to  do  is  to  shew  you, 

2.  What  honour  that  is  which  is  justly  due  to  faithful  ministers. 

Now,  this  I  shall  shew  you  in  three  things.  There  is  a  threefold 
honour  that  is  due  unto  them. 

[1.]  First,  Honourable  countenance  is  due  unto  them  that  are  in  so 
honourable  a  place  and  office  as  they  are  in:  1  Cor.  iv.  1,  'Let  a  man 
so  account  of  us  as  of  the  ministers^  of  Christ,  and  stewards  of  the 
mysteries  of  God  ;'  1  Thes.  v.  12,  13,  *  And  we  beseech  you,  brethren,  to 
know  them  which  labour  among  you,  and  are  over  you  in  the  Lord,  and 
admonish  you  ;  and  to  esteem  them  very  high  in  love  for  their  work's 
sake;'  or,  'to  esteem  them  more  than  exceedingly,'  or,  more  than  abund- 
antly, as  the  Greek  will  bear,  vm^s-ATi^ieaou.  And  so  in  1  Tim.  v.  17, 
'  Let  the  elders  that  rule  well  be  accounted  worthy  of  double  honour, 
especially  they  who  labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine.'  The  Greek 
word  xocr/wiTs;,  that  is  here  rendered  labour,  signifies  not  simply  to 
labour,  but  to  labour  with  much  travail  and  toil,  to  labour  even  to  lassi- 
tude, as  he  doth  that  cleaveth  wood,  or  that  toileth  in  harvest,  or  that 
goeth  a  warfare.  Preaching  is  a  most  painful  work,  and  enfeebleth  a 
man  exceedingly ;  whence  the  prophet  cries  out,  '  My  leanness,  my 
leanness,'  Isa.  xxiv.  16.*  No  pains,  no  labour,  no  work  to  that  of  the 
brain,  to  that  of  the  mind,  nor  none  so  worthy  of  praise  as  those  that 
are  most  in  that  labour,  in  that  work.  No  men's  work  is  so  holy 
and  heavenly  as  theirs,  nor  no  men's  work  is  so  high  and  honour- 
able  as   theirs,  and   therefore    none    deserve   to   be   more   honoured 

'  Latimer,  in  one  of  his  sermons,  speaking  of  a  minister  who  gave  this  answer  why  he 
left  off  preaching,  Because  he  saw  he  did  no  good.  This,  saith  Latimer,  is  a  very 
naughty  naughty  answer. 

^  iTn^iTat.  Under-rowers  to  Christ,  the  master-pilot,  helping  forward  the  ship  of  the 
church  to  the  haven  of  heaven. 

3  Our  Saviour,  at  little  past  thirty,  was  reckoned  by  the  Jews  to  be  towards  fifty,  John 
viii.  67,  he  hud  so  spent  himself  in  preaching.     Preaching  is  a  spending,  painful  work. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  227 

than  they,  though  not  for  their  own  sakes,  yet  their  work's  sake. 
Shall  Turks  and  papists  so  highly  esteem  and  honour  every  hedge- 
priest  of  theirs  above  their  merits,  and  shall  not  Christians  much 
more  honour  their  faithful  ministers  ?  Faithful  ministers  must  have 
countenance  as  well  as  maintenance,  they  must  have  reverence  as  well 
as  recompense.  You  are  not  to  nod  the  head  and  put  out  the  lip,  to 
scoff,  and  mock,  and  jeer  at  them:  Gal.  iv.  14,  'And  my  temptation 
which  was  in  my  flesh  ye  despised  not,  nor  rejected ;  but  received  me 
as  an  angel  of  God,  even  as  Christ  Jesus.'  When  Ehud  told  the  king 
of  Moab,  '  I  have  a  messasre  to  thee  from  God,  O  kino^,'  he  arose  from  his 
throne  and  bowed  himself,  Judges  iii.  20.  Isa.  lii.  7,  '  How  beautiful 
upon  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of  him  that  bringeth  good  tidings, 
that  publisheth  peace  ;  that  bringeth  good  tidings  of  good,  that  pub- 
lisheth  salvation  ;  that  saith  unto  Zion,  thy  God  reigneth.' 

'  How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are  the  feet !'  What  is  their 
face  then  ?  What  is  their  doctrine  then  ?  Their  very  feet,  when  dirty, 
sweaty,  and  dusty,  are  yet  very  beautiful  and  lovely. 

It  was  a  common  saying  at  Constantinople,  that  it  was  better  the 
sun  should  not  shine  than  that  Chrysostom  should  not  preach. 

I  have  read  of  one  that  said,  'if  he  should  meet  a  preacher  and  an 
angel  together,  he  would  first  salute  the  preacher,  and  then  the  angel 
afterward.'  If  you  do  not  give  them  honourable  countenance,  Jews 
and  Turks,  papists,  and  pagans,  will  in  the  great  day  of  account  rise  up 
against  you,  and  condemn  you.  I  could  say  much  of  what  I  have 
observed  in  other  nations  and  countries  concerning  this  thing,  but  I 
shall  forbear.  Should  I  speak  what  I  have  seen,  many  professors 
might  well  blush. 

The  Grecians  used  to  give  far  greater  respect  and  honour  to  their 
philosophers  than  to  their  orators,  because  that  their  orators  did  only 
teach  them  to  speak  well,  but  their  philosophers  did  teach  them  to  live 
well.  Oh  what  honour  then  is  due  to  them  that  do  teach  you  both  to 
speak  well  and  to  live  well !  both  how  to  be  happy  here  and  how  to  be 
blessed  hereafter.  And  thus  you  see  that  honourable  countenance  is 
due  to  faithful  ministers. 

[2.]  Secondly,  There  is  an  Jionour  of  maintenance,  as  well  as  an 
honour  of  countenance  that  is  due  to  them:  1  Tim.  v.  17,  18,  '  Let  the 
elders  that  rule  well  be  accounted  worthy  of  double  honour,  especially 
they  who  labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine.  For  the  Scripture  saith, 
Thou  shalt  not  muzzle  the  ox  that  treadeth  out  the  corn,  and  the  labourer 
is  worthy  of  his  reward.'^  It  was  not  the  manner  in  the  Eastern  countries 
to  thrash  out  corn  as  we  do,  but  their  oxen  trod  it  out,  to  which  the 
apostle  allegorically  compares  laborious  pastors,  who  after  a  sort  crush 
out  that  corn  of  which  the  bread  of  life  is  made  :  Gal.  vi.  6,  '  Let  him 
that  is  taught  in  the  word,  communicate  to  him  that  teacheth  in  all  good 
things.     Be  not  deceived,  God  is  not  mocked,  for  what  a  man  soweth, 

*  Harvest-labourers  have  meat  and  drink,  and  double  wages.  Some  think  that  the 
apostle  hath  respect  to  the  law  of  the  first-horn,  Deut.  xxi.  17,  in  which  a  two-fold  por- 
tion is  commanded  to  be  given  him.  The  ancient  Christians,  as  appears  by  Tertullian, 
were  wont,  in  their  Agapce,  or  love-feasts,  to  give  their  ministers  a  double  portion.  Surely 
ministers  should  have  such  a  liberal,  honourable,  and  ingenuous  maintenance,  as  might 
set  them  above  the  vulgar,  as  the  first-born  by  their  double  portion  were  set  up  above  the 
rest  of  their  brethren. 


2-28 


THE  UNSEARCHABLE 


[Eph.  III.  8. 


that  shall  he  also  reap.'  So  in  1  Cor.  ix.  7-11,  'Who  goeth  a  warfare 
any  time  at  his  own  charges  ?  who  planteth  a  vineyard,  and  eateth  not 
of  the  fruit  thereof?  or  who  feedcth  a  Hock  and  eateth  not  of  the 
milk  of  the  flock  ?  Say  I  these  things  as  a  man  ?  or  saith  not  the  law 
the  same  also  ?  For  it  is  written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  Thou  shalt  not 
muzzle  the  mouth  of  the  ox  that  treadeth  out  the  corn.  Doth  God 
take  care  for  oxen  ?  Or  saith  he  it  altogether  for  our  sakes  ?  For  our 
sakes,  no  doubt,  this  is  written  :  that  he  that  ploweth  should  plow  in 
hope ;  and  that  lie  that  thresheth  in  hope  should  be  partaker  of  his 
hope.  If  we  have  sown  unto  you  spiritual  things,  is  it  a  great  thing 
if  we  shall  reap  your  carnal  things  V  Mat.  x.  9,  10,  '  Provide  neither 
gold  nor  silver,  nor  brass,  in  your  purses,  nor  scrip  for  your  journey, 
neither  two  coats,  neither  shoes,  nor  staves,  for  the  workman  is  worthy 
of  his  meat.'     God's  appointment  in  all  these  texts  bespeak  it. 

Again,  you  may  consider  the  necessity  of  it.  How  shall  they  go  on 
in  their  warfare  if  they  be  troubled  with  the  things  of  this  life  ?  Again, 
they  are  to  give  themselves  ivliolly  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  1  Tim. 
iv.  5.  And  again,  the  equity  and  justice  of  the  duty  Christ  and  the 
apostle  shews  in  the  forenamed  scriptures.  Mat.  x.  10,  1  Cor.  ix.  10. 
The  maintenance  of  the  minister  should  be  so  free,  and  so  liberal,  as 
may  testify  that  you  honour  him  in  your  hearts,  and  as  may  keep  him 
from  contempt  and  scorn  in  the  world.  There  are  multitudes  that 
grumble  at  the  expense  of  a  penny  for  the  maintenance  of  those  divine 
candles  that  waste  themselves  to  give  light  to  them  ;  that  will  rather 
die  to  save  charges  than  spend  a  little  money  to  save  their  lives,  yea, 
their  souls.  They  like  well  of  religion  without  expense,  in  Basil ;  and 
a  gospel  without  charge,  but  if  it  grow  costly,  it  is  none  of  their  money. 
The  scripture  says,  '  Buy  the  truth,  sell  it  not.'  You  can  never  over- 
buy it,  whatsoever  you  give  for  it;  you  can  never  sufficiently  sell  it,  if 
you  had  all  the  world  in  exchange  for  it. 

It  is  said  of  Caesar  that  he  had  greater  care  of  his  books  than  of  his 
royal  robes  ;  for  swimming  through  the  water  to  escape  his  enemies,  he 
carried  his  books  in  his  hand  above  the  water,  but  lost  his  robes.  But 
alas  !  what  are  Caesar's  books  to  God's  book  ?  The  word  is  the  field, 
and  Christ  is  the  treasure  that  is  hid  in  that  field.  The  word  is  a  ring 
of  gold,  and  Christ  is  the  pearl  in  that  ring  of  gold,  and  is  it  then  worth 
nothing  ?  Many  deal  with  faithful,  painful  ministers,  as  carriers  do  with 
their  horses,  they  lay  heavy  burdens  upon  them,  and  exact  work  enough, 
and  give  them  but  easy  commons ;  and  then  to  recompense  this,  they  hang 
bells  at  their  ears  and  necks.  They  shall  be  commended  and  applauded 
for  brave  excellent  preachers,  and  for  great  painstakers,  &c.'  That  main- 
tenance that  is  justly  due  to  the  ministers  of  the  gospel  is  honourable  ; 
it  ought  to  be  suitable  to  their  condition  and^dignity.  The  maintenance 
that  is  due  to  tliem,  is  of  the  same  nature  Avith  that  Avhicli  is  given  to 
princes  and  magistrates,  by  those  who  are  under  them,  and  not  a 
common  maintenance  which  superiors  give  to  their  inferiors  or  servants. 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Tliere  is  an  honour  of  ohedience  and  service  that  is 
due  to  them.  And  indeed,  of  all  honours,  this  is  the  greatest  honour 
that  can  be  cast  upon  a  faithful  minister,  the  honour  of  obedience  :  Heb. 

*  The  minister's  maintenance  is  not  to  be  esteonied  of  the  nature  of  alms,  as  some 
would  have  it;  but  is  a  tribute  of  honour,  such  as  is  giveu  by  an  inferior  to  hie  superior. 


EpH.  III.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  229 

xiii.  7,  '  Remember  them  that  have  the  rule  over  you,  who  have  spoken 
to  you  in  the  word  of  God  ;'  and  verse  ]  7,  '  Obey  them  that  rule  over 
you.'  Oh,  submit  yourselves,  for  they  '  watch  for  your  souls  as  they 
that  must  give  an  account,  that  they  may  do  it  with  joy,  and  not  with 
grief,  for  that  is  unprofitable  for  you.' 

'  Obey  them  that  have  the   rule   over  you.'     The  word  ^yov,u.svoig, 
that  is  rendered  'Rule  over  you,'   in   the   seventh  and   seventeenth 
verses,  signifies  captains,  guides.     Faithful  ministers  are  your  captains, 
they  are  your  guides,  they  are  your  chieftains,  they  are  your  champions 
that  bear  the  brunt  of  the  battle,  the  heat  of  the  day  ;  and  therefore 
you  must  obey  them,  even  as  soldiers  do  their  captains.     So  in  2  Thes. 
iii.  14,   'And  if  any  man  obey  not  our  words,  note  that  man,  and 
have  no  company  with  him.'     Brand  him  as  infamous,  beware  of  him, 
let  him  see  a  strangeness  in  you  towards  him,  that  all  may  avoid  him 
as  one  whose  company  is  dangerous  and  infectious.     Ah  Christians  !  b}^ 
your  submission  to  their  doctrine,  you  highly  honour  them,  a,nd  jon 
make  their  heavy  task  to  be  easy  and  sweet  unto  them.     Christians  !  it 
will  be  your  honour  and  happiness  in  the  day  of  Christ,  that  you  have 
lived  out  what  they  have  made  out  to  you.     I  suppose  you  remember 
that  happiness  is  not  entailed  to  hearing,  or  knowing,  or  talking,  but  to 
doing.     '  If  ye  know  these  things,  blessed  and  happy  are  you,  if  you 
do  them,'  John  xiii.  17.     There  are  some  diseases  that  are  called  oppro- 
bria  medicorum,  the  reproaches  of  physicians  ;  and  there  are  some 
people  that  may  be  truly  called  opprobria  ministrorum,  the  reproach 
of  ministers,  and  those  are  they  that  are  great  hearers,  and  talkers,  and 
admirers  of  ministers,  but  never  obey  the  doctrines  delivered  by  them. 
The  Corinthians  were  Paul's  honour,  they  were  his  living  epistles,  they 
were  his  walking  certificates,  they  were  his  letters-testimonial,  2  Cor. 
iii.  2,  3.     The  obedience  and  fruitful  ness  of  the  people  is  the  minister's 
testimonial,  as  the  profiting  of  the  scholar  is  the  master's  commenda- 
tion.    Oh  what  an  honour  is  it  to  a  minister,  when  it  shall  be  said  of 
him,  as  one  said  once  of  Octavius,  '  When  he  came  into  Rome  he  found 
the  walls  all  of  base  materials,  but  left  them  walls  of  marble  !'     So  here 
is  a  minister  that  found  the  people  dark  and  blind,  but  left  them  en- 
lightened ;  he  found  them  dead,  but  left  them  alive  ;  he  found  them  a 
proud  people,  but  hath  left  them  humble  ;  a  profane  people,  but  hath 
left  them  holy;  a  carnal  people,  but  hath  left  them  spiritual;  a  worldly 
people,  but  hath  left  them  heavenly  ;  a  wavering  people,  but  hath  left 
them  settled  and  rooted,  &c.     No  honour  to  a  faithful  minister  like  this. 
And  thus  you  see  what  honour  is  due  unto  them,  &c. 

Use.  And  now  let  me  make  a  word  of  use.  Christians  !  if  their  office 
be  so  honourable,  then  honour  them.  Oh,  give  them  the  honour  that 
is  due  unto  them.  Will  you  make  conscience  to  give  others  their  due, 
and  will  you  make  no  conscience  of  giving  ministers  their  due  ?  Are 
there  any  that  are  greater  blessings  to  a  nation  than  faithful  ministers? 
Who  have  stood  more  in  the  gap  to  turn  away  wrath  than  they  ?  Who 
have  begotten  you  to  Christ  through  the  gospel  but  they  ?     Who  have 

^  There  is  no  fear  of  knowing  too  much,  but  there  is  much  fear  and  danger  of  practis- 
ing too  little.  I  fear,  with  Saint  Augustine,  that  many  grieve  more  for  the  barrenness 
of  their  lands  than  for  the  barrenness  of  their  lives.  The  more  the  cypress  is  watered, 
the  more  it  is  withered.     Oh  that  it  were  not  so  with  many  in  these  days! 


2:i() 


THE  UNSEARCHABLE 


[Eph.  III.  8. 


turned  you  from  darkness  to  liji^lit,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto 
God  but  them  ?  Who  have  built  you  up  in  the  hght  and  love  of  Jesus 
but  them  ?  &c.  Oh,  do  not  cast  scorn  and  reproach  upon  them,  but  give 
them  that  honour  that  is  due  unto  them ! 

But  you  will  say  to  me,  IIoiv  sJudl  lue  honour  them  ? 

I  answer,  you  must  honour  them  these  five  ways  : 

[1.]  First,  You  must  honour  them  by  hearing  them,  and  giving 
credit  to  their  message.  The  want  of  this  honour  troubled  Jonah  too 
much  ;  '  Who  hath  believed  our  report  V  Not  to  believe  the  report  that 
they  make  concerning  God  and  Christ,  &c.,  is  to  cast  the  greatest  dis- 
honour that  can  be  upon  them.'  The  wise  men,  Mat.  ii.,  went  many 
weary  hundred  miles  to  find  Christ  at  Jerusalem  ;  some  think  near  a 
thou.sand  miles.  The  Queen  of  Sheba,  some  say,  went  964  miles  to 
hear  the  wisdom  of  Solomon  ;  and  what  was  Solomon's  wisdom  to  that 
wisdom  of  Christ  that  is  held  forth  to  souls  in  the  mmistry  of  the 
go.spel.^  The  holy  martyrs  thought  no  weather  too  hot,  no  winter  too 
cold,  no  journey  too  long,  nor  no  torment  too  great,  to  enjoy  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel,  though  darkly.  The  heathen  priests  began  with  hoc  age  ; 
they  thought  it  a  very  irreligious  thing  to  be  remiss  and  vain,  though 
in  a  vain  religion.  Oh  that  vain  professors  would  remember  this,  and 
blush  ! 

[2.]  Secondly,  You  may  honour  them,  by  standing  fast  in  the 
doctnne  of  the  Lord  delivered  by  thein :  1  Thes.  iii.  8,  '  Ye  are  our 
joy,  our  crown,  if  ye  stand  fast  in  the  Lord ; '  else,  saith  the  apostle,  ye 
kill  our  very  hearts.'  If  after  all  our  studying,  wrestling,  sweating,  and 
preaching,  ye  shall  play  apostates,  and  leave  the  precious  ways  of  God, 
and  run  after  notions  and  vain  opinions  which  cannot  profit  you,  nor 
better  you,  you  will  kill  many  at  once:  your  own  souls  and  our  hearts. 

[3.]  Thirdly,  You  should  honour  them,  by  being  folloiuers  of  them, 
so  far  as  they  are  folloivers  of  Christ.  So  in  1  Cor.  iv.  16,  'Be  ye 
followers  of  me,  even  as  I  am  of  Christ.'  Chap.  xi.  11  ;  Heb.  xiii.  7 ;  2 
Thes.  iii.  7 ;  Phil.  iii.  7.  All  these  scriptures  bespeak  you  to  be 
followers  of  them  as  they  are  followers  of  Christ.* 

Alexander  had  somewhat  a  wry  neck,  and  his  soldiers  thought  it  an 
honour  to  be  like  him.  Oh,  it  is  an  honour  to  ministers,  when  their 
people  are  like  them  in  knowledge,  wisdom,  love,  humility,  holiness  ! 

Plutarcli  said  of  Demosthenes  that  he  was  excellent  at  praising  the 
worthy  acts  of  his  ancestors,  but  not  so  at  imitating  them.  Ah,  many 
in  these  days  are  excellent  at  praising  and  commending  the  holy  and 
gracious  actings  of  their  ministers,  but  not  so  at  imitatmg  them  ! 

[4.]  Fourthly,  You  must  honour  them  by  bearing  them  upon  your 
hearts  wlien  you  appear  before  the  Lord  in  the  mount  :^  Eph.  vi.  13 

'  Antisthenes,  a  philosopher,  went  every  day  six  miles  to  hear  Socrates.  [As  before:  see 
Index,  sub  nomine. — G.] 

*  Nvnquam  nimis  dicitur,  qitod  nunquam  satis  discitur.  We  can  never  hear  that  too  often 
that  we  can  never  learn  too  well. 

^  If  I  fonsake  my  profession,  I  am  sure  of  a  worse  death  than  judge  Hailes  had,  said 
that  martyr.     [Foxe,  sub  nomine.— Qt.'] 

•  Bonus  dux,  bonris  comes,  A  good  leader  makes  a  good  follower. 

^  Prayer  is  porta  cccli,  clavis  paradisi,  Tlie  gate  of  heaven,  a  key  to  let  us  into  paradise. 
The  .Jews  fable,  that  our  Saviour,  by  iinding  out  the  riglit  pronunciation  of  tho  name 
of  God,  did  all  his  miracles  ;  but  certainly  the  right  invocation  of  the  name  of  God  would 
even  make  ministers  work  miracles  indeed. 


EpH.  hi.  8.]  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  231 

19  ;  2  Thes.  iii.  1,  2  ;  1  Tbes.  v.  25  ;  Col.  i.  2,  4  ;  Heb.  xiil.  8  ;  Acts  xii.  5. 
All  these  scriptures  do  bespeak  Christians  to  bear  their  faithful  minis- 
ters upon  their  hearts  when  they  are  a-wrestling  with  God.  None 
usually  are  opposed  as  they.  Their  wants  are  many,  their  weaknesses 
are  more,  their  work  is  great,  their  strength  is  small.  Oh  pray,  pray 
more  and  more  for  them ;  yea,  pray  believingly,  pray  affectionately,  pray 
fervently,  pray  unweariedly,  that  they  may  speak  from  the  heart  to  the 
heart,  that  they  may  speak  things  that  are  seasonable  and  suitable  to 
the  capacities  and  conditions  of  his  people.  They  can  tell  when  they 
want  your  prayers,  and  when  they  enjoy  your  prayers  ;  did  you  pray 
more  for  them,  they  might  do  more  for  your  internal  and  eternal  good, 
than  now  they  do. 

[5.]  Lastly,  You  must  honour  them  hy  adhering  to  them,  and 
abiding  with  them  in  all  their  trials,  afflictions,  and  tribulations  that 
do  or  shall  attend  them.  It  is  brave  to  own  them  in  a  storm,  to  own 
them  when  others  disown  them,  when  others  oppose  them,  and  act 
highly  against  them.  Paul  looked  upon  himself  as  much  honoured  by 
Onesiphorus  owning  of  him  in  his  chains  :  2  Tim.  i.  16,  '  The  Lord  give 
mercy  unto  the  house  of  Onesiphorus  ;  for  he  oft  refreshed  me,  and  was 
not  ashamed  of  my  chain :  but,  when  he  was  in  Rome,  he  sought  me 
out  very  diligently,  and  found  me.  The  Lord  grant  unto  him  that  he 
may  find  mercy  of  the  Lord  in  that  day :  and  in  how  many  things  he 
ministered  unto  me  at  Ephesus,  thou  knowest  very  well.'  Chrysostom, 
in  an  oration,  says  of  Christians,  '  That  they  would  not  be  kept  from 
visiting  the  confessors  in  prison,  although  it  was  forbidden  with  many 
threatening  terrors,  and  it  was  great  danger  to  them.'  ^ 

But  to  draw  to  a  close,  you  have  heard  that  the  office  of  a  faithful 
minister  is  honourable,  and  you  have  heard  what  honour  is  due  unto 
them.  Let  me  therefore  desire  you  all  to  take  heed  of  scorning,  con- 
temning, and  despising  of  those  that  are  faithful,  that  are  qualified 
according  to  gospel  rules.  That  is  a  sad  word,  2  Chron.  xxxvi.  15-18. 
God  sent  his  messengers  early  and  late  to  reclaim  them,  but  they 
mocked  the  messengers  of  God,  and  despised  his  words,  and  misused 
his  prophets,  until  the  wrath  of  the  Lord  arose  against  his  people,  till 
there  was  no  remedy,  nor  no  healing.  David  never  played  such  a  harsh 
part  all  his  days,  as  he  did  to  the  Ammonites  that  despitefully  used  his 
ambassadors,  as  you  may  see  at  large  in  2  Sam.  x. 

The  Romans  sacked  the  famous  city  of  Corinth,  and  razed  it  to  the 
ground,  for  a  little  discourtesy  they  offered  to  their  ambassadors.^  And 
they  slew  many  of  the  Illyrians  and  the  Tarentines  for  misusing  of 
their  ambassadors.  And  do  you  think  that  the  Lord  is  not  as  tender 
of  the  credit  and  honour  of  his  faithful  ministers,  and  that  he  will  not 
avenge  the  affronts,  wrongs,  and  injuries  that  are  done  unto  them  ? 
Surely  he  will :  Jer.  xxix.  17-19,  'Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  Be- 
hold, I  will  send  unto  them  the  sword,  the  famine,  and  the  pestilence, 
and  will  make  them  like  vile  figs,  that  cannot  be  eaten,  they  are  so  evil. 

•  The  saints  in  the  primitive  times  did  so  stick  and  cleave  to  those  that  were  in  bonds, 
that  the  very  heathen  admiringly  cried  out,  '  Look  how  the  Christians  love  one  another.' 

^  Ambassadors  are  inviolable  by  the  law  of  nations,  and  the  least  indignity  offered  to 
them  is  to  be  as  severely  punished  as  if  it  had  been  offered  to  the  person  of  that  prince 
whom  they  represent.  [Corinth:  'razed'  by  L.  Mummius — Strabo,  viii.;  Cicero,  Pro 
Leg.  Man.,  5,  &c.,  &c. — G.] 


232  THE  UNSEARCHABLE  RICHES  OF  CHRIST.  [EPII.  III.  8. 

And  I  will  persecute  them  with  the  sword,  with  the  famine,  and  with 
the  pestilence,  and  I  will  deliver  them  to  be  removed  to  all  the  king- 
doms of  the  earth,  to  be  a  curse,  and  astonishment,  and  an  hissing,  and 
a  reproach  among  all  nations,  whither  I  have  driven  them.'  But  w'hy 
will  God  do  this  'i  '  Becau.se  they  have  not  hearkened  to  my  word, 
saith  tlie  Lord,  which  I  sent  unto  them  by  my  servants  the  prophets, 
rising  up  early  and  sending  them ;  but  ye  would  not  hear,  saith  the  Lord,' 
See  2  Kings  xvii.  13-15.  Now  mark,  though  these  temporal  judg- 
ments are  not  visible  among  us,  yet  spiritual  judgments,  which  are  the 
worst  of  judgments,  are  very  vi.sible.  Though  there  l>e  no  sword,  no 
famine,  no  pestilence,  yet  there  is  spiritual  madness,  spiritual  drunken- 
ness, .spiritual  giddiness.'  Oh  the  blind  mind.s,  the  corrupt  judgments, 
the  hard  hearts,  the  seared  consciences,  that  are  to  be  found  among  the 
professors  of  this  age  !  As  there  are  no  mercies  to  spiritual  mercies, 
so  there  are  no  judgments  to  spiritual  judgments.  Jer.  xiii.  12  ;  Ezek. 
xxiii.  S3;  1  Tim.  iv.  2  ;  Titus  i,  15.  Oh  the  slightness,  the  coldness, 
the  deadness,  the  barrenness  that  is  abroad  in  the  world  !  God  suits 
his  judgments  to  men's  sins  ;  the  greatest  sins  are  always  attended 
with  the  greatest  judgments.  In  these  days  men  sin  against  more 
glorious  means,  more  great  love,  more  clear  light,  more  tender  bowels 
of  mercy,  &c.,  than  formerly  ;  and  therefore  God  gives  men  up  to  more 
sad  and  dreadful  spiritual  judgments  than  formerly. 

They  say  when  Hercules  drew  up  Cerberus  from  hell,  he  led  him  in 
a  chain,  and  he  went  quietly  till  he  came  to  the  horizon  and  saw  the 
peeping  of  the  light,  but  then  he  pulled  so  strongly  that  he  had  like 
to  have  pulled  the  conqueror  and  all  back  again.  Ah  it  is  sad  when 
men  had  rather  live  in  darkness,  and  die  in  darkness,  and  to  hell  in 
darkness,  than  they  will  see  the  light,  enjoy  the  light,  and  walk  in  the 
light !  Many  fret  at  the  light,  and  at  those  that  bring  it,  as  the 
Ethiopians  once  a  year  solemnly  curse  the  sun.  Such  souls  stand  in 
much  need  of  pity  and  prayer. 

And  thus,  according  to  my  weak  measure,  I  have  given  out  what  God 
has  given  in  from  this  scripture,  and  shall  follow  it  wnth  my  prayers, 
that  it  may  be  a  word  of  life  and  power  both  to  writer,  reader,  and 
hearer.     Amen. 

Soli  Deo  Gloria  in  jEtemum. 

'  The  lamps  vrent  out,  and  Leander  was  drowned,  said  ho  in  the  history. 


t 


A  CABIKBT  OF  JEWELS. 


NOTE. 

By  a  strange  whim  of  public  opinion,  the  '  Cabinet  of  Jewels '  passed  through  only 
one  edition  in  the  outset — 1G69  (4to).  Its  titlo-paue  is  given  below.*  See  our  Preface  for 
remarks  on  a  modern  reprint.  The  Scottish  edition  of  1762  (Glasgow,  8vo)  had  an 
enormous  circulation  among  the  peasantry,  as  shewn  by  the  long  list  of  Subscribers. — G. 

*  A 
CABINET 

OF 

CHOICE    JEWELS 

OR,    A 

Box  of  precious  Ointment. 

Being  a  plain  Discovery  of,  or,  what  men  are  worth  for 
Eternity,  and  how  'tis  like  to  go  with  them  in  another 
world.  Here  is  also  a  clear  and  large  Discovery  of  the  several 
rounds  in  Jacob's  Ladder,  that  no  Hypocrite  under  Heaven  can 
climb  up  to.  Here  are  also  such  closs,  piercing,  distinguishing  and 
discovering  evidences  as  will  reach  and  suit  those  Christians  who 
are  highest  in  Grace  and  spiritual  Enjoyments ;  and  here  are  ma- 
ny Evidences,  which  are  suited  to  the  Capacities  and  Experiences 
of  the  weakest  Christians  in  Christ's  School :  And  here  Christiana 
may  see  as  in  a  Glass,  what  a  sober  Use  and  Improvement  tiiey  ought 
to  make  of  their  evidences  for  Heaven  ;  and  how  in  the  use  of 
their  gracious  evidences  they  ought  to  live.  First,  upon  the  free 
grace  of  God.  Secondly,  upon  the  Mediatory  righteousness  of 
Christ.  Thirdly,  upon  the  Covenant  of  Grace :  With  several 
other  Points  of  grand  Importance,  &c. 

By  Thomas  Brooks,  formerly  Preacher  of  the  Gospel  at 
St.  Margarets,  New-Fishstreet. 

Brethren,  give  diligence  to  make  your  calling  and  election  sure,  2  Pet.  i.  10. 

Examine  your  selves  whether  ye  be  in  (he  faith  ;  prove  your  own  selves,  know 
ye  not  your  own  selves,  how  (hat  Jesus  Christ  is  in  you  except  ye  be  repro- 
bates ?    Or,  ' AVoxiiio'i,  unapproved  or  rejected. 

Omnis  anima  est  aut  sponsa  Christi,  aut  adultera  Diaboli.     Austin. 

London,  Printed  and  are  to  be  sold  by  John  Hancock  at  the  first  Shop  in 

Fopcs- J  lead- Alley  in  Comhil.  at  the  sign  of  the  three  Bibles,  or  at 

his  Shop  in  Bishops-Gate-Street,  near  great  St,  Uellins,  1669. 


EPISTLE  DEDICATORY. 


To  the  Right  Worshipful  Sir  John  Frederick,  Knight,  and  the  Lady 
Mary  Frederick,  his  pious  consort.  To  Mr  Nathaniel  Heme,  and 
Mrs  Judith  his  virtuous  wife  ; 

All  confluence  of  blessings,  both  for  this  life  and  for  that  which  is  to  come, 
from  the  Father  of  mercies  and  God  of  all  consolations. 

Honoured  and  beloved  in  our  Lord  Jesus, 

Though  I  crowd  your  names  together,  yet  I  owe  more  than  an  epistle 
to  each  of  your  names  ;  but  the  Lord  having  made  you  near  and  dear 
one  to  another  more  ways  than  one,  I  take  the  boldness  to  present  this 
treatise  to  you  jointly.  Here  is  nothing  in  this  book  that  relates  to 
government  of  church  or  state.  The  design  of  this  treatise  is  to  shew 
what  men  are  worth  for  eternity,  and  how  it  is  like  to  go  with  them 
in  another  world.  There  are  none  of  the  sons  of  men  but  bear  about 
with  them  precious  and  immortal  souls,  that  are  more  worth  than 
ten  thousand  thousand  worlds.  If  the  soul  be  safe,  all  is  safe  ;  if  that 
be  well,  all  is  well ;  if  that  be  lost,  all  is  lost.  The  first  great  work  that 
men  are  to  attend  in  this  world  is  the  eternal  safety  and  security  of 
their  souls  ;  the  next  great  work  is  to  know,  to  be  assured,  that  it  shall 
go  well  with  their  souls  for  ever.^  And  these  are  the  main  things 
that  are  aimed  at  in  this  discourse.  The  soul  is  the  better  and  more 
noble  part  of  man.  Upon  the  soul  the  image  of  God  is  most  fairly 
stamped.  The  soul  is  first  converted,  and  the  soul  shall  be  first  and 
most  glorified.  The  soul  is  that  spiritual  and  immortal  substance  that 
is  capable  of  union  with  God,  and  of  communion  with  God,  and  of  an 
eternal  fruition  of  God.  Plato,  though  a  heathen,  could  say  that  he 
thought  the  soul  to  be  made  all  of  eternity,  and  that  the  putting  the 
soul  into  the  body  was  a  sign  of  great  wrath  from  God. 

*  Granctensis  tells  of  a  woman  that  was  so  affected  with  souls'  miscarryings,  that  she 
besought  God  to  stop  up  the  passage  into  hell  with  her  soul  and  body,  that  none  might 
have  entrance.  0  anima  !  Dei  insignita  imagine,  desponsata  fide,  donata  Spiritu,  &c. — 
Bernard.  0  divine  soul !  invested  with  the  image  of  God,  espoused  to  him  by  faith,  &c. 
[Serm.  in  Cant. — G.] 


236  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS. 

'  Ench  livinp  corpse  must  yield  at  last  to  death, 
And  ovory  lift-  must  lose  his  vital  breath. 
The  soul  of  man,  that  only  lives  ou  high, 
And  is  an  image  of  eternity.' ' 

The  Romans,  when  their  emperors  and  great  ones  died,  and  their 
bodies  were  buried,  they  caused  an  caijle  to  mount  on  high,  thereby  to 
signify  the  soul's  immortality  and  ascent.  He  gave  good  counsel  who 
said,  '  Play  not  the  courtier  with  your  soul  ;  the  courtier  doth  all  things 
late,  he  rises  late,  and  dines  late,  and  sups  late,  and  repents  late.'  A 
Scythian  captain,  having  for  a  draught  of  water  delivered  up  his  city, 
cried  out,  Qwid  perdidi,  quid  j^vodldl  ?  What  have  I  lost,  what  have 
I  betrayed  ?  So  many  at  last  will  cry  out,  what  have  I  lost,  what  have 
I  betrayed  ?  I  have  lost  God,  and  Christ,  and  heaven,  and  have  be- 
trayed my  precious  and  immortal  soul  into  the  hands  of  divine  justice, 
and  into  the  hands  of  Satan  I  Who  these  men  are  that  will  at  last  thus 
cry  out,  this  treatise  doth  discover.  I  have  read  that  there  was  a  time 
Avhen  the  Romans  did  wear  jewels  on  their  shoes.  Most  men  in  this 
day  do  worse,  for  they  trample  that  matchless  jewel  of  their  souls  under 
feet  ;  and  who  these  are  this  treatise  does  discover.  One  well  observes, 
[Chrysostom]  '  Tiiat  whereas  God  hath  given  many  other  things  double  ; 
two  eyes  to  see  with,  two  ears  to  hear  with,  two  hands  to  work  with, 
and  two  feet  to  walk  with,  to  the  intent  that  the  failing  of  the  one 
might  be  supplied  by  the  other;  but  he  hath  given  us  but  one  soul,  and  if 
that  be  lost,  hast  thou,  saith  he,  another  soul  to  give  in  recompense  for 
it  V  Now,  who  those  are  whose  souls  are  in  a  safe  estate,  and  who  those 
are  whose  souls  are  in  danger  of  being  lost  for  ever,  this  treatise  does 
plainly  and  fully  discover.  To  describe  to  the  life  who  that  man  is 
that  is  truly  happy  in  this  world,  and  that  shall  be  blest  for  ever  in  the 
other  world,  is  the  work  of  this  ensuing  treatise,  Ps.  xv.,  cxliv.  15.  The 
grace  of  the  covenant  in  us  is  a  sure  evidence  of  God's  entering  into  the 
covenant  of  grace  with  us.  To  be  in  a  gracious  state  is  true  happiness, 
but  to  know  ourselves  to  be  in  such  a  state  is  the  top  of  our  happiness 
in  this  world.  A  man  may  have  grace,  and  yet,  for  a  time,  not  know  it, 
1  John  V.  13.  The  child  lives  in  the  womb,  but  does  not  know  it.  A 
man  may  be  in  a  gracious  state,  and  yet  not  see  it ;  he  may  have  a 
saving  work  of  God  upon  his  soul,  and  yet  not  discern  it ;  be  may  have 
the  root  of  the  matter  in  him,  and  yet  not  be  able  to  evidence  it,  Ps. 
Ixxvii.  6,  Ixxxviii.  Now  to  help  such  poor  hearts  to  a  right  understanding 
of  their  spiritual  condition,  and  that  they  may  see  and  know  what  they 
are  worth  for  another  world,  and  so  go  to  their  graves  in  joy  and  peace, 
I  have  sent  this  treatise  abroad  into  the  world.  Will  you  give  me  leave 
to  say, 

(1.)  First,  Some  men  of  name  in  their  day  have  laid  down  such 
things  for  evidences  or  characters  of  grace,  which,  being  weighed  in  the 
balance  of  the  sanctuar}^  will  be  found  too  light.  But  here  a  mantle 
of  love  may  be  of  more  use  than  a  lamp  ;  and  therefore, 

(2.)  Secondly,  Many,  yea,  very  many  there  are,  whose  graces  are  very 
weak,  and  much  buried  under  the  earth  and  ashes  of  many  fears,  doubts, 
scruples,  strong  passions,  prevailing  corruptions,  and  diabolical  sugges- 
tions, who  would  give  as  many  worlds  as  there  be  men  in  the  world, 

*  Pindar. 


EPISTLE  DEDICATORY.  237 

had  they  so  many  in  their  hands  to  give,  to  know  that  they  have  grace, 
and  that  their  spiritual  estate  is  good,  and  that  they  shall  be  happy  fur 
ever.  Now  tliis  treatise  is  fitted  up  for  the  service  of  these  poor  hearts  ; 
for  the  weakest  Christians  may  turn  to  many  clear  and  well-bottomed 
evidences  in  this  treatise,  and  throw  the  gauntlet  to  Satan,  and  bid  him 
prove  if  he  can,  that  ever  any  profane  person  or  cunning  hypocrite  under 
heaven,  had  such  evidences,  or  such  fair  certificates  to  shew  for  heaven, 
which  he  has  to  shew.  The  generality  of  Christians  are  weak ;  they 
are  rather  dwarfs  than  giants  ;  they  are  rather  bruised  reeds  than  tall 
cedars  ;  they  are  rather  babes  than  men,  lambs  than  sheep,'  &c.  Now, 
for  the  service  of  their  souls,  I  have  been  wilhng  to  send  this  treatise 
into  the  world  ;  for  this  treatise  may  speak  to  them  when  I  may  not ; 
yea,  when  I  cannot ;  yea,  which  is  more,  when  I  am  not.  Famous  Mr 
Dod  would  frequently  say,  he  cared  not  where  he  was  if  he  could  but 
answer  these  two  questions  :  1,  who  am  I  ?  and  2,  what  do  I  hear  ? 
am  I  a  child  of  God  ?  and  am  I  in  my  way  ?     But, 

(3.)  Thhxily,  Some  there  are  who  are  so  excessively  and  immoderately 
taken  up  with  their  signs,  marks,  and  evidences  of  grace,  and  of  their 
gracious  state,  &c.,  that  Christ  is  too  much  neglected,  and  more  rarely 
minded  by  them.  Their  hearts  do  not  run  out  so  freely,  so  fully,  so 
strongly,  so  frequently,  so  delightfully  towards  Christ  as  they  should  do, 
nor  as  they  would  do,  if  they  were  not  too  inordinately  taken  up  with 
their  marks  and  signs.  Now,  for  the  rectifying  of  these  mistakes,  and 
the  cure  of  these  spiritual  maladies,  this  treatise  is  sent  into  the  world. 
We  may  and  ought  to  make  a  sober  use  of  characters  and  evidences  of 
our  gracious  estates,  to  support,  comfort,  and  encourage  us  on  our  way 
to  heaven,  but  still  in  subordination  to  Christ,  and  to  the  fresh  and 
frequent  exercises  of  faith  upon  the  person,  blood,  and  righteousness  of 
Jesus.  But  oh  how  few  Christians  are  there  that  are  skilled  in  this 
work  of  works,  this  art  of  arts,  this  mystery  of  mysteries.^     But, 

(4.)  Fourthly,  Some  there  are  who  in  those  days  are  given  up  to  en- 
tbusiastical  fancies,  strange  raptures,  revelations,  and  to  the  sad  delusions 
of  their  own  hearts  ;  crying  down  with  all  their  might  all  discoveries  of 
believers'  spiritual  estates  by  Scripture  characters,  marks,  and  signs  of 
sanctifications,  2  Thes.  ii.  9-11,  as  carnal  and  low;  and  all  this  under 
fair  pretences  of  exalting  Christ,  and  maintaining  the  honour  of  his 
righteousness  and  free  grace,  and  of  denying  ourselves  and  oxir  own 
righteousness.  Though  sanctifi cation  be  a  branch  of  the  covenant  of 
grace  as  well  as  justification,  yet  there  are  a  sort  of  men  in  the  world  that 
would  not  have  Christians  to  rejoice  in  their  sanctification,  under  a 
pretence  of  reflecting  dishonour  upon  their  free  justification  by  Christ, 
Jer.  xxxiii.  8,  Ezek.  xxxvi.  25-27.  There  are  many  who  place  all 
their  religion  in  opinions,  in  brain-sick  notions,  in  airy  speculations,  in 
quaint  disputations,  in  immediate  revelations,  and  in  their  warm  zeal 
for  this  or  that  form  of  worship.  Now,  that  these  may  be  recovered, 
and  healed,  and  prevented  from  doing  further  mischief  in  the  world,  I 
have  at  this  time  put  to  a  helping  hand.     But, 

»  1  Peter  ii.  2,  3  ;  1  John  ii.  12-14  ;  Isa.  xl.  11. 

2  Where  Christ  was  born,  they  were  all  so  taken  up  with  their  guests,  that  he  was  not 
minded  nor  regaj-ded;  when  others  lay  in  stately  rooms,  he  must  be  laid  in  a  manger, 
Luke  ii.  7. 


238  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS. 

(5.)  Fifthly,  No  man  can  tell  what  is  in  the  breasts,  in  the  womb,  of 
divine  Providence.  No  man  can  tell  what  a  day,  a  night,  an  hour,  may 
bring  forth.'  Who  can  sum  up  the  many  possible  deaths  that  arc  still 
lurking  in  his  own  bowels,  or  the  innumerable  hosts  of  external  dangers 
which  Ijcleaguer  him  on  every  side,  or  how  many  invisible  arrows  tiy 
about  his  ears  continually ;  and  how  .soon  he  may  have  his  mortal  wound 
given  him  by  one  or  other  of  them,  who  can  tell  ?  Now,  how  sad  would 
it  be  for  a  man  to  have  a  summons  to  appear  before  God  in  that  other 
world  before  his  heart  and  life  are  changed,  and  his  evidences  for  heaven 
cleared  up  to  him  !  The  life  of  a  man  is  but  a  shadow,  a  post,  a  span, 
a  vapour,  a  Hower,  &c.  Though  there  is  but  one  way  to  come  into  the 
world,  yet  there  are  many  thousand  ways  to  be  sent  out  of  the  world  ; 
and  this  should  bespeak  every  Christian  to  have  his  evidences  for  heaven 
always  ready  and  at  hand,  yea,  in  his  hand  as  well  as  in  his  heart,  and 
then  he  will  find  it  an  easy  thing  to  die.  The  king  of  terrors  will  then 
be  the  king  of  desires  to  him,  and  he  will  then  travel  to  glory  under  a 
spirit  of  joy  and  triumph.  We  carry  about  in  our  bodies  the  matter  of 
a  thousand  deaths,  and  may  die  a  thousand  several  ways  several  hours. 
As  many  senses,  as  many  members,  nay,  as  many  pores  as  there  are  in 
the  body,  so  many  windows  there  are  for  death  to  enter  in  at.  Death 
needs  not  spend  all  his  arrows  upon  us ;  a  worm,  a  gnat,  a  fly,  a  hair,  a 
stone  of  a  raisin,  a  kernel  of  a  grape,  the  fall  of  a  horse,  the  stumble  of 
a  foot,  the  prick  of  a  pin,  the  paring  of  a  nail,  the  cutting  out  of  a  corn ; 
all  these  have  been  to  others,  and  any  of  them  may  be  to  us,  the  means 
of  our  death  within  the  space  of  a  few  days,  nay,  of  a  few  hours.  Does 
not  it  therefore  highly  concern  us  to  have  our  evidences  for  heaven 
cleared,  sealed,  shining,  and  at  hand  ?  Naturalists  tell  us  that  if  a  man 
sees  a  cockatrice  first,  the  cockatrice  dieth  ;  but  if  the  cockatrice  sees  a 
man  first,  the  man  dies.  Certainly  if  we  so  see  death  first  as  to  prepare 
for  it,  as  to  get  our  evidences  for  heaven  ready,  we  shall  kill  it ;  but  if 
death  sees  us  first,  and  arrests  us  first  before  we  are  prepared,  and  before 
our  evidences  for  heaven  are  cleared,  it  will  kill  us  everlastingly,  it  will 
kill  us  eternally.  Time  travaileth  with  God's  decrees,  and  in  their  season 
brings  them  forth ;  but  little  doth  any  man  know  what  is  in  the  womb  of 
to-morrow  till  God  hath  signified  his  will  by  the  event:  *  Boast  not  thyself 
of  to-morrow,  for  thou  knowest  not  what  a  day  may  bring  forth,'  Prov. 
xxvii.  1.  That  man  that  knows  what  himself  intends  to  bring  forth,  does 
not  know  what  the  day  will  bring  forth  ;  the  next  day  is  not  so  near  the 
former  in  time  as  it  may  be  remote  from  it  in  the  effects  of  it.  Seneca 
could  say, Nihil  estTniserius  dubitatio7ievenientiu7n,quo  evadant, There 
is  nothmg  more  miserable  than  the  doubtfulness  of  things  to  come,  to 
what  they  will  come.''  Providence  in  this  life  is  the  map  of  changes,  the 
picture  of  mutability.  Who  can  sum  up  the  strange  circumferences,  and 
rare  circuits,  and  labyrinths  of  providence  ?  Providence  is  as  a  wheel  in 
the  midst  of  a  wheel,  whose  motion,  and  work,  and  end  in  turning  is  not 
discerned  by  every  common  eye,  Ezek.  i.  16.     Three  dreadful  judgments 

'  Tlio  Braclimanni  had  their  graves  before  their  doors.  The  Sybarites  at  banquets  had 
a  death's  liead  delivered  from  liand  to  hand  by  every  guest  at  the  table.  The  Egyptians, 
in  the  midst  of  their  feasts,  used  to  have  the  anatomy  of  a  dead  man  set  before  them,  as 
a  memorandum  to  the  guests  of  their  mortality.  The  poor  heatlien  could  say  that  the 
whole  life  of  man  should  be  medilalio  morlis,  a  meditation  of  death.  Dwell  upon  that. 
Deut.  xxxii.  29,  i'rov.  xxvii.  1.  *  Seneca,  epiat.  cii. 


I 


EPISTLE  DEDICATORY.  239 

God  hath  lately  visited  us  with,  viz., sword,  pestilence,  and  fire.  But  who 
repents;  who  smites  upon  his  thigh ;  who  finds  out  the  plague  of  his  own 
heart ;  who  says,  What  have  I  done  ?  who  ceases  from  doing  evil ;  who 
learns  to  do  well ;  who  turns  to  the  Most  High  ;  who  lays  hold  on  ever- 
lasting strength;  who  makes  peace  with  God;  who' throws  himself  into 
the  gap  ?  &c.,  Isa.  i.  16,  17,  Ps.  cvi.  23.  Are  not  multitudes  grown  much 
worse  after  judgments  than  they  were  before  ?  Do  not  they  bid  hio-her 
defiance  to  heaven  than  ever  ?  And,  therefore,  who  can  tell  what  further 
controversy  God  may  have  with  such  a  people,  especially  considerino- 
that  terrible  scripture.  Lev.  xxvi.  14th  to  the  34th  verse,  with  scores  of 
others  that  sound  that  way  ?  Were  our  forefathers  alive,  how  sadly 
would  they  blush  to  see  such  a  horrid,  degenerate  posterity  as  is  to  be 
found  in  the  midst  of  us  !  How  is  our  forefathers'  hospitality  converted 
into  riot  and  luxury,  their  frugality  into  pride  and  prodigality,  their 
simplicity  into  subtilty,  their  sincerity  into  hypocrisy,  their  charity  into 
cruelty,  their  chastity  into  chambering  and  wantonness,  their  sobriety 
into  drunkenness,  their  plain-dealing  into  dissembling,  and  their  works 
of  compassion  into  works  of  oppression,  &c.  And  may  we  not  fear  that 
even  for  these  things  God  may  once  more  visit  us  ?  The  nations  are 
angry,  and  we  are  low  in  their  eyes  ;  our  enemies  are  not  asleep  abroad, 
and  are  not  we  too  secure  at  home  ?  And  what  further  confusions  may 
be  in  the  world,  who  can  divine  ?  I  point  at  these  things  only  to  pro- 
voke all  those  into  whose  hands  this  treatise  may  fall  to  make  sure 
work  for  another  world,  to  make  sure  their  evidences  for  heaven,  and 
to  keep  their  evidences  for  life  and  glory  always  sparkling  and  shinino-; 
and  then  I  am  sure  the  worst  of  calamities,  the  sorest  of  judo-ments 
shall  but  translate  them  from  earth  to  heaven,  from  a  wilderness  to  a 
paradise,  from  misery  to  glory,  and  from  mixed  and  mutable  enjoyments 
to  the  pure  and  everlasting  enjoyments  of  God,  Christ,  the  angels,  and 
*  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,'  Heb.  xii.  22-24.     But, 

(6.)  Sixthly  and  lastly.  In  this  treatise,  as  in  a  glass,  all  sorts  of  pro- 
fane persons,  and  all  sorts  of  self-flatterers,  and  all  sorts  of  hypocrites, 
may  see  [1.]  that  their  present  state  and  condition  is  not  so  safe,  nor  yet 
so  happy,  as  they  'judge  it  to  be.  Again,  in  this  treatise,  as  in  a  glass, 
all  sorts  of  profane  persons,  and  all  sorts  of  self-flatterers,  and  all  sorts 
of  hypocrites,  may  see  [2.]  the  happy  and  blessed  state  of  the  people  of 
God,  against  whom  their  spirits  rise  and  swell,  &c.  Again,  in  this 
treatise,  as  in  a  glass,  all  sorts  of  profane  persons,  and  all  sorts  of  self- 
flatterers,  and  all  sorts  of  hypocrites,  may  see  [3.]  what  those  things  are 
that  they  need,  and  that  they  ought  to  beg  of  God.  Again,  in  this 
treatise,  as  in  a  glass,  all  sorts  of  profane  persons,  and  all  sorts  of  self- 
flatterers,  and  all  sorts  of  hypocrites,  may  see  [4.]  what  those  things  are 
without  which  they  can  neither  be  happy  here  nor  hereafter.  Now, 
were  there  no  other  reasons  for  my  sending  forth  this  treatise  into  the 
world,  this  alone  might  justify  me. 

But,  honoured  and  beloved,  before  I  close  up  this  epistle,  give  me 
leave  to  say,  that  there  are  two  sorts  of  men  that  myself  and  all  the 
world  are  bound  (1.)  highly  to  prize,  (2.)  cordially  to  love,  and  (3.) 
greatly  to  honour  above  all  other  men  in  the  world ;  and  they  are  these  : 
First,  men  of  public  spirits  ;  secondly,  men  of  charitable  spirits,  men  of 
merciful  spirits,  men  of  tender  and  compassionate  spirits. 


2.tO  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS. 

(I.)  First,  Men  of  public  spirits,  myself  and  call  others  are  l)ound,  1 , 
highly  to  prize ;  2,  cordially  to  love  ;  and,  3,  greatly  to  honour  above  all 
other  men  in  the  world  ;  and  that, 

1.  First,  because  a  public-spirited  man  is  a  common  good,  a  common 
blessing.  All  in  the  family,  all  in  the  court,  all  in  the  city,  all  in  the 
country,  fare  the  better  for  that  Christian's  sake  that  is  of  a  public 
spirit.  All  in  Laban's  family  did  fare  the  better  for  Jacob's  sake ;  and 
all  in  the  city  of  Zoar  did  flire  the  better  for  Lot's  sake ;  and  all  Pharaoh's 
court  and  the  whole  country  of  Egypt  did  fare  the  better  for  Joseph's 
sake.  Gen.  xxx.  27,  and  xix.  21-24,  and  xli.,  &c.  Sodom  was  safe  while 
Lot  was  in  it.  Elijah  was  a  man  of  public  spirit,  and  he  was  '  the 
chariots  and  horsemen  of  Israel/  2  Kings  ii.  12.  Moses  was  a  man  of 
public  spirit,  and  he  often  diverted  ruining  judgments  from  falling  upon 
Israel,  Ps.  cvi.  23.  Phinehas  was  a  man  of  public  spirit,  and  he  takes 
up  his  censer,  and  stands  between  the  living  and  the  dead,  and  the 
plague  was  stayed,  Num.  xvi.  46,  49.  Men  of  public  spirits  are  public 
mercies,  public  blessings.  A  man  of  a  public  spirit  is,  xolvov  ayccdov,  a 
public  diffusive  blessing  in  the  place  where  he  lives.  Men  of  public 
spirits  are  the  true  Atlases  both  of  church  and  state  ;  they  are  the  pillars 
on  whom  all  do  rest,  the  props  on  whom  all  do  lean.'  Do  but  overturn 
these  pillars  and  all  will  fall  about  your  ears,  as  the  house  did  about  the 
Philistines  when  Samson  shook  it.  Rack  but  these,  and  kingdoms  and 
commonwealths  shall  be  quickly  racked  themselves.  When  Metellus 
heard  of  the  death  of  Scipio  Africanus,  a  man  of  a  public  spirit,  he  ran 
out  into  the  market  place  and  cried  out,  '  O  citizens,  come  forth  and 
consult  what  is  to  be  done,  for  the  walls  of  your  city  are  fallen  down.' 

But, 

2.  Secondly,  Because  public-spirited  Christians  are  most  like  to 
Christ,  and  to  the  choicest  and  most  excellent  saints.^  Christ  left  his 
Father's  bosom  for  a  public  good  ;  he  assumed  our  nature  for  a  public 
oood  ;  he  trode  the  wine-press  of  his  Father's  wrath  for  a  public  good  ; 
he  died  for  a  public  good,  and  he  rose  for  a  public  good;  he 
ascended  to  heaven  for  a  public  good,  and  he  continues  in  heaven 
for  a  public  good.  When  he  was  in  this  world  he  went  up  and 
down  doino-  good.  He  healed  others,  but  was  hurt  himself;  he  fed 
and  filled  others,  but  was  hungry  himself.  Christ  was  all  for  a  public 
o-ood  :  '  Look  not  every  man  on  his  own  things,  but  every  man  also  on 
the  thin<Ts  of  others  ;'  '  Let  this  mind  be  in  you  which  was  also  in  Christ 
Jesus,'  Philip,  ii.  4,  5.  Though  self  be  a  great  stickler,  yet  he  that  will 
write  after  Christ's  copy  must  neglect  himself  to  serve  others.  That 
Christian  acts  most  like  Christ,  who  prefers  the  public  interest  before 
his  own  private  interest.  The  stars  have  their  brightness,  not  for  them- 
selves, but  for  the  use  of  others",  and  the  sun  hath  her  shining  light, 
but  not  for  herself,  but  for  others.  In  the  natural  body  every  member 
is  diffusive  ;  the  eye  conveys  the  light,  the  head  spirits,  the  liver  blood, 
&c.  And  why  should  it  not  be  so  in  the  politic  body  also  ?  And  as  Christ, 
so  Moses  was  a  man  of  a  public  spirit,  when  God  made  a  very  fair 

'  Though  I  do  not,  I  dare  not,  say,  that  every  public  spirit  is  a  gracious  spirit ;  yet 
tills  1  must  say,  that  every  gracious  spirit  is  a  public,  spirit. 

^  John  i.  7,  Heb.  ii.,  Isa.  Ixiii.  3,  Rom.  viii.  30-33 ;  Heb.  vii.  25  ;  John  xiv.  1-4  ; 
Acts  X.  38  ;  riiilip.  ii.  4,  5.  Christ  made  himself  i>i)or  to  make  others  rich,  but  men  of 
narrow  souls  make  others  poor  to  make  themselvos  rich,  2  Cor.  vi.  8,  viii.  'J. 


EPISTLE  DEDICATORY.  241 

proffer  to  him  that  he  would  make  him  a  great  nation  if  he  would  but 
stand  neuter  till  he  had  revenged  himself  upon  a  rebellious  people. 
But  Moses  had  no  mind  to  preferment  upon  those  terms  ;  he  preferred 
the  public  good  before  his  own  honour,  profit,  and  advancement,  and 
therefore  follows  God  close,  and  never  gives  over  pleading  for  them  till 
he  had  procured  their  pardon,  and  turned  away  the  wratli  of  God  from 
them,  Exod.  xxxii.  10-12  ;  so  Num.  xiv.  4,  10,  18,  14.  So  Joshua  was 
a  man  of  a  pubhc  spii'it :  '  When  they  had  made  an  end  of  dividing  the 
land  for  inheritance  by  their  coasts,  the  children  of  Israel  gave  an  inlieri- 
tance  to  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun  among  then),'  Joshua  xix.  49.  Joshua 
might  have  served  himself  first,  and  he  might  have  taken  as  large  an 
inheritance  as  he  had  pleased,  but  he  preferred  the  good  of  the  people 
before  his  own.  He  who  had  divided  the  land  to  others,  was  himself 
contented  with  very  mean  preferment,  for  his  inheritance  was  among  the 
barren  mountains,  as  some  observe  [Jerome].  So  Jehoiada  was  a  man 
of  a  public  spirit.  You  read  that  they  '  buried  him  in  the  city  of  David 
among  the  kings,  because  he  had  done  good  in  Israel,  both  towards  God 
and  towards  his  house,'  2  Chron.  xxiv.  16.  Men  of  public  spirits  shall 
be  honoured  both  living  and  dying.  So  Nehemiah  was  a  man  of  a 
brave  public  spirit.  He  holds  on  twelve  years  together  in  public  work 
upon  his  own  cost  and  charge,  Neh.  v.  14,  15.  So  Esther  was  one  of  a 
public  spirit,  and  therefore  she  takes  her  life  in  her  hand,  and  goes  in 
to  the  king  with  an  If  I  perish,  I  "perish,  Esther  iv.  16.  And  so  Mor- 
decai  was  a  man  of  public  spirit.  Mordecai  the  Jew  was  '  next  unto  king 
Ahasuerus,  and  great  among  the  Jews,  and  accepted  of  the  multitude 
of  his  brethren,  seeking  the  wealth  of  his  people,  and  speaking  peace  to 
all  his  seed,'  Esther  x.  3.  Mordecai  was  more  mindful  and  careful  of 
his  people's  peace,  prosperity,  and  welfare,  than  he  was  of  Jiis  own  con- 
cernments. And  so  David  was  a  man  of  a  public  spirit,  for  '  after  he 
had  served  his  own  generation,  he  fell  asleep,"  Acts  xiii.  86.  The  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  has  put  this  upon  record  for  David's  honour  and  our  imita- 
tion. David's  soul  did  not  live  in  a  narrow  bowling-alley.  He  was  not 
a  man  of  so  poor,  low,  and  narrow  a  spirit  as  to  make  himself  the  centre 
of  his  designs  and  actions.  David  was  a  man  of  a  generous,  noble 
spirit.  The  public  good  lay  nearest  his  heart,  and  to  serve  his  genera- 
tion he  was  willing  to  spend  and  be  spent.  The  public-spirited  man,  of 
all  men,  is  most  like  to  Christ,  and  to  those  worthies  who  were  once 
glorious  on  earth,  and  are  now  triumphing  in  heaven.  The  apostle 
speaks  of  some  who  are  lovers  of  themselves,  2  Tim.  iii.  2,  and  who  are 
'seekers  of  themselves,'  Philip,  ii.  21,  and  who  are  'minders  of  them- 
selves,' Philip,  iii.  19.  'They  mind,  earthly  things.'  Of  all  these  we 
may  say,  as  God  speaks  of  Israel,  '  Israel  is  an  empty  vine  ;  he  brings 
forth  fruit  unto  himself,'  Hosea  x,  ]  ;  yea,  of  all  these  we  may  say  that 
light  is  not  more  contrary  to  darkness,  heaven  to  hell,  glory  to  shame, 
than  these  are  contrary  to  Christ,  and  to  those  precious  servants  of  his 
who  are  crowned  and  chronicled  in  the  blessed  Scriptures  for  their 
public  spiritedness  and  public  usefulness  in  the  world.     But, 

3.  Thirdly,  Men  of  public  spirits  are  rare  men,  excellent  men  ;  of  all 
men  they  most  resemble  God,  who  does  good  to  all.  Mat.  v.  45  ;  there  are 
none  so  excellent  and  truly  honourable  as  these.^     All  the  instances 

1  Vir  bonus  magis  aliis  prodest  quam  sibi. 
VOL.  IIL  Q 


2t2 


A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS. 


cited  to  make  good  the  second  particular  evidences  this  :  to  which  I  may 
add  that  of  Daniel,  who  was  a  man  of  a  pul)lic  spirit,  and  of  that  excel- 
lent .spirit,  as  that  he  carried  the  hell  from  all  the  presidents  and  princes 
of  Darius's  court,  Dan.  vi.  3.  Then  this  Daniel  was  preferred  above 
the  presidents  and  princes,  because  '  an  excellent  spirit  was  in  him,'  and 
the  king  thought  to  set  him  over  the  whole  realm.  I  might  give  you 
many  otlier  instances  from  the  patriarchs  and  apostles,  but  what  need 
that,  when  blind  nature  speaks  so  loud  in  the  case.  Men  of  public 
spirits  have  been  very  excellent  and  honourable  in  the  very  eyes  of  all 
the  heathen.  Take  a  few  instances  among  the  many  hundreds  that 
might  be  produced.  M.  Attilius  Regulus  was  a  man  of  that  public 
spirit,  that  he  valued  neither  state  nor  life  to  serve  his  country  and 
preserve  his  own  honour  ;  he  got  very  much  for  his  country,  but  little  for 
himself;  seven  acres  of  land  bemgall  that  ever  he  had.  He  was  a  man 
highly  honoured  among  the  Romans.' 

Titus  Vespasian  was  a  man  of  a  public  spirit.  He  governed  so  sweetly, 
moderately,  and  prudentl}^,  that  he  was  generally  termed  del icice  human i 
generis,  the  delight  of  mankind.  He  was  greatly  honoured  whilst  he 
lived,  and  when  he  died  the  people  wept  so  bitterly  for  him  as  if  they 
had  been  resolved  to  have  wept  out  their  eyes. 

Curius  Dentatus  w^as  a  man  of  public  spirit,  and  very  victorious.  When 
his  country  was  settled,  he  was  found  at  dinner  feeding  hard  on  a  few 
parched  pease,  when  the  ambassadors  were  sent  to  tender  him  a  great 
sum  of  gold,  which  he  refused,  saying,  '  He  had  rather  be  at  his  pease, 
while  they  whom  he  ruled  over  had  the  gold,  than  he  to  have  the  gold 
and  they  the  pease.'  When  some  unworthy  persons  once  accused  him 
for  keeping  back  somewhat  from  the  public,  ho  brought  forth  a  wooden 
platter,  and  did  swear,  that  it  was  all  he  had  reserved  to  himself  of  the 
spoils.     He  was  had  in  great  honour  and  reputation  among  the  people. 

'That  pilot  dies  nobly,'  saith  Seneca,  'who  perisheth  in  the  storm 
with  the  helm  in  his  hand.' 

Aristides  was  a  man  of  a  public  spirit.  After  the  overthrow  of  the 
Persians,  when  there  was  a  mass  of  treasure,  gold,  silver,  and  rich 
apparel,  he  would  not  touch  it,  nor  take  so  much  as  one  farthing  of  it 
to  himself.     He  was  in  high  esteem  among  the  people. 

Tully  in  his  book  of  Scipio's  dream,  brings  in  a  dead  father,  now  in 
heaven  as  he  supposed,  encouraging  his  son  to  do  service  for  his  country, 
wherein  himself  had  given  him  a  most  noble  and  notable  example,  upon 
a  very  high  consideration,  viz..  There  is  a  most  sure  and  certain  place  in 
heaven  for  every  man  that  shall  procure  the  weal  of  his  country,  either 
by  freeing  it  from  peril,  or  increasing  the  happiness  of  it  any  way.  To 
hear  a  Gentile  tell  of  heaven  as  of  a  thing  certain  ;  to  hear  him  tell  of 
certain  places  provided  there  for  those  that  should  do  virtuou.sly ;  to 
have  the  service  of  one's  country  pressed  on  his  soul  with  so  celestial  an 
argument,  what  matter  of  wonder  and  admiration  is  it  I 

Another  [Cicero],  speaking  of  men  of  public  spirits,  saith, '  Such  ennobl- 
ed spirits, they  are  the  dear  offspring, the  delight  and  care  of  God ;  adivine 
race  it  is;  from  the  heavens  they  come  down  to  us,  and  to  the  heavens  again, 
whenever  they  take  their  leaves  of  us,  shall  they  triumphantly  return.' 

'  In  Austin's  account  he  wa3  the  gallantest  of  all  the  old  Romans.     [More  exactly  M. 
Atilius,  M.  F.  L.  N.  Regulus  :  Livy,  Epil.  18  ;  Val.  Max.  iv.  4,  sec.  6. — G  ] 


EPISTLE  DEDICATORY.  24:> 

A  Catiline,  says  the  satirist,  a  trouble  of  mankind,  grows  as  the 
weed,  almost  everywhere ;  but  a  Brutus,  a  worthy  patriot,  that  bears 
the  welfare  of  others,  the  true  prosperity  of  his  native  land,  upon  his 
heart,  and  sets  his  eyes  perpetually  thereon  for  good  ;  such  an  one  is  a 
rare  jewel,  worthy  of  all  honour  and  embraces  wherever  he  is  found.' 

Men  of  public  spirits,  of  all  men,  do  most  exalt  the  Lord,  and  honour  the 
Lord ;  and  therefore  the  Lord,  first  or  last,  will  most  exalt  them  and  hon- 
our them,  1  Sam.  ii.  80.  In  all  the  ages  of  the  world,  and  in  all  the  nations 
of  the  world,  men  of  most  public  spirits  have  been  best  beloved,  and  most 
highly  honoured.  A  man  of  narrow  spirit  is  like  the  hedge-hog,  that 
never  goes  abroad  but  to  gather  what  he  can  for  himself,  whoever  suffers 
by  it ;  but  a  man  of  a  public  spirit  is  like  the  pelican,  that  draws  out 
her  own  blood  for  the  good  of  others  ;  and  therefore  the  light  of  nature, 
as  well  as  the  law  of  grace,  will  lead  men  by  the  hand  to  honour  such. 

4.  Fourthly,  Men  of  public  spirits  do  most  and  best  answer  to  one  of 
the  noblest  and  highest  ends  of  their  creation.^  By  the  law  of  creation 
every  man  is  bound  to  serve  the  public,  to  serve  his  generation.  A  nar- 
row, a  private-spirited  man  is  a  shame  to  his  creation,  because  he  walks 
so  contrary  to  the  great  intendment  of  God  in  it.  It  is  a  base  and 
unworthy  spirit  for  a  man  to  make  himself  the  centre  of  all  his  actions. 
The  very  heathen  man  could  say,  '  That  a  man's  country,  and  his  friends, 
and  others,  challenge  a  great  part  of  him.'  That  man  sins  against  the 
very  law  of  his  being  who  is  swallowed  up  in  his  own  private  interests. 
Men  of  public  spirits  should  not  bear  the  sword  of  justice  in  vain,  for  by 
the  law  of  creation  they  are  bound  so  to  handle  it  as  to  be  'a  terror  to 
evil-doers  and  a  praise  to  them  that  do  well,'  Rom.  xiii.  3,  4.  It  is 
cruelty  to  the  good  to  spare  the  bad  ;  it  is  wrong  to  the  sheep  to  let  the 
wolves  alone  ;  it  is  the  death  of  the  lambs  to  spare  the  lions.  '  If  you 
will  pity  Cataline,'  says  one,  '  pity  Rome  much  more  ;'  let  the  whole 
have  a  share  in  your  pity  rather  than  a  part.  Pereat  unus  magis 
quam  unitas,  Better  have  one  injurious  person  sit  mourning  than  a 
whole  nation  languishing,  &c.  Men  of  public  spirits  should  be  for  the 
ease  of  all,  and  the  peace  of  all,  and  the  comfort  of  all,  and  the  encourage- 
ment of  all,  and  the  safety  of  all.  But  this  age  is  full  of  drones  and 
ciphers,  and  of  spiritless,  lifeless  men,  who  look  at  nothing,  who  design  no- 
thing, who  aim  at  nothing,  and  who  endeavour  nothing,  but  how  to  raise 
themselves,  and  greaten  themselves,  and  enrich  themselves,  and  build 
up  themselves,  though  it  be  upon  other's  ruins.  How  many  are  there 
who  are  so  swallowed  up  in  their  own  interests  and  private  concernments, 
that  Gallio-like,  Acts  xviii.  17,  they  care  not  whether  the  public  sink 
or  swim.  These  put  me  in  mind  of  Jotham's  parable,  Judg.  ix.  8-11, 
&c.  The  trees  went  forth  to  anoint  a  king  over  them.  They  go  to  the 
olive,  to  the  fig  tree,  and  to  the  vine.  But  shall  I  leave  my  fatness  ?  saith 
the  olive ;  shall  I  leave  my  sweetness  ?  saith  the  fig-tree  ;  and  shall 
I  leave  my  wine  ?  saith  the  vine,  and  go  up  and  down  for  other  trees  ? 
This  is  the  very  temper,  spirit,  and  carriage  of  many  in  our  day.  If 
you  go  to  them  and  desire  them  to  lay  out  themselves  for  the  public 

*  Juvenal. 

2  Doth  the  bee  gather  honey  for  itself?  Doth  the  sheep  yield  wool  for  itself?  Doth 
not  all  creatures  serve  the  community?  Nonnobis  solum  nati,  said  the  heathen. — [Seneca. 
-G.] 


2U 


A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS. 


qood,  What,  say  some,  shall  we  leave  our  ease,  our  pleasure,  our  profits  ? 
aud,  say  others,  shall  we  ruu  this  and  that  hazard  ?  shall  we  lose  such 
aud  such  friends,  and  create  to  ourselves  such  and  such  enemies,  to 
serve  other  men,  to  save  other  men,  to  advantage  other  men  ?  We 
cannot  do  it,  we  will  never  do  it.  Learned  Tully  was  a  zealous  patriot 
and  lover  oi'  his  country  ;  he  wished  two  wislies,  though  he  never  saw 
either  of  them  effected.  One  was,  that  he  '  might  see  Rome  settled  in 
its  just  liberties  ;'  and  the  other  was,  that  he  '  might  see  every  man's 
ostate  proportionable  to  his  affection  and  love  to  the  public'  Doubtless 
if  Tully 's  wish  might  take  place  in  our  times,  the  purses  of  many  would 
be  more  empty,  and  the  public  coffers  would  be  more  full.     But, 

5.  Fiftfily,  Of  all  men  on  earth,  there  are  none  that  have  such  a 
stock  of  prayers  going  for  them  as  men  of  public  spirits.  Men  of  public 
spirits  are  not  only  highly  prized,  and  cordially  loved,  and  greatly  hon- 
oured, but  they  are  also  most  upon  the  hearts  of  all  sober  and  serious 
Christians,  when  they  are  in  the  mount  with  God.  The  lives  of  such 
are  most  desirable,  and  the  deaths  of  such  will  be  most  lamented,  who 
make  it  their  business  to  serve  their  generation.  Men  of  public  spirits 
shall  never  die,  as  Jehoi-ara  did,  undesired  and  unlameuted,  2  Chron.  xxi. 
20.  Men  of  public  spirits  lie  most  open  to  snares,  temptations,  and  oppo- 
sitions, &c.  This  all  sober  Christians  well  understand,  and  therefore 
they  cannot  but  pray  hard  for  such.  The  names,  the  lives,  the  liberties, 
the  estates,  and  all  the  concernments  of  men  of  public  spirits,  always 
lie  nearest  their  hearts,  who  lie  nearest  to  the  heart  of  Chribt.  Men 
of  the  greatest  name,  and  of  the  greatest  renown,  and  that  have  had  the 
greatest  stock  of  prayers  going  for  them  all  the  world  over,  have  been 
men  of  public  spirits.     But, 

f).  Sixthly  and  lastly,  When Christiansof  public  spirits  come  to  die,  their 
public  spiritedness  aud  general  usefulness  will  be  no  small  comfort  and 
cordial  to  them.  Nehemiah  was  a  man  of  a  public  spirit,  and  accord- 
ingly he  pleads  it  with  God.  'Think  upon  me,  oh  my  God,  for  good, 
according  to  all  that  I  have  done  for  this  j^eople,'  Neh.  v.  19.  [See 
chap.  xiii.  22.]  This  was  that  which  sweetened  death  to  Hezekiah,  '  I 
beseech  thee,  O  Lord,  to  remember  now  how  I  have  walked  before  thee 
in  truth,  and  with  a  perfect  heart,  and  have  done  that  which  is  good  in 
thy  sight,'  2  Kings  xx.  3.  And  when  David  had  '  served  his  generation, 
he  fell  asleep,'  Acts  xiii.  36.  Sleep  is  not  more  welcome  and  sweet  to  a 
labouring  man  than  death  is  to  him  who  has  made  it  his  business,  his 
work,  sincerely  and  faithfully  to  serve  his  generation.  Such  magis- 
trates, ministers,  and  Christians  who  have  made  it  their  business,  accord- 
ing to  their  different  measures,  faithfully  to  serve  their  generation,  have 
found  the  king  of  terrors  to  be  but  the  king  of  desires  to  them,  2  Tim. 
iv.  7-9  ;  when  death  to  men  of  narrow,  selfish  spirits,  hath  been  like 
the  handwriting  upon  the  wall,  very  terrible,  Dan.  v.  5,  G.  Many  score 
instances  might  be  produced  out  of  history  to  evidence  this.  Take  one 
for  all.  Henry  Beaufort,  that  rich  and  wretched  cardinal,  bishop  of 
W^inchester,  and  chancellor  of  England, — a  man  swallowed  up  in  self- 
interest, — in  the  reign  of  Henry  the  Sixth,  when  he  perceived  that  he 
must  die,  and  that  there  was  no  remedy,  oh,  how  terrible  was  death  to 
him  I  and  oh,  how  did  he  murmur  and  fret,  luid  vex  at  death,  that  his 
riches  could  not  reprieve  him  till  a  further  time  1    For,  saith  he, '  where- 


EPISTLE  DEDICATORY.  24o 

fore  should  I  die,  being  so  rich  ?  if  the  whole  realm  would  save  my  life, 
I  am  able  either  by  policy  to  get  it,  or  by  riches  to  buy  it/  '  Fie  upon 
death,'  saith  he,  '  will  not  death  be  hired  ?  will  money  do  nothing  V^  I 
might  instance  in  men  of  a  higher  rank,  but  then  I  should  exceed  the 
bounds  of  an  epistle. 

(2.)  The  second  sort  of  men,  that  myself  and  all  others  are  bound, 
(1.)  highly  to  prize,  (2.)  cordially  to  love,  and  (3.)  greatly  to  honour, 
are  men  of  charitable  spirits,  men  of  merciful  spirits,  men  of  tender 
and  compassionate  spirits.  The  Hebrew  word  for  godly  ("iDn)  signifies 
merciful,  to  note  that  the  godly  man  is  the  merciful  man,  and  tlie 
merciful  man  is  the  godly  man.  Loving-kindness  is  an  ingredient  unto 
godliness.  The  godly  man  is  frequently  called  chasid,  gracious  or  mer- 
ciful. It  notes  one  that  hath  obtained  mercy,  goodness,  grace,  piety, 
and  benignity  from  the  Lord,  and  that  is  pious,  kind,  gracious,  and  mer- 
ciful to  others.  Though  charity,  bounty,  is  the  most  compendious  way 
to  plenty,  and  giving  to  getting,  and  scattering  to  increasing,  and  lay- 
ings out  to  layings  up  : — Prov.  xi.  24,  '  There  is  that  scattereth,  and  yet 
increaseth.'  Ver.  25,  '  The  liberal  soul  shall  be  made  fat,  and  he  that 
watereth  shall  be  watered  also  himself,'^ — yet  how  few  in  our  days  do 
honour  the  Lord  with  their  substance  !  How  few  look  at  this  as  a  duty, 
to  consecrate  any  part  of  their  gain  unto  the  Lord,  or  of  their  substance 
to  the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth !  Prov.  iii.  9,  Micah  iv.  13.  Most  men 
now  carry  it  as  if  God  himself  had  lost  his  propriety,  and  as  if  there 
were  no  rent-penny  due  to  his  poor.  But  yet  some  there  are  who  have 
liberal  hearts  and  open  hands  ;  some  there  are  who  do  open  their  hands 
wide  to  the  poor  and  needy,  Deut.  xv.  11.  Now,  here  give  me  leave  to  say 
that  these,  [1.]  Discharge  their  consciences  in  the  duty  of  charity.  Mat. 
XXV.  25,  seq.,  Prov.  xxxi.  8,  9.  [2.]  These  rightly  improve  the  talents  of 
mercy,  with  which  they  are  intrusted.  Job  xxix.  13,  2  Tim.  i.  16.  [3.] 
These  treasure  up  a  stock  of  prayers,  both  for  themselves  and  theirs  ; 
the  blessing  and  the  prayers  of  them  that  were  ready  to  perish  will 
come  upon  them  and  theirs.  [4.]  These  evidence  the  liveliness  of  their 
faith  :  James  ii.  ]  7,  '  Even  so  faith,  if  it  hath  not  works,  is  dead,  being- 
alone.'  Ver.  18,  '  Yea,  a  man  may  say  thou  hast  faith,  and  I  have  works ; 
shew  me  thy  faith  without  thy  works,  and  I  will  shew  thee  my  faith  by 
my  works.'  Ver.  26,  '  For  as  the  body  without  the  spirit  is  dead,  so 
faith  without  works  is  dead  also.'  [5.]  These  take  the  surest  way,  the 
readiest  course,  to  assure  their  own  souls  of  God's  eternal  favours  and 
mercies  to  them  :  1  Tim.  vi.  17,  18,  '  Charge  them  that  be  rich  in  this 
world,  that  they  do  good,  that  they  be  rich  in  good  works,  ready  to 
distribute,  willing  to  communicate.'  Ver.  19,  '  Laying  up  in  store  for 
themselves  a  good  foundation  against  the  time  to  come,  that  they  may 
lay  hold  on  eternal  life.'"*  Charitable  Christians  are  as  wise  merchants, 
happy  usurers,  parting  with  that  which  they  cannot  keep,  that  they  may 
gain  that  which  they  cannot  lose.  [6.]  These  take  surest  way  to  draw 
down  more  outward  mercies  iipon  themselves.*  The  fountain  is  not 
diminished,  but  augmented  by  giving  water  to  the  thirsty.  The  widow's 
oil  did  increase  by  running.     We  do  not  lose,  but  increase  our  mercies 

'  [Foxe.]     Acts  and  Mon.,  fol.  Q25. 

*  The  Italian  form  of  begging  is,  '  Do  good  to  yoiirselves.' 

*  ^krna  vita,  vtra  vita. — Augustine.  ♦  Clemens  Alex.,  Pedagog.  lib.  iii  cap.  7. 


•2t6 


A  CABINET  OF  JEWEIA 


by  imparting  of  them  for  God's  honour,  and  the  comfort  and  benefit  of 
others.  '  Give,'  saith  Christ,  *  and  it  shall  be  given  to  you ;  good  mea- 
sure, pressed  down,  and  shaken  together,  and  running  over,  shall  men 
give  into  your  bosom,'  Luke  vi.  38.  The  Jews  wore  large  and  loose 
garments,  so  that  they  could  bear  away  much  in  their  bosoms.  Hence 
this  expression,  '  into  your  bosom.'  The  meaning  is,  that  the  Lord 
will  largely  reward  the  beneficence  of  his  people  ;  yea,  that  he  will  so 
reward  them  tiiat  they  shall  perceive  that  they  are  rewarded.  '  Honour 
the  Lord  with  thy  substance,  so  shall  thy  barns  be  filled  with  plenty, 
and  thy  presses  shall  burst  out  with  new  wine,'  Prov.  iii.  9,  10.  God 
will  certainly  bless  their  substance  who  honour  him  with  their  sub- 
stance. The  Jews  at  this  day,  though  they  are  not  in  their  own 
country,  and  though  they  have  not  a  Levitical  priesthood,  yet  those 
who  will  be  reputed  religious  amongst  them,  do  distribute  the  tenth 
of  their  increase  to  the  poor,  being  persuaded  that  God  doth  bless 
their  increase  the  more  ;  for  they  have  among  them  a  very  elegant 
proverb  to  that  purpose,  dcchna  ut  dives  Jias,  Pay  thy  tithes  that  thou 
mayest  be  rich.*  The  poor  man's  hand  is  Christ's  treasury,  and  be 
shall  not  lose  his  reward  that  casts  his  mites  into  that  treasury.^  It 
it  fabled  of  Midas,  that  whatever  he  touched  he  turned  it  into  gold. 
But  this  is  most  sure,  that  whatever  the  hand  of  charity  toucheth,  it 
tui-neth  it  into  gold, — be  it  but  a  cup  of  cold  water, — nay,  into  heaven 
itself:  Mat.  x.  42,  '  And  whosoever  shall  give  to  drink  unto  one  of  these 
little  ones  a  cup  of  cold  water  only,  in  the  name  of  a  disciple,  verily  I 
say  unto  you,  he  shall  in  no  wise  lose  his  reward.'  Cold  water,  having 
not  fuel  to  heat  it,  cold  water  which  cost  not  the  charge  of  fire  to  warm 
it.  A  sea  of  pleasures,  a  heaven  of  blessings  attends  men  of  charitable 
minds,  though  their  charity  can  extend  no  further  than  to  a  cup  of  ct)ld 
Avater ;  for  God  measures  men's  deeds  by  their  minds,  and  not  their 
minds  by  their  deeds.  The  Keuites  in  Saul's  time,  that  were  born  many 
ages  after  Jcthro's  death,  received  life  from  his  dust,  and  favour  from  his 
hospitality  f  nay,  the  very  Egyptians,  for  harbouring  and  at  first  dealing 
kindly  with  the  Israelites,  though  without  any  respect  to  their  right- 
eousness, were  preserved  by  Joseph  in  that  sore  famine,  and  kindly 
dealt  with  ever  after  by  God's  special  command.  I  have  read  a  story 
of  one  Evagrius,  a  rich  man,  who  lying  upon  his  deathbed,  and  being 
importuned  by  Synesius,  a  pious  bishop,  to  give  something  to  charitable 
uses,  he  yielded  at  last  to  give  three  hundred  pounds,  but  first  took 
bond  of  the  bishop  that  it  should  be  repaid  in  another  world  ;  but  be- 
fore he  had  been  one  day  dead,  he  is  said  to  have  appeared  to  the  bishop, 
delivering  in  the  bond  cancelled,  as  thereby  acknowledging  that  what 
was  promised  was  made  good.  Whether  the  relation  be  fabulous  or 
not,  1  shall  not  now  stand  to  determine  ;  but  this  is  certain,  that  all 
acts  of  charity  shall  be  certainly  and  signally  rewarded.  Several  writers 
observe  that  the  ground  is  most  barren  nearest  the  golden  mines  ;  and 
experience  tell  us  that  many  who  are  enriched  with  fair  estates,  are 
most  barren  in  good  works ;  but  this  will  be  bitterness  in  the  end.     He 

'  Godwin,  Ileb.  Antiq.,  277  [4lo.,  IGIG,  ami  often  since. — G.]. 

*  Tlie  safest  cliest  is  the  poor  man's  box.  God  will  never  forj^et  your  charity  to  his, 
Heb.  vi.  10.  Cicero  could  say,  tliat  to  bo  rich  is  not  to  possess  nnich.  but  to  uso  much. 
And  Seneca  could  rebuke  them  that  so  studied  to  increase  their  wealth  that  they  forgot 
to  use  it.  3  See  1  Samuel  xv.  6. — G. 


EPISTLE  DEDICATORY.  247 

that  shall  consult  two  scriptures,  among  many  others,  will  conclude  that 
he  that  hath  a  withered  hand  has  no  honest  heart,  2  Chrou.  xxxi.  10, 
1  John  iii.  17.  The  wealth  that  such  men  have  is  but  as  Aristotle  calls 
it,  foelix  amentia,  a  happy  madness,  because  they  are  so  taken  up  with 
their  wealth,  that  they  neither  know  what  they  are,  nor  what  they  do.' 
Josephus,  writing  of  the  waters  of  Egypt,  saith,  that  '  they  were  blood 
in  the  hands  of  an  Egyptian,  but  water  in  the  hand  of  an  Israelite.' 
Wealth  in  the  hand  of  a  worldling  is  like  blood  in  the  hand,  which  is 
good  for  nothing  ;  but  wealth  in  the  hand  of  a  charitable  Christian  is 
like  water  in  the  hand,  which  may  be  of  use  both  to  a  man's  self  and 
others.  By  what  has  been  said,  there  is  nothing  more  evident  than 
this,  viz.,  that  men  of  public  spirits,  and  men  of  charitable  spirits,  of  all 
men  on  earth  are,  (1.)  to  be  most  highly  prized  ;  (2.)  most  cordially 
loved  ;  and  (3.)  most  greatly  honoured,  &c. 

Gentlemen,  Those  that  shall  read  what  I  have  writ  in  this  epistle, 
concerning  public  spiritedness  and  charitableness,  and  know  you  well, 
they  know  how  to  make  the  application  without  any  further  direction 
from  me.  Sir  John,  I  must  crave  leave  to  say,  that  it  is  and  will  be 
your  honour  and  comfort,  both  in  life  and  death,  and  in  the  day  of 
your  account,  that  in  all  the  great  places,  offices,  and  employments 
unto  which  divine  providence  has  called  you  for  divers  years  together, 
you  have  laid  out  your  time,  your  strength,  your  estate,  for  the  public 
good.  When  others  have  been  serving  themselves  upon  the  public, 
you  have  been  a-serving  of  the  public.  Sir,  it  is  your  great  mercy  and 
happiness  that  you  can  stand  forth  and  say,  as  once  Samuel  did,  '  Be- 
hold, here  I  am,  witness  against  me,  whose  ox  have  I  taken  ?  or  whose 
ass  have  I  taken  ?  or  whom  have  I  defrauded  ?  whom  have  I  oppressed  ? 
or  of  whose  hand  have  I  received  any  bribe  to  blind  mine  eyes  there- 
with V  1  Sam.  xii.  3.  Your  prudence  and  moderation  before  your 
mayoralty,  and  in  it,  when  you  had  many  a  narrow  bridge  to  go  over, 
and  after  it,  to  this  day,  will  never  be  forgotten  by  all  sober  citizens. 
Sir,  the  French  history  tells  us,  that  when  an  old  courtier  would  needs  de- 
part from  the  court,  and  retire  himself  to  a  private  life,  the  king  desired 
him  to  leave  his  advice  in  some  general  rules,  about  the  government  of 
his  kingdom.  Upon  this  motion  of  the  king,  the  old  courtier  took  a 
sheet  of  white  paper,  and  writ  upon  the  top  of  the  leaf,  Moderation,  and 
in  the  middle  of  the  leaf,  Moderation,  and  at  the  bottom  of  the  leaf, 
Moderation,  intimating  to  the  king,  that  the  only  way  to  keep  his  king- 
dom in  i^eace  and  prosperity,  was  to  manage  his  government  throughout 
with  a  spirit  of  moderation.  When  Vespasian  asked  Apollonius  what 
was  the  cause  of  Nero's  ruin,  he  answered,  that  Nero  could  tune  the 
harp  well,  but  in  government  he  did  always  wind  up  the  strings  too 
high,  or  let  them  down  too  low.  Both  of  your  staying  in  London  in  the 
time  of  the  last  great  plague,  when  death  peeped  in  at  every  window, 
and  when  most  magistrates,  ministers,  and  people  were  fled  from  their 
habitations, — the  terror  of  the  Lord  and  of  his  judgments  being  very 
great  in  that  day,  upon  all  sorts  and  ranks  of  men, — and  that  chiefly, 
mainly,  if  not  only,  upon  the  account  of  public  service,  and  that  no- 
thing might  be  wanting  on  your  side  to  preserve  poor  creatures  from 
perishing.  The  old  Romans,  for  lesser  services  than  you  did  in  these 
'   Arist.  Rhetor.,  lib.  ii.  cap.  6. 


248 


A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS. 


dismal  days,  have  sot  up  many  a  statue  of  brass  ;  but  the  Lord  is  faith- 
ful, and  will  not  foi-jj^ct  to  reward  your  work,  your  great  work,  your 
liazardous  work,  and  tliat  matchless  love  and  bowels  that  you  shewed 
to  very  many  that  were  impoverished  for  Avant  of  trade,  and  to  very 
many  that  lay  in  a  sick,  languishing,  and  dying  condition.  How  free, 
how  full,  iiow  seasonable,  how  suitable,  how  impartial,  how  constant, 
and  well  regulated  your  charity  then  was,  and  since  hath  been,  is  very 
well  known  to  God  above,  and  to  some  faitbfid  friends  still  alive  ;  but 
all  Avill  out  in  the  great  day,  Mat.  xxv.  80,  seq.  I  know  you  don't  love 
that  your  left  hand  should  know  what  your  right  hand  doth.  Mat.  vi.  3, 
and  therefore  I  shall  not  provoke  you  by  sounding  a  trumpet.  The 
angels  have  their  hands  under  their  wings  ;  they  do  much  good, 
and  yet  make  no  noise,  Ezek.  i.  8,  and  x.  8.  There  are  some  in  the 
world  that  are  like  to  them.  The  violet  grows  low,  and  covers  itself 
with  its  own  leaves,  and  yet  of  all  flowers  yields  the  most  fragrant 
smell  to  others.  There  are  some  charitable  Christians  that  resemble 
this  sweet  flower. 

Gentlemen  and  ladies,  your  respects  and  undeserved  favours,  that 
have  been  many  ways  manifested  unto  me,  hath  emboldened  me  to 
dedicate  and  present  to  you  this  treati.se,  as  a  real  testimony  of  my  un- 
feigned love,  service,  gratitude,  and  desires  to  promote  the  internal  and 
eternal  welfare  of  all  your  precious  and  immortal  souls.  And  wherein 
could  I,  or  any  body  else,  be  more  truly  serviceable  to  you  than  in  en- 
deavouring to  promote  your  assurance  of  eternal  salvation,  which  is  the 
grand  design  and  project  of  this  book.  *  Now,  the  God  of  all  grace  fill 
all  your  hearts  with  all  the  fruits  of  righteousness  and  holiness,  unto  all 
riches  of  the  full  assurance  of  understanding,  and  of  faith  and  hope  in 
this  life,'  1  Peter  v.  10  ;  and  at  last  crown  you  all,  and  all  yours,  with 
ineffable  glory  in  the  life  to  come,'  Gal.  v.  22,  23,  Heb.  x.  22,  23.  To 
the  everlasting  arms  of  his  protection,  and  to  the  perpetual  influences 
of  his  grace  and  mercy  in  Christ,  he  commends  you  all,  who  is  to 
you  all. 

Your  much  obliged  and  affectionate  friend  and  soul's  servant  in 
our  dear  Lord  Jesus, 

Tho.  Brooks. 


A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Containing  eighteen  special  Maxims,  Considerations, Rules,  o.nd Direc- 
tions that  are  seriously  to  he  minded  and  observed,  in  order  to 
the  clearing  up  of  a  mans  interest  in  Christ :  the  saving  work 
of  God  upon  his  own  soul ;  and  his  title  to  all  the  glory  of 
another  world. 

The  first  maxim  or  consideration. 

I.  First,  Some  have  made  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  to  he  the  only  vuirk 
or  evidence  of  our  interest  in  Christ,  and  deny  all  signs  from  the 
fruit  of  the  Spirit  ;^  hut  this  is  to  deny  the  fruit  growing  upon  the 
tree  to  be  a  sign  that  the  tree  is  alive,  whereas  our  Saviour  expressly 
tells  us,  that  '  the  tree  is  known  by  Ids  fruit,'  Mat.  xii  33.  Certainly 
it  is  one  thing  to  judge  by  our  graces,  and  another  thing  to  rest  on  our 
graces,  or  to  put  trust  in- our  graces,  or  to  make  a  Saviour  of  our  graces. 
There  is  agreat  deal  of  difference  betweendeclaring  aud  deserving.  Doubt- 
less, Christians  may  look  to  their  graces  as  evidences  of  their  interest  in 
Christ,  justification  and  salvation,  though  not  as  causes  of  their  interest  in 
Christ,  justification  and  salvation.  O  sirs  !  we  must  always  carefully  dis- 
tinguish betwixt  the  rootand  ground  of  our  comfort,  and  between  the  testi- 
monies or  evidences  of  our  interest  in  the  root  of  our  comfort.  Now  it 
must  be  readily  granted  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  root  and  ground  of  a 
Christian's  comfort  and  triumph  ;  and,  therefore,  saith  Paul,  '  God  forbid 
that  I  should  rejoice  in  anything,  but  in  the  cross  of  Christ,'  Gal.  vi.  14  ; 
and  so  in  that,  2  Cor.  ii.  14,  'Now  thanks  be  unto  God,  which  always 
causes  us  to  triumph  in  Christ.'  So  that,  if  at  any  time  we  behold  this 
or  that  saving  grace,  or  this  or  that  part  of  holiness  shining  in  our 
hearts  or  lives,  we  take  comfort  in  it,  not  as  the  cause,  or  root,  or  ground 
of  our  comfort  or  triumph,  but  as  in  a  testimony  or  evidence,  because 
it  doth  manifest  our  interest  in  him,  who  is  our  comfort,  our  peace,  our 
joy,  our  salvation,  our '  all  in  all,'  Luke  ii.  25  ;  Col.  iii.  11.     Look,  as  the 

^  But  this  opinion  being  well  laid  asleep  in  these  days,  I  shall  not  put  myself  to  the 
trouble  of  awakening  of  it  afresh,  but  leave  it  to  sleep  with  the  authors,  who  are  now  in 
their  graves. 


250 


A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS. 


[Chap.  I. 


rainbow  is  not  a  cause  wliy  God  will  not  drown  the  world,  but  a  sign 
that  God  will  not  drown  the  world  ;  and  as  it  is  a  sign  that  God  will  not 
drown  the  world,  we  may  and  ought  to  rejoice  in  it,  and  to  take  com- 
fort from  it,  Gen.  ix.  1 3, 14, 16.  So  here,  &c.  It  is  agreed  on  all  hands,  that 
sanctification  is  a  precious  benefit  of  the  covenant  of  grace,  as  well  as 
justification  ;  and  what  crime  can  it  then  be  to  evidence  one  benefit  of 
the  covenant  of  grace,  by  another  benefit  of  the  same  covenant  ?  Jer. 
xxxiii.  8,  })  ;  Ezek.  xxxvi.  25,  26  ;  Heb.  viii.  10,  12,  &c.  That  he  that 
is  justified,  is  also  sanctified,  and  that  he  that  is  sanctified  is  also 
justified,  is  so  clear,  so  bright,  so  sparkling,  and  so  full  a  truth  contained 
m  the  covenant  of  grace,  that  no  man  or  devil  can  deny.  Now  what 
evil  or  error  can  it  be  for  a  man  to  assert,  that  he  that  is  certainly 
sanctified,  is  certainl}^  justified — it  being  the  very  language  of  the  cove- 
nant of  grace — and  that  therefore  he  that  knows  himself  to  be  sanctified, 
may  also  know  thereby  that  he  is  justified.  Certainly,  those  persons 
that  shall  deny  sanctification  to  be  a  most  sure,  sweet,  and  comfortable 
evidence  of  man's  justification,  they  must  not  only  blot  out,  and  abolish 
the  epistles  of  James  and  John,  but  must  also  raze  out  and  abolish  all 
those  evangelical  promises  of  grace  and  mercy,  of  happiness  and  blessed- 
ness, that  are  made  to  such  persons  as  are  invested,  enriched,  and  be- 
spangled with  the  several  graces  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  might  be 
made  evident  by  many  hundred  scriptures,  but  take  that  one  for  all, 
Mat.  v.  where  our  Saviour  himself,  who  was  the  most  evangelical  preacher 
that  ever  was  in  the  world,  makes  eight  or  nine  promises  of  mercy  and 
blessedness  to  those  very  persons  that  had  the  graces  of  the  Spirit  in- 
herent in  them,  as  poverty  of  spirit,  mourning,  meekness,  hungering 
and  thirsting  after  righteousness,  &c.  0  sirs  !  why  should  we  be  so 
frequently  and  earnestly  called  upon  to  try  and  examine  ourselves, 
whether  we  be  in  the  faith  or  no,  2  Cor.  xiii.  5,  if  we  were  not  to  come 
to  the  knowledge  of  our  faith,  in  a  discursive  way,  arguing  from  the 
effect  to  the  cause?  Have  not  the  saints  of  old  come  to  a.ssurance,  and 
the  knowledge  of  the  goodness  of  their  estates,  this  way  ?  Ponder 
seriously  on  that :  2  Cor.  i.  12,  '  For  our  rejoicing  is  this,  the  testimony 
of  our  conscience,  that  in  simplicity  and  godly  sincerity,  we  have  had 
our  conversation  in  the  world.'  Mark,  their  joy  was  founded  on, the 
testimony  of  their  conscience,  and  their  conscience  gave  in  this  testi- 
mony from  the  sincerity  of  their  conversation  in  this  world.  So  Paul 
in  that,  2  Tim.  iv.  7,  8,  '  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my 
course,  I  have  kept  tlie  faith  :  henceforth  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown 
of  righteousness.''  How  plainly,  how  fully,  how  with  open  mouth,  as  I 
may  say,  does  he  conclude  his  right  to  the  crown  of  righteousness, — so 
called,  partly  because  it  is  purchased  by  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  and 
partly  because  he  is  righteous  that  hath  promised  it,  and  partly  because 
it  is  a  just  and  righteous  thing  with  God  to  crown  them  with  glory  at 
last,  who  have  for  the  gospel  sake,  and  his  glory  sake,  been  crowned 
with  shame  and  reproach  in  this  world,  and  partly,  if  not  mainly,  be- 
cause it  is  a  crown  that  can  only  bo  had  or  obtained  in  a  way  of  right- 
eousness and  holiness, — from  his  graces  and  gracious  actings  in  this  world: 


To»  ayata  rat  xaXov  rtyuyifffiii. 

that  excellent  fight,  by  wrestliug 
Cor.  ix.  25. 


Certamen  illud prccclarum  certavi. — Bcza.    I  have  fought 
The  apostle  useth  the  same  metaphor  also  iu  that  1 


Chap.  I.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  251 

*  I  have  fought  a  good  Gght,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the 
faith  ;'  yea,  it  is  further  observable,  that  in  the  blessed  Scripture,  we  are 
strongly  pressed  to  do  good  works,  that  by  them  we  may  make  our 
calling,  election,  and  salvation  sure  :  2  Peter  i.  10, '  Wherefore  the  rather, 
brethren,  give  diligence  to  make  your  calling  and  election  sure,  by 
good  works.'  So  say  all  the  Latin  copies,  and  so  say  some  Greek  copies, 
though  not  those  that  our  English  translators  have  been  pleased  to 
follow,  and  that  is  the  reason  why  those  words,  '  by  good  works,'  are 
not  in  our  English  Bibles  ;  but  he  that  shall  seriously  weigh  the  scope 
of  the  apostle  in  this  place,  he  must  of  necessity  grant,  that  good  works 
are  to  be  understood,  though  they  are  not  expressed  in  the  text ;  and 
that  of  the  apostle  in  1  Tim.  vi.  16-18,  seems  plainly  and  strongly  to 
sound  the  same  way. 

The  second  maxinfi  or  consideration. 

II.  Secondly,  consider,  that  true,  sound,  solid  marks,  signs,  and 
evidences,  are  the  best  way  to  prevent  delusions.     There  is  no  such 
deceit  in  sound  and  solid  evidences,  as  there  is  in  flashy  joys,  and  in 
hjgh  and  strange  raptures,  by  which  many  glistering  professors  have 
been  sadly  deceived  and  deluded.     Young  Samuel,  being  not  acquainted 
with  any  extraordinary  manifestations  of  the  presence  and  power  of  God, 
took  the  voice  of  God  from  heaven  to  be  the  voice  of  old  Eli,  1  Sam.  iii. 
5.     Ah  !  how  many  have  there  been  in  our  days,  that  have  taken  the 
irregular  motions  of  their  own  hearts,  and  the  violent  workings  of  their 
own  distempered  fancies,  and  imaginations,  and  Satanical  delusions,  to 
be  the  visions  of  God,   celestial  raptures,   divine  breathings,  and  the 
powerful  impulses  of  the  Spirit  of  God ;  and  so  have  been  stirred  up  to 
speak,  write,  and  act  such  things  that  have  been,  not  only  contrary  to 
the  holy  word  of  God,  but  also  contrary  to  the  very  laws  of  nature  and 
nations.     Satan,  by  transforming  of  himself  into  an  angel  of  light,  hath 
seduced  and  ruined  many  professors,  against  whom,  as  an  angel  of  dark- 
ness, he  could  never  prevail,  2  Cor.  xi.  ]  4.     Gerson^  tells  a  remarkable 
story  of  Satan's  appearing  to  a  holy  man,  in  a  most  glorious  and  beauti- 
ful manner,  professing  himself  to  be  Christ ;  and  because  he,  for  his 
exemplary  holiness  was  worthy  to  be  honoured  above  othei's,  therefore 
he  appeared  unto  him ;  but  the  good  old  man  readily  answered  him, 
that  he  desired  not  to  see  his  Saviour  in  this  wilderness  ;  it  should  suffice 
him  to  see  him   hereafter  in  heaven  ;  and   withal  added  this  pithy 
prayer,  '  Oh  let  thy  sight  be  my  reward.   Lord,   in  another  life,   and 
not  in  this  ;'  and  so  he  became  victorious  over  Satan,  though  he  had 
transformed  himself  into  a  glorious  angel  of  light.     But  such  a  victorious 
crown  has  not  been  set  upon  every  one's  head  to  whom  Satan  hath  ap- 
peared as  angel  of  glory.3      Certainly,  they  that  stand   so  much,   so 
mightily,  for  an  immediate  testimony,  seem  to  open  such  a  gap  to 
enthusiasm,  as  will  not  be  easily  shut ;  yea,  how  will  they  be  ever  able 
to  secure  to  purpose,  poor  souls  from  sad  delusions  ?  for  how  easy  a 
thing  it  is  for  Satan, — who  is  the  father  of  lies,  John  viii.  44  ;  who  is  an 
old  deceiver,  Gen.  iii.  12  ;  1  Tim.  ii.  14  ;  who  is  the   grand  deceiver, 
Rev.  xii.  9  ;  xiii.   14  ;  xix.  20  ;  xx.  10  ;  who  has  his  devices,  2  Cor.  ii. 
11 ;  his  wiles,  Ephes,  vi.  11  ;  his  snares,  1  Tim.  iii.  7  ;  his  depths.  Rev. 

2  Gerson  in  his  book,  De  probatione  spirituum,  Of  the  trial  of  spirits. 

^  See  Dr  Casaubon,  and  Dr  Moore  concerning  Enthusiasm.     [More  ? — G.] 


'z:y2 


A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS. 


[Chap.  I. 


ii.  2-t, — to  find  varion.s  artifices  to  counterfeit  this  immediate  testimony, 
and  boar  witness  in  the  Spirit's  stead  ;  so  that,  when  poor  souls  think 
that  they  have  the  spirit  of  grace  and  truth  to  assure  them  that  all  is 
well,  and  shall  be  for  ever  well  with  them,  they  have  none  but  *  the 
father  of  lies'  to  deceive  them,  they  have  none  but  the  devil  in  Samuel's 
mantle,  to  put  a  soul-murdering  cheat  upon  them.  I  am  not  fond  of 
advising  any  poor  souls  to  lay  the  stress  of  their  hopes  in  heaven  and 
salvation  merely  upon  immediate  impressions,  lest  they  .should  subject 
themselves  to  infinite  delusions.  O  sirs  !  the  way  of  immediate  revela- 
tion is  more  fleeting  and  inconstant.  Such  actings  of  the  Spirit  are  like 
those  outward  motions  that  came  upon  Samson,  Judges  xiii.  25.  The 
Spirit  came  upon  him  at  times.  And  so  upon  every  withdrawment, 
new  doubts  and  scruples  arise  ;  but  the  trial  of  a  man's  e.state  by  grace 
is  more  constant  and  durable,  saving  grace  being  a  continual  pledge  of 
God's  love  to  us.  Flashes  of  joy  and  comfort  are  only  sweet  and  de- 
lightsome whilst  they  are  felt,  but  grace  is  that  immortal  seed  that 
abideth  for  ever,  1  John  iii.  9.     But, 

Tlie  third  maxim  or  consideration. 

III.  Thirdly,  consider.  In  projwvndivg  of  evidences  for  men  to  tnj 
their  spiritual  and  eternal  estates  by,  there  are  tivo  special  injles  for 
ever  to  be  minded  and  remembered  ;  and  the^?'s^  is  this.  That  lie  thai 
propounds  evidences  of  grace,  ivhich  are  only  proper  to  eminent 
Christians,  as  belonging  to  all  true  Christians,  he  will  certainly  grieve 
and  sad  those  jn^ecious  lambs  of  Christ  that  He  would  not  have  grieved 
and  sadded.  Look,  as  there  is  a  strong  faith  and  a  weak  faith,  so  there 
are  evidences  that  are  proper  to  a  strong  faith,  and  evidences  that  are 
proper  to  a  weak  faith.  Now,  he  that  cannot  find  in  himself  the  evi- 
dences of  a  strong  faith,  he  must  not  conclude  that  he  has  no  faith  ;  for 
he  may  have  in  him  the  evidences  of  a  weak  faith  when  he  has  not  the 
evidences  of  a  strong  faith  in  him.^  In  Christ's  school,  house,  church, 
there  are  several  sorts  and  ranks  of  Christians,  as  babes,  children,  young 
men,  and  old  men  ;  and  accordingly  ministers,  in  their  preaching  and 
writing,  should  sort  their  evidences  that  so  babes  and  children  may  not 
be  found  bleeding,  grieving,  and  weeping,  when  they  should  be  found 
joying  and  rejoicing. 

Secondly,  No  man  must  make  such  characters,  marks,  or  evidences 
of  a  child  of  God  wldch  may  be  found  in  an  hypocrite,  a  formalist^ 
&c.     For  this  were  to  lay  a  stumbling-block  before  the  blind,  this  werei 
to  delude  poor  souls,  and  to  make  them  glad  whom  God  would  not  have! 
made  glad  ;  3'ca,  this  is  the   highway,  the  ready  way,  to  make  them 
miserable  in  both  worlds,  Ezek.  xiii.  22.     The  rule  or  evidence  that] 
every  Christian  is  to  measure  himself  by  must  be  neither  too  long  nofj 
too  short,  but  adequate  to  the  state  of  a  Christian  ;  that  is,  it  must  not 
be  so  long,  on  the  one  hand,  as  that  all  Christians  cannot  reach  it,  nor] 
yet  so  short,  on  the  other  hand,  as  that  it  will  not  reach  a  true  Chris- 
tian ;  but  the  rule  or  evidence  must  be  such  as  will  suit  and  fit  every 
sincere  believer,  and  none  else.     Some  Christians  are  apt  to  judge  of  j 
themselves,  and  to  try  themselves,  by  such  rules  or  evidences  as  are 

'  Mat.  XV.  28,  and  chap.  viii.  26.  It  is  one  thing  to  shew  yon  the  properties  of  a  man, 
and  another  thing  to  shew  you  tlie  properties  of  a  strong  man,  1  Peter  ii.  3,  1  Joliu  ii.  l| ' 
12-14. 


Chap.  I.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  253 

competent  only  to  those  that  are  strong  men  in  Christ,  and  that  are 
grown  to  a  high  pitch  of  grace,  of  holiness,  of  communion  with  God,  of 
.spiritual  enjoyments  and  heavenly  attainments,  and  sweet  and  blessed 
ravishments  of  soul  ;  and  by  this  means  they  come  to  conclude  against 
the  works  of  the  blessed  Spirit  in  them,  and  to  perplex  and  disquiet 
their  own  souls  with  needless  fears,  doubts,  and  jealousies.  Others,  on 
the  other  hand,  are  apt  to  judge  of  themselves,  and  to  try  themselves, 
by  such  things,  rules,  or  evidences  that  are  too  short,  and  will  certainly 
leave  them  short  of  heaven ;  as  a  fair,  civil  deportment  among  all  sorts 
and  ranks  of  men  ;  a  good  nature,  paying  every  man  their  due  ;  charity 
to  the  poor  ;  a  good  name  or  fame  among  men,  yea,  happily  among 
good  men  ;  outward  exercises  of  religion,  as  hearing,  praying,  reading, 
fasting  ;  or  that  they  are  good  negative  Christians,  that  is  to  say,  that 
they  are  no  drunkards,  swearers,  liars,  adulterers,  extortioners,  oppress- 
ors, Sabbath-breakers,  persecutors,  &c..  Mat.  xxiii.  4,  seq.,  Luke  xviii. 
9-12,  Isa.  i.  2-5.  Thus  far  Paul  attained  before  his  conversion,  but  if 
he  had  gone  no  further  he  had  been  a  lost  man  for  ever,  Philip,  iii. 
4—6,  Gal.  vi.  3,  Isa.  xxxiii.  14  ;  and  by  this  means  they  flatter  them- 
selves into  misery,  and  are  still  a-dreaming  of  going  to  heaven  till 
they  drop  into  hell,  and  awake  with  everlasting  flames  about  their 
ears.  And  oh  that  all  that  preach  or  print,  read  or  write,  would 
seriously  lay  this  to  heart !  Some,  in  describing  the  state  of  a  Chris- 
tian, shew  rather  what  of  right  it  should  be  than  what  indeed  it  is ; 
they  shew  what  Christians  ought  to  be  rather  than  what  they  find 
themselves  to  be,  and  so  they  become  a  double-edged  sword  to  many 
Christians.     But, 

The  fourth  nnaxhn  or  consideration. 

IV.  Fourtlily,  consider.  Where  there  is  any  one  grace  in  truth,  there 
is  every  grace  in  truth,  though  every  grace  cannot  he  seen.  Look,  as  a 
man  may  certainly  know  a  wicked  man  by  his  living  under  the  reign 
and  dominion  of  any  one  sin,  though  he  does  not  live  under  the  power 
of  other  sins,  because  there  is  not  any  one  sin  mortified  in  that  man  that 
hath  any  one  sin  reigning  in  him,  and  that  does  not  set  himself  in  good 
earnest  against  it  as  his  greatest  enemy  ;  so  when  a  Christian  can  but 
find  any  one  grace  in  him,  as  love  to  the  saints  for  grace  sake,  for  god- 
liness sake,  he  may  safely  conclude  that  there  is  in  him  all  other  graces. 
Where  there  is  but  one  link  of  this  golden  chain,  there  are  all  the  links 
of  this  golden  chain  :  John  xiii.  35,  '  By  this  shall  all  men  know  ye  are 
my  disciples,  if  ye  love  one  another.'  He  doth  not  say  if  ye  work 
miracles,  if  ye  raise  the  dead,  if  ye  give  eyes  to  the  blind,  or  ears  to  the 
deaf,  or  tongues  to  the  dumb,  or  feet  to  the  lame,  but  'if  ye  love  one 
another.''  There  have  been  many,  yea,  very  many,  precious  Christians 
who  have  lived  and  died  with  a  great  deal  of  comfort  and  peace  from 
the  application  of  that  text  to  their  own  souls  :  1  John  iii.  14,  '  We 
know  that  we  have  passed  from  death  to  life,  because  we  love  the 
brethren.'  Sincere  love  to  the  brethren  is  a  most  evident  sign  of  a  Chris- 
tian's being  already  passed  or  translated  from  death  to  life.     Observe, 

>  As  they  say  of  the  cardinal  virtues,  Virtutes  sxmt  inter  se  connexce,  The  virtues  are 
chained  together ;  so  we  may  say  of  the  graces  of  the  Spirit,  &c.  Mark,  saith  Chrysos- 
tom,  it  is  not  working  of  miracles,  casting  out  of  devils,  but  love  to  our  bre-thren,  that  is 
the  iufuUible  proof  of  being  a  disciple.     [On  Luke  ii.  20,  Homil. — G.] 


2:a  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  [Chap.  I. 

the  apostle  doth  not  say,  we  think  we  have  passed  from  death  to  life, 
but  we  knoiv  we  have  passed  from  death  to  life  ;  nor  he  does  not  say, 
we  conjecture  we  have  passed  from  death  to  life,  but  we  know  we  have 
passed  from  death  to  life ;  nor  he  does  not  say,  we  hope  we  are  passed 
from  deatii  to  life,  l)ut  we  are  assured  that  we  are  parsed  from  death 
to  life,  that  is,  from  a  state  of  nature  into  a  state  of  grace,  'because  we 
love  the  brethren.'  For  ever  remember  this,  when  all  other  evidences 
have  failed  many  gracious  Christians,  and  all  other  texts  of  Scripture 
have  afforded  them  no  comfort,  here  they  have  anchored,  here  they  have 
found  rest  for  their  distressed  souls  ;  and  upon  this  one  single  plank, 
this  one  evidence,  they  have  swam  safely  and  comfortably  unto  the 
haven  of  eternal  happiness.  Every  real  Christian  hath  in  some  measure 
every  sanctifying  grace  in  him.  As  a  child  so  soon  as  it  is  born  is  a  per- 
fect man  for  integrity  of  parts  and  entireness  of  limbs,  though  not  for 
bio-ness  and  bulk  of  body,  so  every  regenerate  person,  at  the  very  first 
hour  of  his  conversion,  he  is  in  part  renewed  in  all  parts  ;  all  the  habits 
of  orace  are  infused  into  the  soul  by  the  Spirit  at  once.  At  first  con- 
version the  sovd  is  bespangled  with  every  grace,  though  every  grace  is 
not  then  grown  up  to  its  full  proportion  or  perfection  ;  so  that  where 
there  is  one  grace  in  truth,  there  is  every  grace  in  truth.  That  soul 
that  can  truly  and  seriously  conclude  that  he  has  any  one  grace  in  him, 
that  soul  ought  to  conclude  that  there  is  every  grace  in  him.^  Such  as 
dilic'ently  search  the  Scripture  shall  find  that  true  blessedness,  happi- 
nes.s,  and  salvation  is  attributed  to  several  signs  :  sometimes  to  the 
fear  of  God,  sometimes  to  faith,  sometimes  to  repentance,  sometimes  to 
love,  sometimes  to  meekness,  sometimes  to  humility,  sometimes  to 
patience,  sometimes  to  poverty  of  spirit,  sometimes  to  holy  mourning, 
sometimes  to  hungering  and  thirsting  after  righteousness  ;  so  that  if  a 
godly  man  can  find  any  one  of  these  in  himself,  he  may  safely  and 
oTOundedly  conclude  of  his  salvation  and  justification,  though  he  cannot 
see  all  those  signs  in  him.^  There  is  no  saint  but  may  perceive  one  sign 
in  him,  when  he  cannot  another.  Now,  he  that  can  groundedly  be  per- 
suaded of  any  one  sign  of  grace,  he  may  safely  conclude  he  hath  all  the 
rest,  though  for  the  present  he  can  neither  see  them  nor  feel  them  in 
himself     But, 

The  fifth  maxim  or  consideration. 

V.  Fifthly,  consider,  That  the  promises  of  God  are  a  Christian's 
magna  cliarta,  his  chiefest  evidences  for  heaven.  Divine  promises  are 
God's  deed  of  gift ;  they  are  the  only  assurance  which  the  saints  have  to 
shew  for  their  right  and  title  to  Christ,  to  his  blood,  and  to  all  the  happi- 
ness and  blessedness  that  comes  by  him.  Look,  as  Judah^  by  pleading  and 
brino-inf  forth  the  signet,  the  bracelets,  and  the  staff,  saved  her  life.  Gen. 
xxxviii.  18-27;  so  we  by  believing,  pleading,  and  bringing  forth  the  pro- 
mises, mustsave  our  own  souls.  The  promises  are  not  only  the  food  of  faith, 
but  also  the  very  life  and  soul  of  fiiith ;  they  are  a  mine  of  rich  treasures, 
a  o-arden  full  of  the  choicest  and  sweetest  flowers  ;  in  them  are  wrapt 

'  1  Thes.  V.  23;  John  iii.  5-8,  and  chap.  i.  16  ;  Ps.  xlv.  13.  The  new  creature  hath 
all  the  parts  and  lineaments,  as  in  the  body  there  is  a  composition  of  all  the  elements, 
and  a  mixture  of  all  the  humours. 

»  Mat.  V.  3-0,  &c.  Every  child  of  God  hath  all  the  graces  of  the  Spirit  in  him  radi- 
cally, though  not  gradually.  ^  Qu.  '  Tamur  '?— Ed. 


Chap.  I.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  255 

up  all  celestial  contentments  and  delights.  And  this  is  most  certain, 
that  all  a  Christian's  conclusions  of  interest  in  any  of  those  choice  and 
precious  privileges  which  flow  from  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  ought  to 
be  bottomed,  grounded,  and  founded  upon  the  rich  and  free  promises  of 
grace  and  mercy. 

Quest,  But  hoiu  may  a  person  come  to  knoiu  whether  he  has  a  real 
and  saving  interest  in  the  promises,  or  no  ?  Now,  to  this  great  ques- 
tion, I  shall  give  these  nine  following  answers : 

[1.]  First,  A  holy  reliance,  a  holy  resting,  a  holy  staying  of  thy  soul 
upon  the  p>romises,  makes  the  promises  thine  oivn  ;  yea,  it  makes  all 
the  good,  and  all  the  sweet,  and  all  the  happiness  and  blessedness  that 
is  wrapped  up  in  the  promises  thine.  Even  as  thy  staying,  relying, 
and  resting  on  Christ  makes  Christ  thine,  and  all  that  is  in  him,  and 
that  comes  by  him,  thine,  so  thy  staying  and  resting  upon  the  pro- 
mises makes  them  thine. 

[2.]  Secondly,  If  thy  heart  ordinarily,  habitually,  lies  under  the 
word  of  command,  then  the  word  of  promise  does  assuredly  belong 
to  thy  soul,  Ps.  cxix.  6  ;  Acts  xiii.  22 ;  Luke  i.  5,  6.'  There  is  no  soul 
under  heaven  that  commonly  lies  under  the  commanding  power  of  the 
word,  but  that  soul  that  has  an  interest  in  the  word  of  promise.  Men 
that  have  no  interest  in  the  word  of  promise,  commonly  live  in  the 
neglect  of  the  word  of  command.  If  the  word  of  command  commonly 
carries  thy  soul,  then  the  word  of  promise,  without  all  peradventure, 
belongs  to  thy  soul.  Many  deal  with  the  commands  of  God  as  the 
heathens  dealt  with  the  commands  of  their  gods  ;  when  their  gods 
called  for  a  man,  they  offered  a  candle ;  or  as  Hercules  offered  up  a 
painted  man,  instead  of  a  living  man.  Such  as  deal  thus  with  the 
commands  of  God,  they  have  no  interest  in  the  promises  of  God.  Flesh 
and  blood  looks  upon  the  commands  of  God  as  impossible  to  be  obeyed, 
like  the  unbelieving  spies  ;  '  Oh  we  cannot  conquer  the  land  ;'  but  faith 
and  love,  like  Caleb  and  Joshua,  conclude  the  land  may  be  conquered, 
the  commands  may  be  evangelically  obeyed;  and  accordingly  they 
readily  undertake  it.  Now,  to  such  a  frame  of  heart  the  promises  are 
entailed.     But, 

[3.]  Thirdly,  If  in  the  face  of  all  objections,  discouragements,  and 
difficulties,  thy  soul  be  kept  up  in  a  waiting  frame,  for  the  fulfilling 
of  the  promises,  as  Abraham's  was,  Rom.  iv.,  then  certainly  the  pro- 
mises belong  to  thee.^  There  are  some  promises  that  relate  to  the 
subduing  of  sin,  as  that,  Jer.  xxxiii.  8  ;  Ezek.  xxxvi.  25-27  ;  Micah  vii. 
19  ;  Ps.  Ixv.  3.  And  there  are  other  precious  promises  that  relate  to 
1  a  growth  in  grace,  as  that,  Malachi  iv.  2  ;  Job  xvii.  9  ;  Ps.  xcii.  12-14  ; 
Prov.  iv,  18  ;  Hosea  xiv.  5-7.  Now,  if  thy  heart  be  kept  up  in  a  wait- 
ing frame  for  the  accomplishment  of  these  promises,  then  they  do  cer- 
tainly belong  to  thee.     The  same  I  may  say  of  all  other  promises  ; 

1  It  was  a  good  saying  of  Augustine,  Da  quod  juhes,  et  jube  quod  vis,  give  what  thou 
commandest,  and  command  what  thou  wilt.  To  such  a  frame  the  promises  belong, 
Num.  xiii.  28  to  the  end. 

*  The  longer,  said  the  emperor's  son,  the  cooks  are  preparing  the  meat,  the  better 
cheer  I  shall  have.  His  meaning  was,  that  the  longer  he  staid  for  the  empire,  the 
better  and  greater  it  would  be  ;  so  the  longer  the  soul  waits  for  a  mercy,  the  better  and 
greater  it  will  be  when  it  comes,  &c. 


256  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  I. 

the  waiting  soul  shall  be  sure  to  speed,  Ps.  xl.  1-3;  Isa.  xl.  29-31, 
XXX.  18 ;  Heb.  vi.  12,  &c.  God  never  did,  nor  never  will,  tiu.strate  the 
expectations  of  the  patient  waiter,  &c.     But, 

[4]  Fourthly,  lie  that  hath  those  divine  qualities  or  sujyematural 
graces  in  him,  to  which  the  promises  are  made,  as  faith,  repentance, 
love,  fear,  hope,  uprvjhtncss,  2^citience,  a  waiting  frame,  d'c,  Ju  Im.-i 
an  undoubted  interest  in  the  promises.  He  may  lay  his  hand  upon 
any  promise,  and  say,  this  promise  is  mine  ;  and  all  the  blessings,  the 
benefits,  the  heavenly  treasure  that  is  laid  up  in  it,  is  mine.     But, 

[5.]  Fifthly,  He  that  lives  upon  the  promises  as  Ids  daily  food,  he 
has  an  unquestionable  interest  in  the  promises.  Wicked  men  may 
make  use  of  promises  as  of  physic,  in  some  cases,  as  when  they  are 
under  anguish  of  spirit,  or  gripes  of  conscience,  or  in  fear  of  hell ;  or 
else  when  they  are  under  some  outward  wants  or  straits,  &c.,  but  he 
that  lives  upon  them  as  his  daily  food,  he  has  a  most  assured  interest 
in  them.  Our  outward  roan  lives  not  upon  kickshaws,  though  now  and 
then  we  may  taste  of  them,  but  we  live  upon  wholesome  food  ;  so  here, 
no  man  lives  upon  the  blessed  promises  as  his  appointed  food,  but  he 
that  has  a  real  interest  in  the  promises.  Look,  as  there  is  a  nourishment 
proper  to  every  animal, — spiders  feed  on  flies,  moles  on  Avorms,  the  horse 
on  grass,  the  lion  on  flesh,  &c., —  so  there  is  food,  nourishment,  that  is 
proper  for  men's  souls,  viz.,  the  precious  promises  and  Christ's  '  flesh,' 
which  is  meat  indeed,  and  his  blood,  which  is  drink  indeed,  John  vi. 
53,  seq. ;  and  he  that  daily  feeds  on  this  food  will  be  happy  for  ever. 
But, 

[6.]  Sixthly,  If  you  are  united  and  married  to  Christ  by  faith,  then 
you  have  a  real,  a  saving  irderest  in  the  promises  :  Gal.  iii.  29,  '  And 
if  you  be  Christ's,  then  are  you  Abraham's  seed,  and  heirs  according  to 
the  promise.'  The  promise  is  the  jointure,  and  there  is  no  way  under 
heaven  to  enjoy  the  jointure  but  by  matching  with  the  person  of 
Christ,  Col.  iv.  28  ;  Heb.  i,  2  ;  Rev.  xxi.  7.  And  faith  is  the  grace  of 
araces,  by  which  the  soul  gives  both  its  assent  and  consent  to  take  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  he  is  tendered  and  offered  in  the  gospel,  and  is 
therefore  called  sometimes  a  receiving  of  Christ,  John  i.  12.  The  only 
way  to  enjoy  a  lady's  jointure,  is  to  marry  her  person ;  and  so  the  only 
way  to  enjoy  the  promise  of  Christ,  is  to  be  willing  to  marry  the  person 
of  Christ.  It  is  our  marriage  union  with  Christ  that  gives  us  a  right 
and  title  to  all  the  promises  of  Christ :  2  Cor.  i.  20,  '  For  all  the  pro- 
mises of  God  in  him  are  yea,  and  in  him,  Amen.'  All  absolute  and 
conditional  promises,  either  of  grace  or  unto  grace,  are  made  to  us  in 
Christ,  and  only  enjoyed  by  our  enjoying  of  Christ. 

[7.]  Seventhly,  He  that  can  clear  his  right  to  any  one  promise,  fie 
may  safely  and  boldly  conclude  his  interest  in  every  j)roniise.  The 
promises  are  a  golden  chain,  and  he  that  has  a  right  in  one  link  of  the 
chain,  has  a  right  in  every  link  of  the  chain,  2  Peter  i.  5-7;  Eph.  v. 
22,  23  ;  2  Peter  i.  4.  As  there  is  a  chain  of  graces,  so  there  is  a  chain 
of  promi.ses.  He  that  can  lay  his  hand  upon  any  one  promise,  and 
truly  say,  This  is  mine,  he  may  safely  lay  his  hand  upon  every 
promise,  and  say,  These  are  mine  ;  he  that  is  an  heir  to  any  one 
promise,  he  is  an  heir  to  every  promise.  Hence  it  is  they  are  called 
'  heirs  of  promise,'  Heb.  vi.  17  ;  not  heirs  of  this  promise  or  that,  but 


J 


Chap.  I.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  257 

of  promise ;  that  is,  of  every  promise,  or  the  covenant  which  com- 
prehends all  the  precious  promises  of  the  gospel  in  it.  Though  the 
promises  may  be  distinguished  one  from  another,  yet  they  may  not  be 
severed  one  from  another  ;  he  that  has  a  right  to  any  one  promise,  he 
may  safely  infer  his  right  to  every  promise.  The  whole  covenant, 
which  is  a  bundle  of  promises,  is  certainly  thine,  if  any  one  promise  be 
thine.  The  promises  by  a  divine  hand  are  mutually  tied  and  linked 
together;  and  those  whom  God  has  joined  together  no  man  may  put 
asunder.  The  promises  can  be  no  more  divided  than  Christ  can  be 
divided,  or  than  heaven  can  be  divided.  The  promises  are  not  like  loose 
and  unstringed  pearls,  but  as  pearls  made  into  one  entire  chain.  He 
that  can  lay  his  hand  upon  that  promise,  Mat.  v.  6,  '  Blessed  are  they 
which  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness :  for  they  shall  be  satisfied,' 
and  truly  say.  This  promise  is  mine,  he  may  safely  lay  his  hand  upon 
that  promise,  ver.  8,  '  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart :  for  they  shall  see 
God,'  and  say.  This  promise  is  mine ;  and  the  same  he  may  say  of  the 
rest  of  the  precious  promises  that  are  specified  in  vers.  3,  4,  5,  7,  9,  10, 
11  of  that  chapter.  He  that  can  lay  his  hand  upon  any  one  promise  that 
God  has  made  to  them  that  love  him,  and  truly  say,  This  promise  is 
mine,  he  may  safely  lay  his  hand  upon  every  promise  that  God  has 
made  to  them  that  love  him,  and  say.  These  are  all  mine.  He  that  can 
lay  his  hand  upon  any  one  promise  that  God  has  made  to  them  that 
fear  him,  and  truly  say.  This  promise  is  mine,  he  may  assuredly  lay  his 
hand  upon  every  promise  that  God  has  made  to  them  that  fear  him,  and 
say,  These  are  all  mine.  He  that  can  lay  his  hand  upon  any  one  pro- 
mise that  God  has  made  to  faith  in  Christ,  to  believing  in  Christ,  and 
truly  say.  This  promise  is  mine,  he  may  safely  lay  his  hand  upon  every 
promise  that  God  has  made  to  faith  in  Christ,  to  believing  in  Christ, 
and  say.  All  these  promises  are  mine.  He  that  can  lay  his  hand  upon 
any  one  promise  that  God  has  made  to  the  returning  sinner,  and  truly 
say.  This  promise  is  mine,  he  may  securely  lay  his  hand  upon  every 
promise  that  God  has  made  to  the  returning  sinner,  the  repenting 
sinner,  and  say,  All  these  are  mine.  He  that  can  lay  his  hand  upon  any 
one  promise  that  God  has  made  to  the  waiting  soul,  and  truly  say.  This 
promise  is  mine,  he  may  without  all  peradventure  lay  his  hand  upon 
every  promise  that  God  has  made  to  the  waiting  soul,  and  say,  All  these 
are  mine.  Prove  but  your  right  in  one,  and  you  may  safely  infer  your 
right  to  all.     But, 

[8.]  Eighthly,  //  in  the  times  of  your  greatest  outward  and  inward 
straits  and  trials,  when  you  are  most  sadly  and  sorely  put  to  it,  you 
fly  to  the  precious  "promises,  as  to  your  surest  and  choicest  city  of  refuge^ 
then  certainly  you  have  an  interest  in  them.  Thus  Abraham  did,  Rom. 
iv.  17-22  ;  and  thus  Jacob  did.  Gen.  xxxii.  6-12  compared  ;  and  thus 
Sarah  did,  Heb.  xi.  11 ;  and  thus  Moses  did,  Num.  x.  29  ;  and  thus 
Jehoshaphat  did,  2  Chron.  xx.  1,  10  compared  with  the  7th,  8th,  and  9th 
verses  of  that  chapter ;  and  this  was  David's  common  practice  :  Ps. 
xxvii.  12,  1.3,  and  Ps.  Ix.  1-10,  compared,  and  Ps.  cxix.  49,  50.  Turn  to 
these  scriptures,  and  ponder  upon  them.  And  so  when  a  man  is  under 
the  guilt  of  sin,  he  flies  to  promises  of  pardon  and  forgiveness,  as  to  his 
surest  and  choicest  city  of  refuge.  Num.  xiv.  19,  Isa.  Iv.  7  ;  Jer.  xxxiii. 

VOL.  ni.  R 


258  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  I. 

8  ;  Isa.  xl.  1,2  ;  chap,  xliii.  25  ;  Micah  vii.  18;  Jer.  xxxi.  34;  Exod. 
xxxiv.  7  ;  Dan.  ix,  i).  And  so  when  a  man  is  under  the  strength,  power, 
and  prevalency  of  sin,  he  runs  to  such  promises  wherein  God  lias  engaged 
himself  to  subdue  the  suis  of  his  people,  and  to  purge  and  cleanse  away 
the  sins  of  his  people,  Micah  vii.  19  ;  Rom.  vi.  14  ;  Ps.  Ixv.  3  ;  Isa.  i.  25  ; 
Mai.  iii.  3 ;  Zech.  xiii.  9 ;  Isa.  xxvii.  9;  Mat.  iii.  12  ;  Ezek.  xxxvi.  25,  33 ; 
Jer.  xxxiii,  8,  as  to  his  surest  and  choicest  city  of  refuge.  And  so  when 
a  man  is  deserted,  he  runs  to  such  promises  as  are  proper  to  that  state, 
as  to  his  surest  and  choicest  city  of  refuge,  Micah  vii.  19  ;  Isa.  liv.  7-10  ; 
Ps.  v.  12;  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  10;  Ps.  xcvii.  11  ;  Ps.  cxii.  4  ;  Isa.  xlix.  14-16. 
And  so  when  a  man  is  tempted,  he  runs  to  such  supporting,  succouring, 
and  encouraging  promises  as  are  most  suitable  to  that  state,  as  to  his 
surest  and  choicest  city  of  refuge,  1  Cor.  x.  13;  Heb.  ii.  18  ;  Rom.  xvi. 
20  ;  James  iv.  7.  Now  certainly,  such  as  in  all  their  inward  and  out- 
ward straits  run  thus  to  the  promises,  as  to  their  surest  and  choicest 
city  of  refuge,  they  have  an  unquestionable  interest  in  the  promises. 
The  rich  man's  wealth  is  his  strong  city,  Prov,  x.  15.  Wealthy  world- 
lings, in  times  of  distress  and  danger,  do  run  to  their  hoards  and  heaps 
of  riches,  as  to  a  strong  city  that  is  able  to  outstand  all  sieges  and 
assaults,  and  to  be  safety  and  security  to  them ;  so  when  once  a  man 
makes  the  precious  promises  to  be  his  strong  city,  and  runs  to  them  in 
the  day  of  his  distress  and  dangers,  as  his  only  safety  and  security,  then 
he  has  doubtless  an  interest  in  them.     Bat, 

[9.]  Ninthly  and  lastly,  If  you  daily  present  a  greater  and  a 
choicer  good  in  the  promises  to  your  souls  than  any  this  ivorld  affords, 
then  certainly  you  have  an  interest  in  the  promises.  If  when  honours, 
or  riches,  or  pleasures,  or  the  applause  of  men  do  present  themselves 
unto  you,  you  can  readily  present  to  your  own  souls  higher  honours  in 
the  promise,  1  Sam.  ii.  30 ;  Luke  xii.  32  ;  Rev.  ii.  17,  26,  27  ;  chap,  iii 
5,  12,  21  ;  chap.  v.  10  ;  and  more  durable  riches  in  the  promise,  Prov. 
viii.  1 8  ;  1  Pet.  iii.  4  ;  and  sweeter  and  choicer  pleasures  in  the  promise, 
Ps.  xvi.  11  ;  Isa.  xii.  3,  chap.  xxxv.  2,  10 ;  Jer.  xxxiii,  9,  11  ;  Ps.  cxxxiL 
J  6  ;  and  greater  applause  in  the  promise.  Mat.  x.  32,  '  Whosoever,  there- 
fore, shall  confess  me  before  men,  him  will  I  confess  also  before  my 
Father  which  is  in  heaven  ;'  ay,  and  before  the  angels  too,  Luke  xii.  8  ; 
Mat.  XXV.  31-41  ;  1  Cor.  vi.  2,  3;  2  Thes.  i.  6-10  ;  Rev.  iii.  9  ;  Isa.  Ix. 
12-14  ;  then  certainly  you  have  an  interest  in  the  promise.  When  a 
man  can  shew  his  own  heart  daily,  in  the  glass  of  the  promises,  a  greater 
worth,  excellency,  and  glory,  than  all  this  world  affords,  without  all 
controversy  he  has  an  interest  in  the  promises.  Thus  those  worthies,  of 
whom  this  world  was  not  worthy,  Heb.  xi.,  and  the  martyrs  in  all  ages, 
did  commonly  present  better,  higher,  and  greater  things  to  their  own 
souls  in  the  promises,  than  any  their  adversaries  were  able  to  propose  to 
draw  them  off  from  Christ,  their  profession  or  principles,  &c.,  and  by 
this  means  they  did  very  courageously  and  honourably  maintain  their 
ground  in  the  face  of  all  the  gay  and  golden  temptations  that  they  met 
withal.  Grudelitaa  vestra,  gloria  nostra,  your  cruelty  is  our  glory, 
said  they  in  TertuUian  ;'  and  the  harder  we  are  put  to  it,  the  greater 
shall  be  our  reward  in  heaven.  Basil  will  tell  you,  that  the  most  cruel 
martyrdom  is  but  a  crafty  trick  to  escape  death,  to  pass  from  life  to 

'  Apolog. — G. 


Chap.  I.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels,  259 

life,  as  he  speaks.^  It  can  be  but  a  day's  journey  between  the  cross  and 
paradise.  Though  the  cross  be  bitter,  yet  it  is  but  short.  'A  little  storm,'  as 
one  said  of  Julian's  persecution,  'and  an  eternal  calm  follows.'  Adrianus, 
seeing  the  martyrs  suffer  cheerfully  such  grievous  and  dreadful  things, 
asked,  Why  they  would  endure  such  misery,  when  they  might,  by  retract- 
ing, free  themselves  ;  upon  which  one  of  them  alleged  that  text,  '  Eye 
hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man, 
the  things  which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him,'  1  Cor.  ii.  9. 
The  naming  of  the  text,  and  seeing  them  suffer  such  hard  things  cheer- 
fully, did,  by  a  blessing  from  on  high,  so  really  and  effectually  convert 
him,  that  afterwards  he  became  a  martyr  too.^  When  we  see  poor, 
weak,  feeble  Christians  defying  their  torments,  conquering  in  the  midst 
of  sufferings,  singing  in  prison,  as  Paul  and  Silas  did.  Acts  xvi.  25 ;  kissing 
the  stake,  as  Henry  Voes  did  ;^  clapping  their  hands  when  they  were 
half  consumed  with  fire,  as  Hawkes  did  ;*  blessing  God  that  ever  they 
were  born  to  see  that  day,  as  John  Noyes  did  f  calling  their  execution 
day  their  wedding  day,  as  Bishop  Ridley  did,  f  we  cannot  but  conclude 
that  they  had  an  eye  to  '  the  recompence  of  reward,'  and  they  saw  such 
great,  and  sweet,  and  glorious  things  in  the  promises,  that  did  so  refresh, 
delight,  and  ravish  their  hearts,  and  transport  their  souls,  that  all  their 
heavy  afflictions  seemed  light,  and  their  long  afflictions  short,  and  their 
most  bitter  afflictions  sweet  and  easy  to  them.     But, 

The  sixth  maxim  of  consideration. 

VI.  Sixthly,  Consider,  that  it  is  granted  on  all  hands,  that  the  least 
degree  of  grace,  if  true,  is  sufficient  to  salvation  ;  for  the  promises  of 
life  and  glory,  of  remission  and  salvation,  of  everlasting  happiness  and 
blessedness,  are  not  made  over  to  degrees  of  grace,  but  to  the  truth  of 
grace ;  not  to  faith  in  triumph,  but  to  faith  in  truth  ;  and  therefore  the 
sense  and  evidence  of  the  least  grace,  yea,  of  the  least  degree  of  the  least 
grace,  may  afford  some  measure  of  assurance.  Grace  is  the  fruit  of  the 
Spirit,  Gal.  v.  22  ;  and  the  tree  is  known  by  his  fruit,  Mat.  xii.  i^3  ;  Mark 
xvi.  16 ;  John  iii.  16,  36  ;  Mat.  v.  1,  seq.\  John  vi.  40.  I  do  not  say, 
that  weak  grace  will  afford  a  strong  assurance,  or  a  full  assurance,  for 
that  rather  arises  from  strength  of  grace  than  from  truth  of  grace,  but 
I  say,  weak  grace  may  afford  some  assurance.'^  And  oh,  that  all  weak 
Christians  would  seriously  lay  this  to  heart,  for  it  may  serve  to  relieve 
them  against  many  fears,  doubts,  discouragements,  and  jealousies,  which 
do  much  disturb  the  peace  and  comfort  of  their  precious  souls.  Though 
the  least  measures  of  grace  cannot  satisfy  a  sincere  Christian,  yet  they 
ought  to  quiet  his  conscience,  and  cheer  his  heart,  and  confirm  his  judg- 
ment of  his  interest  in  Christ.  The  least  measure  of  grace  is  like  a 
diamond,  very  little  in  bulk,  but  of  high  price  and  mighty  value,  and 
accordingly  we  are  to  improve  it  for  our  comfort  'and  encouragement. 
A  goldsmith  makes  reckoning  of  the  least  filings  of  gold,  and  so  shovdd 

'  Mat.  V.  10-12.  Burn  my  foot  if  you  will,  said  that  noble  martyr  S.  Basil,  that  it  may 
dance  everlastingly  with  the  angels  in  heaven. 

2  See  Index  for  other  references  to  Adrianus. — G. 

3  Clark's  '  Martyrologie,'  as  before,  p.  194.— G.  *  Ibid.,  p.  443.— G.    »  lud.,  p.  493.— G. 
^  Ibid.,  pp.  442,  465,  and  Foxe  siib  nomine. — G. 

^  An  eminent  minister,  who  was  a  famous  instrument  of  converting  many  to  God,  was 
wont  to  say,  that  for  his  own  part,  he  had  no  other  evidence  in  himself  of  being  in  the  state 
of  grace,  than  that  he  was  sensible  of  his  deadness. 


260  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  L 

we  of  the  least  measures  of  grace.  A  man  may  read  the  king's  image 
upon  a  silver  penny,  as  well  as  upon  a  larger  piece  of  coin.  Tiie  least 
dram  of  grace  bears  the  image  of  God  upon  it  ;  and  why  then  should  it 
not  evidence  the  goodness  and  happiness  of  a  Christian's  estate  V  It  is 
a  true  saying,  that  the  assurance  of  an  eternal  life  is  the  life  of  tliis 
temporal  life.  I  have  read  that  Mr  Jordain,  one  of  the  aldermen  of  the 
city  of  Exeter,  would  use  to  ask  grown  professors,  whether  they  had  any 
assurance  ;  which  if  they  denied,  he  would  tell  them,  that  he  was  even 
ashamed  of  them  ;  '  In  good  earnest,'  saith  he,  I  would  study  the  pro- 
mises, and  go  into  my  closet,  and  lock  the  door,  and  there  plead  them 
to  God,  and  say,  that  I  would  not  go  forth  till  he  gave  me  some  sense 
of  his  love.'  He  would  often  mention  and  try  himself  by  these  three 
marks  :  first,  a  sincere  desire  to  fear  the  name  of  God,  which  he 
grounded  upon  that  Neh.  i.  11  ;  secondly,  a  sincere  desire  to  do  the 
will  of  God  in  all  things  required,  which  he  grounded  upon  Ps.  cxix.  6  ; 
thirdly,  a  full  purpose  of  heart  to  cleave  to  the  Lord,  which  he  grounded 
upon  Acts  xi.  23.  These  he  would  often  press  upon  others,  and  these  he 
frequently  tried  himself  by,  and  from  these  he  had  much  assurance  and 
comfort.^  Mr  Stephen  Marshal,  in  a  sermon  of  liis  on  Isa.  ix.  2,  saith, 
'  Look  and  examine,  whether  thou  dost  not  loathe  thyself  as  a  base  crea- 
ture ;  and  dost  thou  make  this  nothing  ?  Secondly,  Dost  thou  not  in 
thy  heart  value  and  prize  the  meanest  child  of  God  more  than  the 
greatest  man  in  the  world,  that  have  not  the  image  of  God,  the  image 
of  grace  and  holiness  stamped  upon  them  ?  I  pray  God/  saith  Mr 
Marshal,  '  that  many  of  God's  people  do  not  want  these  evidences.'  '  If 
our  souls,'  saith  another,  '  shall  like  of  Christ  for  a  suitor,  when  we  find 
no  other  jointure  but  the  cross,  we  may  be  sure  we  are  Christians.  A 
man  may  want  the  feeling  of  his  faith,  and  cry  and  call  again  and  again 
for  it,  and  feel  nothing  all  this  while,  and  yet  nevertheless  have  true 
and  sound  faith  ;  for  the  feeling  of  and  mourning  for  the  want  of  faith, 
and  the  earnest  and  constant  desire  of  it,  is  an  infallible  sign  of  faith. 
For  this  is  a  sure  rule,  that  so  long  as  one  feeleth  himself  sick  he  is 
not  dead  ;  and  the  high  estimation  of  faith,  joined  with  a  vehement 
desire  of  it,  is  a  singular  evidence  that  there  is  a  sound  and  lively 
root  of  faith  in  our  hearts.'^  '  All  the  elect  of  God,'  saith  another,* 
'shall  have  the  sanctification  of  the  Spirit  unto  obedience,  and  the 
sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Christ  upon  their  hearts,  sooner  or  later. 
I  do  not  press  the  having  of  these  things  perfectly,  but  sincerely ;  an 
elect  person  may  want  many  a  degree  of  grace,  but  if  he  have  them 
in  sincerity,  though  in  the  least  measure,  it  is  a  sufficient  evidence 
of  his  election.'  'An  earnest,"  saith  Dr  Sibbes,^  'is  little  in  regard  of 
the  whole  ;  perhaps  we  have  but  a  shilling  to  secure  us  of  many  pounds  ; 
80  then  the  point  is  this,  that  howsoever  we  may  be  assured  of  our 
estate  in  grace,  and  likewise  that  we  shall  hold  out,  yet  the  ground  of 
'  '  Slight  not  the  lowest,  the  meanest  evidences  of  grace.  God  may  put  thee  to  make 
use  of  the  lowest  as  thou  thinkest,  even  that,  1  John  iii.  14,  that  may  be  worth  a  thousand 
worlds  to  thee.' — Pago  33  of  a  little  piece  called  '  A  Choice  Drop  of  Honey.' 

*  The  discovery  of  grace  in  thy  lieart,  though  but  one  grain,  and  that  of  mustard-seed, 
will  asBure  thee  of  thy  election  and  final  salvation.    Ford's  '  Spirit  of  Adoption,'  p.  248. 

*  Mr  Dod  on  the  commandments,  pp.  313,  314. 

*  1  Pet.  i.  2.     Mr  Love  his  '  Zealous  Christian,'  p.  29,  last  part. 

^  Dr  Sibbes  his  commentary  on  the  First  Chapter  of  the  Second  Epistle  of  Paul  to  the 
Corinthians,  v.  22,  pp.  491,  492. 


Chap.  I]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  261 

this  assurance  is  not  from  any  great  measure  of  grace  ;  but  though  it 
be  little  in  quantity,  it  may  be  great  in  assurance  and  security.  As  we 
value  an  earnest,  not  for  the  worth  that  is  in  itself,  but  because  it  assures 
us  of  a  great  bargain  ;  we  have  an  eye  more  to  the  consummation  of  the 
bargain,  than  to  the  quantity  of  the  earnest ;  so  it  is  here,  grace  is  but 
an  earnest ;  yet  notwithstanding,  though  it  be  little,  as  an  earnest  is, 
yet  it  is  great  in  assurance  and  validity,  answerable  to  the  relation  of 
that  it  hath  to  assure  us.  Though  grace  be  little,  yet  as  little  as  it  is, 
seeing  it  is  an  earnest,  and  '  the  first  fruits,'  as  the  apostle  saith, — which 
were  but  little  in  regard  of  the  whole  harvest, — yet  it  is  of  the  nature  of 
the  whole,  and  thereupon  it  comes  to  secure.  A  spark  of  fire  is  but 
little,  yet  it  is  fire  as  well  as  the  whole  element  of  fire ;  and  a  drop  of 
water  is  but  little,  yet  it  is  water  as  well  as  the  whole  ocean.  When  a 
man  is  in  a  dark  place,  put  the  case  it  be  in  a  dungeon,  if  he  have  but 
a  little  light  shining  in  to  liim  from  a  little  crevice,  that  little  light  dis- 
covers that  the  day  is  broke,  that  the  sun  is  risen.  Put  the  case  there 
be  but  one  grape  on  a  vine,  it  shews  that  it  is  a  vine,  and  that  the  vine 
is  not  dead  ;  so  put  the  case  that  there  be  but  the  appearance  of  a  little 
grace  in  a  Christian,  perhaps  the  Spirit  of  God  appears  but  in  one  grace 
in  him  at  that  time,  yet  that  one  grace  sheweth  that  we  are  vines,  and 
not  thistles,  or  thorns,  or  base  plants,  and  it  shews  that  there  is  life  in 
the  root.'  Thus  you  see  how  fully  this  reverend  doctor  speaks  to  the 
case.  That  friend  that  writes  the  life  and  death  of  Mr  John  Murcot, 
once  preacher  of  the  gospel  at  Dublin,  saith,'  '  That  in  preparation  for 
the  supper  ordinance,  he  would  bring  himself  unto  the  test,  and  to  say 
the  truth,  was  very  clear  in  the  discovering  and  making  out  his  own 
condition,  being  well  acquainted  with  the  way  of  God's  dealing  with  the 
soul,  and  with  the  way  of  the  soul's  closing  with  Christ.  Instance, 
April  3,  1653.     Upon  search  I  find,  1.  Myself  an  undone  creature. 

2.  That  the  Lord  Jesus  sufficiently  satisfied  as  mediator  the  law  for  sin. 

3.  That  he  is  freely  offered  in  the  gospel.  4.  So  far  as  I  know  my  own 
heart,  I  do  through  mercy  heartily  consent  that  he  only  shall  be  my 
Saviour ;  not  my  works  or  duties,  which  I  do  only  in  obedience  to  him. 
5.  If  I  know  my  heart,  I  would  be  ruled  by  his  word  and  Spirit."  '  Be- 
hold, in  a  few  words,'  saith  he  that  writes  his  life  and  death,  '  the  sum 
and  substance  of  the  gospel.'  By  these  instances  we  may  see  that  some 
of  the  precious  servants  of  God  have  found  a  great  deal  of  comfort,  sup- 
port, rest,  content,  and  some  measure  of  assurance,  from  a  lower  rank 
of  evidences,  than  those  that  many  strong  Christians  do  reach  unto,  &c. 
But, 

The  seventh  maxim  or  consideration. 

VII.  Seventhly,  Consider,  that  all  men  and  women  that  are  desirous 
to  know  how  it  will  go  with  them  in  anotJter  world,  they  must  perem}:)- 
torily  resolve  to  be  determined  by  Scripture  in  the  great  matters  of 
their  interest  in  Christ?  This  blessed  scripture  is  the  great  uncontro- 
verted  rule,  and  therefore  if  a  person  can  prove  from  Scripture  that  his 
graces  are  true,  or  that  he  is  in  a  gracious  estate,  or  that  he  has  an  in- 

^  See  his  Treatises  published  by  Mr  Winter,  Mr  Chambers,  Mr  Eaton,  Mr  Caryl,  and 
Mr  Manton,  pp.  36,  37. 

^  This  we  believe,  when  we  first  begin  to  believe,  that  we  ought  not  to  believe  anything 
beyond  Scripture TeriuUian. 


202  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  I. 

terest  in  Christ,  or  that  he  has  savingly,  gi-aciously  stricken  covenant 
Avith  God,  then  he  must  resolutely  and  peremptorily  resolve  to  grant  so 
much  as  unchangeably  to  acquiesce  in  it,  to  stick  fast  to  it,  and  to  hear 
nothing  against  it  from  the  world,  the  flesh,  or  the  devil.  God  hath 
plainly  told  us  in  his  blessed  word  who  shall  be  saved,  and  who  shall  be 
damned  ;  though  not  by  name,  yet  by  the  qualifications  by  which  they 
are  described  in  the  Bible.  There  are  the  statute  laws  of  heaven,  and 
the  standing  rule  by  which  all  must  be  tried.  Every  man  must  stand 
or  fall,  be  eternally  blessed  or  eternally  miserable,  as  his  condition  is  con- 
sonant to  or  various  from  the  infallible  characters  of  saving  grace  con- 
tained in  the  holy  Scripture.  Witness  that  Isa.  viii.  20,  'Tothe  law  and  to 
the  testimony,  if  they  speak  not  according  to  this  word,  it  is  because  there 
is  no  light  (or  no  morning)  in  them.'  So  John  xii.  48,  '  He  that  reject- 
eth  me,  and  receiveth  not  my  words,  hath  one  that  judgeth  him  ;  the 
word  that  I  have  spoken,  the  same  shall  judge  him  in  the  last  day.' 
Mat.  V.  18,  'For  verily  I  say  unto  you,  till  heaven  and  earth  pass,  one 
jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  from  the  law  till  all  be  fulfilled.' 
So  John  X.  35,  '  And  the  Scripture  cannot  be  broken,'  or  violated,  or 
made  void.  But  though  this  be  an  indispensable  duty,  yet  certainly 
there  is,  especially  in  times  of  great  afflictions,  temptations,  desertions, 
fears,  and  doubts,  a  very  great  aptness  and  proneness  in  Christians  to 
expect  strange  means  rather  than  right  means,  and  new  means  rather 
than  old  means,  and  invented  means  rather  than  appointed  means,  and 
to  build  their  faith  upon  something  beside  the  word,  or  that  is  without 
the  compass  of  the  word,  rather  than  upon  the  plain  and  naked  word 
itself ;  being  in  this  very  like  to  many  weak,  crazy,  distempered,  and 
diseased  patients,  that  are  more  ready  to  fancy  every  new  medicine  and 
new  doctor  they  hear  of,  and  to  be  tampering  with  them,  than  to  expect 
a  recovery,  by  going  through  a  course  of  physic  prescribed  by  the 
physician  that  best  understands  their  diseases,  and  the  most  projDer  and 
effectual  means  for  their  recoveries.  You  know  Avhen  Naaman  the 
Assyrian  came  to  the  prophet  Elisha  to  be  cured  of  his  leprosy,  he  only 
sent  out  a  messenger  to  him,  who  bid  him  go  and  wash  seven  times  in 
Jordan,  and  his  flesh  should  come  again  unto  him,  and  he  should  be 
clean,  2  Kings  v.  10 ;  but  Naaman's  blood  rises,  and  his  heart  swells, 
and  he  grows  very  wroth,  and  all  because  he  did  not  like  the  means 
prescribed  by  the  prophet,  and  because  he  thought  in  his  own  heart 
that  the  prophet  would  have  used  more  likely  means  to  have  wrought 
the  cure,  verses  11, 12.  So  many  Christians,  when  they  lie  under  great 
agonies  and  sore  perplexities  of  soul,  and  are  encouraged  to  act  faith 
upon  the  promises,  and  to  rest  their  weary  souls  upon  the  word  of  grace, 
they  are  ready  to  think  and  say  that  these  thiiigs,  these  means,  will 
never  heal  them,  nor  comfort  them,  nor  be  a  relief  or  support  unto  them, 
unless  the  Lord  does  from  heaven,  by  extraordinary  revelations,  visions, 
signs,  and  miracles,  confirm  his  promises  to  them  ;  and  hereupon  they 
make  light  of  the  blessed  scriptures,  which  are  the  springs  of  life,  and 
the  only  bottom  upon  which  all  our  comforts,  peace,  and  happiness  is 
to  be  built ;  yea,  they  relinquish  that  more  sure  word  of  prophecy,  which 
shines  as  a  light  in  a  dark  place,  2  Peter  i.  19.  Certainly  the  acting  of 
faith  on  the  precious  promises,  and  the  cleaving  of  the  soul  unto  those 
blessed  truths  declared  in  the  gospel  of  grace,  is  the  most  sure,  ready, 


Chap.  I.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  263 

and  compendious  way  of  obtaining  a  blessed  assurance,  and  a  full  estab- 
lishment of  heart,  in  all  sound,  solid,  and  abiding  joy  and  peace,  Eph. 
i.  13 ;  and  therefore  Luther,^  though,  as  he  confesseth,  he  was  often 
tempted  to  ask  for  signs,  apparitions,  and  revelations  from  heaven  to 
confirm  him  in  his  way,  yet  tells  us  how  strongly  he  did  withstand  them, 
factum  feci  domino  Deo  meo,  &c.     I  have,  saith  he,  indented  with  the 
Lord  my  God,  that  he  would  never  send  me  dreams,  visions,  angels,  for 
I  am  well  contented  with  this  gift,  that  I  have  the  holy  Scripture,  which 
doth  abundantly  teach  and  supply  all  necessaries  for  this  life,  and  that 
also  which  is  to  come.     Certainly  Austin  hit  the  mark,  when  he  prayed, 
'  Lord,  let  thy  holy  Scriptures  be  my  pure  delights,  in  which  I  can 
neither  deceive,  or  ever  be  deceived.'     Certainly  the  balance  of  the 
sanctuary  should  weigh  all  the  oracles  of  God,  decide  all,  and  the  rule 
of  God's  word  be  the  square  and  judge  of  all.     0  sirs  !  dare  you  ven- 
ture your  souls  upon  it,  that  the  blessed  Scriptures  are  false,  that  they 
are  but  a  fable  ?  dare  you  stand  forth  and  say.  If  the  Scriptures  be  not 
a  lie,  let  us  be  damned  for  ever  and  ever  ?  dare  you  stand  up  and  say. 
We  are  freely  contented  that  the  everlasting  worm  shall  gnaw  on  our 
hearts  for  ever,  and  that  our  bodies  and  souls  shall  for  ever  and  ever  lie 
burning  in  infernal  flames,  if  the  scriptures  prove  not  at  last  a  cheat,  a 
deceit,  a  mere  forgery  and  imposture  ?     Now,  if  you  dare  not  thus  to 
say,  and  thus  to  venture,  then  peremptorily  resolve  to  be  determined  by 
Scripture,  in  the  great  concernments  of  your  precious  souls.    They  that 
would  take  their  parts  in  promised  comforts,  they  must  follow  the  voice 
of  the  word-,  and  subscribe  to  the  sentence  of  conscience,  following  that 
word.     If  the  word  approve  of  thee,  as  sound  and  sincere  with  God, 
assuredly  thou  art  so,  for  that  rule  cannot  err.     If  the  word  saith  that 
thy  heart  is  right  with  God,  thou  must  maintain  that  testimony  against 
all  disputes  whatever.     Never  enter  into  dispute  with  Satan,  or  thine 
own  self,  about  thy  estate,  but  by  taking  and  making  the  Scripture  the 
judge  of  the  controversy.   When  fears  rise  high,  you  say  you  shall  never 
have  mercy  !    But  doth  the  word  say  so  ?    The  Lord  never  gave  himself 
to  me  !    But  doth  the  word  say  so  ?    Never  was  any  as  I  am  !    But  doth 
the  word  say  so  ?     I  cannot  see,  nor  conceive,  nor  think,  that  the  Lord 
hath  any  love  for  me  !     But  doth  the  word  say  so  ?  yea,  doth  not  the 
word  say,  that  his  '  thoughts  are  not  as  your  thoughts,  nor  his  ways  as 
your  ways'  ?     But  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth,  so  are  his 
ways  higher  than  your  ways ;  and  his  thoughts  than  your  thoughts,' 
Isa.  Iv.  8,  9.     I  have  not  that  peace  and  joy  that  others  have,  therefore 
the  Lord  intends  no  good  towards  me  !   But  doth  the  word  say  so  ?    Oh  ! 
but  if  my  inside  were  but  turned  outward,  good  men  would  loathe  me, 
and  wicked  men  would  laugh  at  me  !    But  doth  the  word  say  so  ?    Oh  ! 
but  my  heart  was  never  right  with  God  !     But  doth  the  word  say  so  ? 
Oh  !  but  that  which  I  have  taken  all  this  while  for  saving  grace  is  but 
common  grace  !     But  doth  the  word  say  so  ?     Oh  !  but  the  face  of  God 
is  hid  from  me,  my  sun  is  set  in  a  cloud,  and  will  never  rise  more  !    But 
doth  the  word  say  so  ?     Oh  !  but  Satan  is  let  loose  upon  me,  and  there- 
fore God  hates  me  !    But  doth  the  word  say  so  ?  yea,  doth  not  the  word 
tell  you,  that  those  who  have  been  most  beloved  of  God,  have  been  most 

'  Com.  on  Gen.,  cap.  38. 


2G  t  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  I. 

tempted  by  Satan  ?  Witness  Christ,  David,  Job,  Joshua,  Peter,  Paul, 
&c.  Oh  !  but  I  am  afflicted,  so  as  never  was  any  before  me  !  But  doth 
the  word  say  so  ?  Oh !  let  the  word  have  the  casting  voice,  and  not 
thine  own  frail  distempered  reason.  Oh  !  do  not  only  hear  what  sin,  and 
Satan,  and  thine  own  heart  can  say  against  thee,  but  hear  also  what 
the  word  of  the  Lord  Jesus  can  say  for  thee.  Let  the  word  of  the  Lord 
be  judge  on  both  sides,  and  then  all  will  be  well. 

I  know  that  the  impenitent  and  unbelieving  person,  that  lives  and 
dies  without  grace  in  his  heart,  and  an  interest  in  Christ,  shall  as  cer- 
tainly be  damned,  as  if  I  saw  him  this  very  moment  under  everlasting 
burnings  ;  because  God  in  the  Scripture  has  said  it,  Mark  xvi.  16  ; 
John  iii.  18-36  ;  Rev.  xxi.  8  ;  Rom.  ii.  4,  5 ;  1  Cor.  vi.  9,  10  ;  Gal.  v. 
19-21  ;  Heb.  xii.  14.  And  I  know  that  the  holy,  humble,  true,  peni- 
tent, believing,  self-denying,  and  sin-mortifying  Christian,  shall  be  as 
certainly  saved,  as  if  at  this  very  time  I  saw  him  in  actual  possession  of 
glory  ;  because  God  in  the  Scripture  has  said  it.  Mat.  v.  3-12 ;  Rom. 
viii.  1-13  ;  Acts  x.  43  ;  John  iii.  15,  16,  36  ;  vi.  37-40,  &c.  O  sirs  !  no 
man  in  his  wits  dares  dispute  against  the  authority  of  Scripture,  or  deny 
it,  as  false  and  erroneous  ;  and  therefore  if  the  Scripture  say  a  man  has 
grace,  he  ought  in  conscience  to  subscribe  to  it  against  all  objections  or 
temptations  to  the  contrary.  For  ever  remember  this,  till  a  man  comes 
to  be  willing  to  have  his  spiritual  and  eternal  estate  to  be  determined 
by  Scripture,  he  will  never  enjoy  any  settled  rest  or  quiet  in  his  spirit. 
When  once  the  goodness  of  a  man's  estate  is  cleared  up  to  him  by  the 
word,  he  is  never  to  regard  what  Satan  or  carnal  reason  objects  against 
him.  Satan  is  a  liar  and  a  deceiver  of  near  six  thousand  years'  stand- 
ing ;  he  is  full  of  envy,  and  full  of  malice,  and  full  of  wiles,  devices  and 
fetches,'  and  therefore  give  no  credit  to  any  of  his  reports  against  the 
report  of  the  word,  but  stand  by  the  testimony  of  the  word,  and  the 
witness  of  your  own  consciences,  against  all  Satan's  cavils,  temptations, 
objections  and  suggestions  ;  and  then,  and  not  till  then,  will  you  find 
rest  to  your  souls.  He  that  would  hold  on  cheerfully  and  resolutely  in 
a  Christian  course,  and  go  merrily  to  his  grave,  and  singing  to  heaven, 
he  must  maintain  the  testimony  of  the  word  against  all  the  gainsayings 
of  sense  or  carnal  reason  ;  he  must  hear  nothing,  nor  believe  nothing 
against  the  word,  nor  against  the  goodness  and  happiness  of  his  own 
estate  or  condition,  which  has  been  evidenced  to  him  from  the  word. 
Men  will  not  be  easily  baffled  out  of  their  estates.  If  some  great  man 
should  come  and  lay  claim  to  your  estates,  3^ou  will  not  presently  give 
them  up,  though  your  evidences  are  not  at  hand,  or  though  they  are 
blotted,  or  though  perhaps  you  cannot  clearly  make  out  your  title,  yet 
you  will  not  tamely  and  quietly  give  up  your  estates ;  and  yet  how 
ready  are  many  Christians,  upon  every  clamour  of  Satan  against  their 
souls  and  spiritual  estates,  to  give  up  all,  and  to  conclude  that  they 
are  hypocrites,  and  have  no  true  grace  and  spiritual  life  in  them  !  &c. 
But, 

The  eighth  maxim,  or  consideration. 

VIII.  Eighthly,  Consider,  that  a  godly  man  may  not  only  come  to 
a  sure  knowledge  of  his  gracious  estate,  hut  it  is  also  more  easily  attain- 

'  '  Tricks  or  expedients.' — G. 


Chap.  I.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  265 

able  than  many, — Tnay  I  not  say,  than  most, — do  apprehend  or  believe  ; 
for  if  a  gracious  man  will  but  argue  rationally  from  Scripture,  he  shall 
be  forced  to  conclude  that  he  has  grace,  and  that  he  has  an  interest  in 
Christ,  and  that  he  shall  be  saved,  unless  he  be  resolved  beforehand 
boldly  to  deny  Scripture  truths.  Sirs  !  look  in  what  way  the  spirit  of 
bondage  doth  ordinarily  work  fear,  terror,  and  horror  in  the  hearts  of 
unconverted  persons,  in  the  same  way  the  Spirit  of  adoption  doth  ordi- 
narily work  hope  and  assurance  in  the  hearts  of  the  saints,  Eom.  viii. 
15  ;  John  xvi.  8.  Now,  the  spirit  of  bondage  commonly  awakens  secure 
sinners,  and  fills  the  heart  and  consciences  of  poor  sinners  with  fear, 
horror,  and  amazement,  by  setting  home  upon  their  souls  such  practical 
syllogisms  as  these  : 

'  Every  liar  shall  have  his  portion  in  the  lake  that  burneth  with  fire 
and  brimstone,'  Rev.  xxi.  8, 
But  I  am  a  liar ; 

Therefore  I  shall  have  my  portion  in  that  lake  that  burneth  with  fire 
and  brimstone. 
Or  thus : 

'  He  that  believeth  not  is  condemned  already,'  John  iii.  1 8. 
I  believe  not ; 

Therefore  I  am  condemned  already. 
Or  thus : 

'  He  that  hateth  his  brother  is  a  murderer,  and  hath  not  eternal  life 
abiding  in  him,'  1  John  iii.  15. 
I  hate  my  brother  ; 

Therefore  I  am  a  murderer,  and  have  not  eternal  life  abiding  in  me. 
Or  thus : 

'  Christ  shall  be  revealed  from  heaven  in  flaming  fire,  to  take  ven- 
geance on  them  that  know  not  God,  and  that  obey  not  the  gospel  of 
his  Son,'  2  Thes.  i.  7,  8. 

I  know  not  God,  I  obey  not  the  gospel  of  his  Son  ; 
Therefore  Christ  shall  be  revealed  from  heaven  in  flaming  fire,  to 
take  vengeance  on  me. 
Or  thus  : 

'The  wicked  shall  be  turned  into  hell,'  Ps.  ix.  17. 
I  am  wicked  ; 

Therefore  I  shall  be  turned  into  hell. 

Now  in  like  manner  the  Spirit  of  adoption  brings  the  '  heirs  of  the 
promise,'  Heb.  vi.  17,  to  the  assurance  of  hope,  by  setting  home  such 
practical  syllogisms  as  these  ; — 

[1.]  First,  Whosoever  truly  and  heartily  receives  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  are  truly  and  justly  reputed  to  be  the  sons  of  God,  John  i.  12. 
But  I  have  received  Christ  all  the  ways  that  the  word  there  can  im- 
port ;  I  am  heartily  willing  to  receive  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  all  his 
offices,  viz.,  as  a  king  to  rule  me,  a  prophet  to  teach  and  instruct  me, 
and  a  priest  to  offer  and  intercede  for  me  ;  I  am  willing  to  receive  him 
as  a  sanctifier,  as  well  as  a  Saviour,  and  to  receive  him  as  my  Lord,  as 
well  as  to  receive  him  as  my  Redeemer,  and  to  receive  him  ujjon  his  own 
terms,  viz.,  of  taking  up  his  cross,  denying  myself  and  following  of  him  ; 
therefore  I  may  safely,  boldly,  plainly  and  warrantably  conclude  that  I 
am  a  son  of  God,  and  that  I  have  an  interest  in  God,  according  to  the 


2 GO  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  I. 

scripture  last  cited  ;  which  scripture  cannot  be  broken,  nor  cannot  fail, 
nor  cannot  be  unbound  or  loosed,  as  the  Greek  word  in  that  John  x. 
35  imports,  &c,' 

[2  ]  Secondly,  A  gracious  soul  may  argue  thus :  All  the  great  and 
precious  promises  concerning  everlasting  happiness  and  blessedness,  are 
made  over  to  faith  and  repentance,  as  the  Scriptures  do  abundantly 
evidence.  Now,  he  tliat  really  finds  faith  and  repentance  wrought  in  his 
soul,  so  that  he  is  able  to  say  I  am  a  repenting  and  a  believing  sinner, 
he  may  truly  and  safely  conclude  that  he  shall  be  saved  ;  for  all  the 
promises  of  eternal  happiness  and  blessedness  do  run  out  with  a  full 
stream  to  faith  and  repentance.  I  readily  grant  that  a  strong  hope 
results  from  the  clear  evidence  it  hath  of  both  these.  We  read  in  Scrip- 
ture of  a  threefold  assurance:  as,  first,  an  assurance  of  understanding, 
Col.  ii.  2  ;  secondly,  an  assurance  of  faith,  Heb.  x.  22  ;  thirdly,  an  as- 
surance of  hope,  Heb.  vi.  11.  And  it  is  a  very  choice  note  that  acute 
D.  A.^  hath  upon  it,  viz.,  '  that  these  three  make  up  one  practical 
syllogism,  wherein  knowledge  forms  the  proportion,'  faith  makes  the 
assumption,  and  hope  draws  the  conclusion.'  I  do,  saith  the  Christian, 
assuredly  know  from  the  word  that  cannot  deceive  me,  that  the  believing 
and  repenting  sinner  shall  be  saved  ;  my  conscience  also  tells  me  that 
I  do  unfeignedly  believe  and  repent,  therefore  I  do  firmly  hope  that  I 
shall,  however  vile  and  unworthy  otherwise,  be  saved.  Now  mark, 
answerable  to  the  evidence  that  a  man  hath  in  his  own  soul,  that 
faith  and  repentance  is  wrought  in  him,  so  will  his  hope  and  assurance 
be  weaker  or  stronger,  more  or  less.  If  a  man's  evidence  for  the  truth 
of  his  faith  and  repentance  be  dark,  and  weak,  and  low,  and  uncertain, 
his  hope  and  assurance,  that  is  born  of  these  parents,  as  I  may  say,  must 
needs  partake  of  its  parent's  weakness  and  infirmities,  and  be  itself  weak, 
and  dark,  and  low,  and  wavering,  and  uncertain,  as  they  are  from  which 
it  results.  Hope  and  assurance  ebbs  and  flows,  as  the  evidence  of  a 
man's  faith  and  repentance  ebbs  and  flows. 

Assurance  cannot  be  ordinarily  had  without  a  serious  examination  of 
our  hearts ;  for  assurance  is  the  certain  knowledge  of  the  conclusion 
drawn  from  the  premises,  one  out  of  scripture,  the  other  by  a  reflect 
act  of  the  understanding  or  conscience,  thus  :  He  that  believes  and  re- 
pents shall  certainly  be  saved,  that  is  the  voice  of  the  word  of  God  ;  then 
by  the  search  of  a  man's  own  heart,  he  must  be  able  to  say.  But  I  be- 
lieve and  repent ;  and  from  these  two  doth  result  this  assurance,  that 
he  may  safely  conclude,  Therefore  I  shall  be  saved.  And  oh  that  all 
Christians  were  so  wise,  as  seriously  to  ponder  upon  these  things  ! 

[3.]  TJdrdly,  A  godly  man  may  argue  thus :  He  that  hath  respect 
unto  all  God's  commands  shall  never  be  ashamed.  Ps.  cxix.  6,  '  Then 
shall  I  not  be  ashamed,  when  I  have  respect  unto  all  thy  command- 
ments.'* He  that  is  so  honest  and  faithful  with  God,  as  to  do  his  best', 
shall  find  that  God  wdll  be  so  gracious  as  to  pardon  his  worst.  And 
this  gospel  indulgence  David  does  more  than  hint  at  in  those  words, 

^  ^Elovr'tav  signifies  authority.  Such  as  receive  the  Lord  Jesus,  have  authority  to  be 
called  the  sons  of  God.  Others  may  call  God  Father,  and  themselves  sons,  but  they  have 
not  that  right  and  authority  to  do  it  as  believers  have,  Mark  xvi.  16  ;  Jehu  ill.  16,  18,  86  ; 
Mat.  iii.  2,  8  ;  Luke  xxiv.  47  ;  Acts  v.  31,  iii.  19  ;  Luke  xiii.  3. 

*  Qu.  '  Dr  Ames  '  ?— O.  ^  Qu.  •  proposition  '?— Ed. 

*  Shame  is  both  the  temporal  and  eternal  fruit  of  sin,  Rom.  vi.  21  ;  Dan.  xii.  2. 


Chap.  I.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  2G7 

'  Then  shall  I  not  be  ashamed,  when  I  have  respect  unto  all  thy  com- 
mandments, or,  as  the  Hebrew  hath  it,  '  Then  shall  I  not  bkish  when 
my  eye  is  to  all  thy  commandments.'  The  traveller,  you  know,  hath 
his  eye  towards  the  place  where  he  is  going ;  and  though  he  be  yet 
short  of  it,  yet  he  is  putting  on  and  pressing  forward  all  he  can  to 
reach  it ;  so  when  the  eye  of  a  saint  is  to  all  the  commands  of  God,  and 
he  is  still  a-pressing  forwards  toward  full  obedience,  such  a  soul  shall 
never  be  put  to  shame ;  it  shall  never  be  put  to  the  blush,  but  it  shall 
be  able,  living  and  dying,  boldly  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord. 
Mark,  the  psalmist  doth  not  say,  when  I  obey  all  thy  commandments, 
but  '  when  I  have  respect  to  all  thy  commandments  ;'  and  that  implies 
an  inward  awe  and  reverential  eye  towards  es^ery  duty  God  requires. 
You  know,  to  have  respect  unto  a  thing  is  this,  when  that  of  all  others 
sways  most  with  us,  as  when  a  master  commands  such  a  business,  the 
servant  will  do  it,  because  he  respects  him ;  and  at  his  command  he 
will  go  and  come,  though  he  will  not  at  the  command  of  any  other. 
But  1  have  respect  unto  all  his  commandments,  therefore  I  shall  never 
be  ashamed. 

[4.]  FouHhly,  A  godly  man  may  argue  thus  :  He  that  loveth  the 
brethren  is  passed  from  death  to  life,  and  consequently  is  in  Christ,  1 
John  iii.  18,  19.  But  I  love  the  brethren,  therefore  I  am  passed  from 
death  to  life,  and  so  consequently  am  in  Christ. 

[5.]  Fifthly,  A  godly  man  may  argue  thus  :  He  that  confesseth  and 
forsaketh  his  sin  shall  certainly  find  mercy.  Pro  v.  xxviii.  13.  But  I 
confess  and  forsake  my  sins,  1,  in  respect  of  my  sincere  desires  ;  2, 
in  respect  of  my  gracious  purposes  ;  3,  in  respect  of  my  fixed  resolu- 
tions ;  4,  in  respect  of  my  faithful  and  constant  endeavours ;  therefore 
I  shall  certainly  find  mercy. 

[6.]  Sixthly,  A  godly  man  may  argue  thus  :  He  that  hath  the  testi- 
mony of  a  good  conscience,  he  may  rejoice  in  that  testimony,  2  Cor.  i. 
12 ;  Isa.  xxxviii.  3.  But  I  have  the  testimony  of  a  good  conscience, 
therefore  I  may  rejoice  in  that  testimony. 

[7.]  Seventhly,  A  godly  man  may  argue  thus,  He  over  whom  pre- 
sumptuous sins  has  not  dominion  is  upright :  Ps.  xix.  13,  '  Keep  back 
thy  servant  from  presumptuous  sins  ;  let  them  not  have  dominion  over 
me  ;  then  shall  I  be  upright.'  But  presumptuous  sins  has  not  dominion 
over  me  ;  therefore  I  am  upright.  Mark,  unfeigned  willingness  to  part 
with  every  sin,  and  to  mortify  every  sin,  is  a  sure  sign  of  uprightness, 
a  sure  sign  of  saving  grace.  When  a  man  is  sincerely  willing  to  leave 
every  sin,  and  to  indulge  himself  in  none,  no,  not  his  darling  sin,  it  is  a 
most  certain  sign  of  his  integrity  and  sincerity,  as  you  may  evidently 
see  by  comparing  of  these  scriptures  together,  Ps.  xvii.  1,  3,  4 ;  cxix.  1, 
2,  3,  6  ;  Job  i.  8,  ii.  3  ;  Ps.  xviii.  23.  I  was  upright  before  him.  Oh ! 
but  how  do  you  know  that  ?  how  do  you  prove  that  ?  how  are  you 
assured  of  that?  Why,  by  this,  that  '  I  have  kept  myself  from  mine 
iniquity.'  Doubtless  there  is  as  much  of  the  power  of  God  required, 
and  as  much  strength  of  grace  required,  and  as  much  of  the  presence 
and  assistance  of  the  Spirit  required,  to  work  a  man  off  from  his  bosom 
sins,  from  his  darling  sins,  from  his  beloved  sins,  as  there  is  required  to 
work  him  off  from  all  other  sins.  A  conquest  here  clearly  speaks  out 
uprightness  of  heart. 


268 


A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS. 


[Chap.  I. 


[8.]  Eighthli/,  A  godly  man  may  argue  thus  :  He  whoso  heart  doth 
not  condemn  him,  1,  of  giving  himself  over  to  a  voluntary  serving  of 
sin  ;  or,  2,  of  making  a  trade  of  sin ;  or,  3,  of  allowing  of  himself  in  any 
course  or  way  of  sin  ;  or,  4,  of  sinning,  as  wicked  men  sin,  who  sin 
studiously,  resolutely,  affectionately,  delightfully,  customarily,  wilfully, 
or  with  their  whole  will,  or  with  the  full  consent  and  sway  of  their 
souls  ;  or,  5,  of  indulging,  conniving  or  winking  at  any  known  sin  ;  or,  6, 
of  living  in  the  daily  neglect  of  any  known  positive  duty  against  light 
and  conscience,  or  of  an  ordinary  shifting  off  of  any  known  service  that 
God  requires  of  him  in  that  place  or  station  wherein  God  has  set  him, 
may  have  confidence,  'Trai'sn'^iav,  boldness,  liberty  of  speech  towards  God, 
1  John  iii.  21.  But  my  heart  does  not  condemn  me,  1,  of  giving 
myself  over  to  a  voluntary  serving  of  sin  ;  nor,  2,  of  making  a  trade  of 
sin  ;  nor,  3,  of  allowing  myself  in  any  course  or  way  of  sin  ;  nor,  4,  of 
sinning  as  wicked  men  sin,  viz.,  studiously,  resolutely,  affectionately, 
delightfully,  customarily,  wilfully  ;  nor,  5,  of  indulging,  conniving,  or 
winking  at  any  known  sin  ;  nor,  6,  of  living  in  the  daily  neglect  of  any 
known  duty  against  light  and  conscience ;  therefore  I  may  have  con- 
fidence or  boldness  towards  God ;  I  may  use  liberty  of  speech  with  God ; 
I  may  use  the  liberty  and  freedom  of  a  favourite  of  heaven  ;  I  may 
open  my  heart  to  God,  as  favourites  do  to  their  prince,  viz.,  freely, 
familiarly,  boldly.  When  Austin  was  converted,  and  his  heart  sincere 
with  God,  he  could  bless  God  that  he  could  think  of  his  former  evil 
ways,  which  were  very  bad,  without  fear.  Oh  to  what  a  height  of  holy 
boldness  and  familiarity  with  God  had  this  man  of  God  arrived  to ! 
But, 

[9.]  Ninthly,  A  godly  man  may  argue  thus.  To  such  who  are  '  poor 
in  spirit,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  belongs,'  Mat.  v.  3.  By  poo7'  in  spimt 
is  not  meant  poor  in  substance,  that  not  being  a  thing  praiseworthy  in 
itself,  but  the  broken  and  humble  in  heart,  who  hath  no  high  thoughts 
or  conceits  of  himself,  but  is  lowly  in  his  own  eyes,  as  a  young  child.' 
'  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit ; '  that  is,  non  hahentes  injiantem 
spiritum,  who  hath  no  lofty  or  puffed  up  spirit.  The  poor  m  spirit 
are  those  that  are  lowly,  being  truly  conscious  of  their  own  unworthi- 
ness.  NulU  pauperes  spiritu  nisi  humiles;  none  are  poor  in  spirit 
but  the  humble.  '  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit ; '  that  is,  blessed  are 
they  whose  spirits  are  brought  into  such  an  humble  gracious  frame,  as 
willingly,  quietly,  and  contentedly  to  lie  down  in  a  poor  low  condition, 
when  it  is  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord  to  bring  them  into  such  a  condition.' 
Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit ;  that  is,  blessed  are  they  who  are  truly 
and  kindly  apprehensive  and  sensible  of  their  spiritual  wants,  poverty, 
and  misery  ;^  that  see  their  need  of  God's  free  grace  to  pardon  them  ; 
that  sec  their  need  of  Christ's  righteousness  to  clothe  them  ;  that  see 
their  need  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ  to  purge,  change,  and  sanctify  them  ; 

'  Clirysostom  in  loc.  ^  Augustine,  Hilary,  Tertullian. 

'  There  are  some  that  are  poor  in  estate,  and  others  that  are  poor  in  spirit ;  and  there 
are  some  that  are  poor-spirited  in  the  cause  of  God,  Christ,  the  gospel,  and  tlieir  own 
souls ;  and  there  are  others  that  are  poor  in  spirit.  There  are  some  that  are  si)iritually 
poor,  as  all  are  that  are  destitute  of  grace,  and  others  that  are  poor  in  spirit ;  there  are 
some  that  are  evangelically  poor,  and  others  that  are  superstitiously  poor ;  as  those  papists 
•who  renounce  their  estates,  and  vow  a  voluntary  poverty.  The  poverty  that  hath  blessed- 
ness annexed  to  it  is  only  an  evangelical  poverty. 


Chap.  I]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  269 

that  see  their  need  of  more  heavenly  wisdom  to  counsel  them  ;  that  see 
their  need  of  more  of  the  power  of  God  to  support  them,  and  of  the 
goodness  of  God  to  supply  them,  and  of  the  mercy  of  God  to  comfort 
them,  and  of  the  presence  of  God  to  refresh  them,  and  of  the  patience 
of  God  to  bear  with  them,  &c. ;  that  see  their  need  of  greater  measures 
of  faith  to  conquer  their  fears,  and  of  greater  measures  of  wisdom  to  walk 
holily,  harmlessly,  blamelessly,  and  exemplarily  in  the  midst  of  temp- 
tations, snares,  and  dangers ;  and  that  see  their  need  of  greater  mea- 
sures of  patience  to  bear  their  burdens  Avithout  fretting  or  fainting ; 
and  that  see  their  need  of  greater  measures  of  zeal  and  courage  to  bear 
up  bravely  against  all  sorts  of  opposition,  both  from  within  and  from 
without ;  and  that  see  their  need  of  greater  measures  of  love  to  cleave 
to  the  Lamb,  and  to  follow  the  Lamb  whither  ever  he  goes  ;  and  that 
see  their  need  of  living  in  a  continual  dependence  upon  God  and  Christ, 
for  fresh  influences,  incomes,  and  supplies  of  grace,  of  comfort,  of 
strength,  whereby  they  may  be  enabled  to  act  for  God,  and  walk  with 
God,  and  glorify  God,  and  bring  forth  fruit  to  God,  and  withstand  all 
temptations  that  tend  to  lead  the  heart  from  God  ;  and  that  see  nothing 
in  themselves  upon  which  they  dare  venture  their  everlasting  estates, 
and  therefore  fly  to  the  free,  rich,  sovereign,  and  glorious  grace  of  God 
in  Christ,  as  to  their  sure  and  only  sanctuary  :  Luke  xviii.  13,  Philip, 
iii.  9,  'Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit ;'  that  is,  blessed  are  they  that  are 
truly  apprehensive  and  sensible  of  their  spiritual  poverty,  that  see 
themselves  fallen  in  the  first  Adam  from  all  their  primitive  purity,  ex- 
cellency, and  glory.  There  are  five  things  we  lost  in  our  fall :  1,  our 
holy  image,  and  became  vile  ;  2,  our  sonship,  and  became  slaves  ;  3,  our 
friendship,  and  became  enemies ;  4,  our  communion,  and  became 
strangers  ;  5,  our  glory,  and  became  miserable.  And  that  see  an  utter 
inability  and  insufficiency  in  themselves,  and  in  all  other  creatures,  to 
deliver  them  out  of  their  fallen  estate.  But  I  am  poor  in  spirit,  there- 
fore the  kingdom  of  heaven  belongs  to  me. 

[10.]  Tenthly,  A  godly  man  may  argue  thus.  Such  as  are  true  mourn- 
ers are  blessed,  and  shall  be  comforted,  Mat.  v.  4  ;  that  is,  such  as  mourn 
for  sin  with  an  exceeding  great  mourning ;  that  mourn  for  sin  with  a 
funeral  sorrow,  as  the  word  'KivSomrsg  signifies ;  that  mourn  for  sin  as  a 
man  mourneth  for  the  loss  of  his  only  son,  Zech.  xii.  10,  or  as  Jacob 
mourned  for  Joseph,  or  as  David  mourned  for  Absalom,  or  as  the  people 
mourned  for  the  loss  of  good  Josiah,  2  Chron.  xxxv.  24,  25  ;  ^  that 
mourn  for  secret  sins  as  well  as  open,  for  sins  against  grace  as  well  as 
for  sins  against  the  law ;  that  mourn  for  sin  as  the  greatest  evil  in  the 
world,  that  mourn  for  his  own  sins,  Ezek.  vii.  16  ;  as  David  did,  Ps.  li.  ; 
or  as  Ephraim  did,  Jer,  xxxi.  18,  19 ;  or  as  Peter  did,  Mat.  xxvi.  75;  or 
as  Mary  Magdalene  did,  Luke  vii.  38  ;  and  that  mourns  for  the  sins 
of  others  as  well  as  for  his  own,  as  David  did,  Ps.  cxix.  136,  158  ;  or  as 
Jeremiah  did,  Jer.  xiii.  17  ;  or  as  Lot  did,  2  Peter  ii.  7,  8  ;  or  as  they 
did  in  that  Ezek.  ix.  4  ;  that  mourns  under  the  sense  of  his  spiritual 
wants  ;  that  mourns  under  the  sense  of  his  spiritual  losses,  as  loss  of 
communion  with  God,  loss  of  the  favour  of  God,  loss  of  the  presence  of 

•  MaxK^iei  01  ■priy^ovvri;,  heati  lugentes,  blessed  are  they  that  mourn.  The  way  to  para- 
dise is  through  the  valley  of  tears.  Some  report  of  Mary  Magdalene,  that  she  spent 
thirty  years  in  Galba,  weeping  for  her  sins. 


270 


A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS. 


[Chap.  I. 


God,  loss  of  the  exercise  of  grace,  loss  of  the  joys  of  the  Spirit,  loss  of 
inward  peace,  &c. ;  or  that  mourn  not  only  for  their  own  afflictions  and 
miseries,  but  also  for  the  afflictions  and  miseries  of  Joseph,  as  Nehe- 
miah  did,  Neh.  i.  2-4) ;  or  as  Jeremiah  did,  Jcr.  ix.  1,  2  ;  or  as  Christ 
did  when  he  wept  over  Jerusalem,  Luke  xix.  41,  42  ;  or  that  mourns 
because  he  cannot  mourn  for  the.se  things,  or  that  mourns  because  he 
can  mourn  no  more,  or  that  mourns  because  God  has  so  little  honour 
in  his  heart,  in  his  house,  in  his  life,  in  the  world,  in  the  churches. 
But  I  am  a  true  mourner,  therefore  I  am  blessed,  and  shall  be  com- 
forted. 

[11.]  Eleventhly,  A  godly  man  may  argne  thus:  They  which  truly 
'  huuo-er  and  thirst  after  righteousness  are  blessed,  and  shall  be  filled,' 
Mat.  V.  6  ;  or  they  that  are  hungering  and  thirsting,  as  the  Greek  runs, 
beinfT  the  participle  of  the  present  tense,  intimating,  that  wherever  this 
is  the  present  disposition  of  men's  souls,  they  are  blessed.'  He  that 
sees  an  absolute  necessity  of  the  righteousness  of  Christ  to  justify  him, 
and  to  enable  him  to  stand  boldly  before  the  throne  of  God ;  he  that 
sees  his  own  righteousness  to  be  but  as  filthy  rags,  Isa.  Ixiv.  4 ;  to  be 
but  as  dross  and  dung,  Philip,  iii.  7,  8  ;  he  that  sees  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  with  all  his  riches  and  righteousness,  clearly  and  freely  offered 
to  poor  sinners  in  the  everlasting  gospel ;  he  that  in  the  gospel-glass 
sees  Christ  to  be  made  sin  for  them,  that  knew  no  sin,  that  they  may 
be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him,  2  Cor.  v.  21 ;  he  that  in  the 
same  glass  sees  Christ  to  be  made  wisdom,  and  righteousness,  and  sanc- 
tification,  and  redemption,  to  all  those  that  are  sincerely  willing  to 
make  a  venture  of  their  immortal  souls  and  eternal  estates,  upon  him 
and  his  righteousness  ;  and  he  that  sees  the  righteousness  of  Christ  to 
be  a  most  perfect,  pure,  complete,  spotless,  matchless,  infinite  righteous- 
ness ;  and  under  these  apprehensions  and  persuasions  is  carried  out  in 
earnest  and  unsatisfied  hungerings  and  thirstings,  to  be  made  a  partaker 
of  this  rio-hteousness,  and  to  be  assured  of  this  righteousness,  and  to 
put  on  this  righteousness  as  a  royal  robe,  Isa.  Ixi.  10,  he  is  the  blessed 
soul ;  and  he  that  hungers  and  thirsts  after  the  righteousness  of  Christ 
imparted,  as  well  as  after  the  righteousness  of  Christ  imputed,  after  the 
rif^hteousness  of  sanctifi  cation,  as  well  as  after  the  righteousness  of  justifi- 
cation, he  is  a  blessed  soul,  and  shall  at  last  be  filled.^  The  righteousness 
of  sanctification,  or  inherent  righteousness,  lies  in  the  Spirit's  infusing 
into  the  soul  those  holy  principles,  divine  qualities,  or  supernatural 
graces,  that  the  apostle  mentions  in  that  Gal.  v.  22,  23.  These  habits 
of  grace,  which  are  severally  distinguished  by  the  names  of  faith,  love, 
hope,  meekness,  &c.,  are  nothing  else  but  the  new  nature  or  new  man, 
which  after  God  is  created  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness,  Eph. 
iv.  24.  He  that  hungers  and  thirsts  after  the  righteousness  of  sancti- 
fication, out  of  a  deep  serious  sense  of  his  own  unrighteousness  ;  he  that 

'  Tbey  are  not  therefore  blessed  because  they  hunger  and  thirst,  but  because  they  shall 
be  filled  ;  blessedness  will  be  in  fulness,  not  in  hunger  ;  but  hunger  must  go  before 
filling   that  we  may  not  loathe  the  loaves. — Avgustine,  Dc  verbis  Domini,  Serm.  v. 

2  Some  take  hungering  and  thirsting  here  literally,  comparing  of  it  with  Luke  vi.  21. 
Others  understand  the  words  morally  ;  by  hungering  and  thirsting  they  understand  8 
moral  hunger  and  thirst,  which  is,  when  men  hunger  and  thirst  for  justice  and  judg- 
ment to  be  rightly  executed.     Ps.  cxix.  6,  10,  20,  131  ;  Judges  xv.  18;  1  Chrou.  xi.  18 
?s.  xlii.  1,  2. 


Chap.  I.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  271 

hungers  and  thirsts  after  the  righteousness  of  sanctification,  as  earnestly 
as  hungry  men  do  for  meat,  or  as  thirsty  men  do  for  drink,  or  as  the 
innocent  person  that  is  falsely  charged  or  accused  longs  to  be  cleared 
and  righted,  or  as  Rachel  did  for  children,  or  as  David  did  after  the 
water  of  the  well  of  Bethlehem,  or  as  the  hunted  hart  doth  after  the 
water  brooks;  he  that  hungers  and  thirsts  not  after  some  righteousness 
only,  but  he  that  hungers  and  thirsts  after  all  righteousness  ;  he  that 
hungers  and  thirsts  not  only  after  some  grace,  but  all  grace  ;  not  only 
after  some  holiness,  but  all  holiness  ;  he  that  hungers  and  thirsts  after 
righteousness,  out  of  love  to  righteousness  ;  he  that  hungers  and  thirsts 
after  righteousness,  from  a  sight  and  sense  of  the  loveliness  and  excel- 
lency that  there  is  in  righteousness,  Philip,  iii.  10-15  ;  he  that  hungers 
and  thirsts  after  the  highest  degrees  and  measures  of  righteousness  and 
holiness,  Ps.  Ixiii.  1,  8  ;  he  that  primarily,  chiefly,  hungers  and  thirsts 
after  righteousness  and  holiness,  Jer,  xv.  16  ;  he  that  industriously 
hangers  and  thirsts  after  righteousness  and  holiness ;  he  that  ordinarily, 
habitually,  constantly,  hungers  and  thirsts  after  righteousness  and  holi- 
ness: Ps.  cxix.  20,  '  My  soul  breaketh  for  the  longing  that  it  hath  unto 
thy  judgments  at  all  times.'  By  judgments  we  are  to  understand 
the  statutes  and  commandments  of  God.  Mark  that  word,  'at  all 
times.'  Bad  men  have  their  good  moods,  as  good  men  have  their  bad 
moods.  A  bad  man  may,  under  gripes  of  conscience,  a  smarting  rod, 
the  approaches  of  death,  or  the  fears  of  hell,  or  when  he  is  sermon-sick, 
cry  out  to  the  Lord  for  grace,  for  righteousness,  for  holiness  ;  but  he  is 
the  only  blessed  man  that  hungers  and  thirsts  after  righteousness  at 
all  times,  and  that  hungers  and  thirsts  after  righteousness,  according 
to  the  other  fore-mentioned  short  hints.  He  is  certainly  a  blessed  man, 
heaven  is  for  that  man,  and  that  man  is  for  heaven,  that  hungers 
and  thirsts  in  a  right  manner  after  the  righteousness  of  justification, 
and  after  the  righteousness  of  sanctification.  But  I  do  truly  hunger 
and  thirst  after  righteousness  ;  therefore  I  am  blessed,  and  shall  be 
filled,  &c. 

[12.]  TwelftJily,  A  godly  man  may  argue  thus:  Such  as  are  truly  and 
graciously  '  merciful,  are  blessed,  and  shall  obtain  mercy,'  Mat.  v.  7. 
Mercy  is  a  commiserating  of  another  man's  misery  in  our  hearts,  or  a 
sorrow  for  another  man's  distress,  or  a  heart-grieving  for  another  man's 
grief,  arising  out  of  an  unfeigned  love  unto  the  party  affiicted.'  Or 
more  plainly  thus  :  mercy  is  a  pitying  of  another  man's  misery,  with  a 
desire  and  endeavour  to  help  him  to  the  uttermost  of  our  ability.  The 
Hebrew  for  godly,  non,  chasid,  signifies  gracious,  merciful.  The  more 
godly  any  man  is,  the  more  merciful  that  man  will  be.  '  Blessed  are 
the  merciful,'  that  is,  blessed  are  they  that  shew  mercy  to  others,  out 
of  a  deep  sense  of  the  mercy  of  God  to  them  in  Christ.  Blessed  are 
such  who  shew  mercy  out  of  love  to  mercy,  out  of  a  delight  in  mercy ; 
blessed  are  such  as  shew  mercy  out  of  love  and  obedience  to  the  God 
of  mercy  ;  blessed  are  such  as  shew  mercy  to  men  in  misery,  upon  the 
account  of  the  image  of  God,  the  glory  of  God  that  is  stamped  upon 
them ;  blessed  are  such  as  extend  their  piety  and  mercy,  not  only  to 
men's  bodies,  but  also  to  their  precious  and  immortal  souls.  Soul- 
mercy  is  the  chief  of  mercies.  The  soul  is  the  most  precious  jewel  in 
•  Micah  vi.  8  ;  Luke  vi-  36. — Augustine,  De  Civit.  Dei,  ix.  13. 


272 


A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS. 


[Chap.  I. 


all  the  world  ;  it  is  a  vessel  of  honour,  it  is  a  spark  of  glory,  it  is  a  bud 
of  eternity,  it  is  the  ])rice  of  blood,  it  is  beautified  with  the  image  of 
God,  it  is  adorned  with  the  grace  of  God,  and  it  is  clothed  with  the 
righteousness  of  God.     Such  are  blessed  as  shew  mercy  to  others,  from 
gracious  motives  and  considerations,  viz.,  it  is  free  mercy  that  every  day 
keeps  hell  and  my  soul  asunder  ;  it  is  mercy  that  daily  pardons  my 
sins  ;  it  is  mercy  that  supplies  all  my  inward  and  outward  Avants  ;  it 
is  mercy  tliat  jjreserves,  and  feed.s,  and  clothes  my  outward  man;  and 
it  is  mercy  that  renews,  strengthens,  and  pro.spers  my  inward  man ;  it 
is  mercy  that  has  kept  me  many  times  from   committing  such  and 
such  sins  ;  it  is  mercy  that  has  kept  me  many  a  time  from  falling  be- 
fore such  and  such  temptations  ;  it  is  mercy  that  has  many  a  time  pre- 
served me  from  being  swallowed  up  by  such  and  such  inward  and  outward 
afflictions.     Such  as  shew  mercy  out  of  a  design  to  exalt  and  glorify 
the  God  of  mercy ;  such  who  shew  most  mercy  to  them  to  whom  God 
shews  most  mercy  :  these  are  blessed,  and  shall  obtain  mercy.     Now 
mark,  to  such  who  are  thus  graciously,  thus  spiritually,  thus  divinely 
merciful,  do  these  precious  promises  belong  :  Ps.  xli.  1,  '  Blessed  is  the 
man  that  considereth  the  poor  and  needy.'     Prov.  xxii.  9,  '  He  that 
hath  a  bountiful  eye  shall  be  blessed  ;  for  he  giveth  of  his  bread  to  the 
poor.'     Prov.  xiv.  2J,  'He  that  despiseth  his  neighbour  sinneth :  but 
he  that  hath  mercy  on  the  poor,  happy  is  he.'    Prov.  xi.  2.5,  '  The  liberal 
soul  shall  be  made  fat ;  and  he  that  watereth  shall  be  watered  also  him- 
self.'    That  2  Cor.  ix.  8  is  very  remarkable  :  '  And  God  is  able  to  make 
all  grace  abound  towards  you ;  that  ye,  always  having  all-sufficiency  in 
all  things,  may  abound  to  every  good  work.'     Behold,  how  words  are 
here  heaped  up  to  make  grace,  and  all  grace,  to  abound  ;  and  who  is 
it  to  ?  Unto  'the  liberal  man,  the  merciful  man  :  Job  xxix.    1 3,  '  The 
blessino-  of  him  that  was  ready  to  perish  came  upon  me  :  and  I  caused 
the  widow's  heart  to  sing  for  joy.'     Luke  vi.  38,  '  Give,  and  it  shall  be 
o-iven  unto  you,  good  measure,  pressed  down,  and  shaken  together,  and 
runniuo'  over,  shall  men  give  into  your  bosom.'     Behold  and  wonder  at 
the  heio-ht  of  these  expressions  that  you  have  in  this  text.    We  account 
it  o-ood  measure  when  it  is  heaped  up;  but  when  it  is  heaped  up 
and  pressed  down,  that  is  more ;   but   when  it   is   heaped  up   and 
pressed  down,  and  then  heaped  up  and  running  over  a^ain,  this  is  as 
much  as  possible  can  be  made,  this  is  as  much  as  heart  can  wish.     O 
sirs  !  those  that  are  of  merciful  spirits,  they  shall  have  mercy  heaped  up, 
pressed  down,  and  running  over.    Certainly  that  man  must  needs  be  in 
a  happy  and  blessed  condition,  that  can  be  in  no  condition  wherein  be 
shall  not  have  mercy,  yea,  mercy  heaped  up  and  running  over,  to  sup- 
ply all  his  necessities  :  Mat.  xxv.  35,  '  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father, 
receive  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  beginning  of  the  world.' 
Come,  ye  blessed,  that  is  their  estate  ;  receive  the  kingdom,  that  is  the 
issue  and  reward  ;  and  why  so  ?  '  I  was  hungry,  and  you  gave  me 
meat ;  I  was  thirsty,  and  you  gave  me  drink,'  &c.     But  1  am  truly 
and  <i-raciously  merciful  ;   therefore  I  am  blessed,  and  shall   obtain 
mercy,  &c.     But, 

[13.]  Thirteenthly,  A  godly  man  may  argue  thus  :  They  that  are  'pure 
in  heart  are  blessed,  and  shall  see  God,'  that  is,  enjoy  him,  and  live  for 
ever  with  him,  Mat.  v.  8.    But  I  am  pure  in  heart ;  therefore  I  am  blessed, 


Chap.  I.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  273 

and  shall  see  God.  By  the  pure  in  heart,  here  in  the  text,  we  may  safely 
understand  the  sincere  and  single-hearted  Christian,  in  opposition  to 
the  double-minded  Christian,  as  you  may  easily  perceive  by  comparing 
the  scriptures  in  the  margin  together.^  Mark,  purity  is  twofold  :  First, 
simple  and  absolute  ;  and  in  this  sense  no  man  is  pure  in  this  life,  no 
not  one.  Secondly,  respective  and  in  part,  and  that  is  the  purity  here 
meant.  A  pure  heart  is  a  plain,  simple  heart,  without  fraud  or  guile, 
like  Nathanael,  in  whom  there  was  no  guile  ;  it  is  a  heart  that  is  evan- 
gelically blameless  and  sincere.  But,  secondly,  purity  is  opposed  to 
mixture  ;  purity  consists  in  the  immixedness  of  anything  inferior.  That 
metal  we  account  pure  metal,  which  hath  not  any  baser  than  itself  mixed 
with  it.  If  you  mix  gold  with  silver,  the  silver  is  not  made  impure  by 
tlie  mixture  of  gold ;  but  if  you  mix  lead  or  tin  with  it,  it  is  made  impure. 
Remember  once  for  alL,  viz.,  that  a  pure  heart  is  such  a  one  as  hath  cast 
off  and  cast  out  the  love  and  allowance  of  every  known  sin,  and  mingles 
not  with  it,  though  never  so  small ;  such  a  heart  as  hath  renounced  every 
known  way  of  sin.  Though  there  is  corruption  remaining  in  it,  &c.,  yet 
it  can  solemnly  and  seriously  appeal  to  God,  that  there  is  no  known  way 
of  sin,  but  it  hates,  and  abhors,  and  strives  against,  and  will  upon  no 
terms  allow  of  This  heart,  in  the  language  of  the  gospel,  is  a  pure  heart  ; 
yea,  it  is  such  a  heart  as  dares  venture  upon  the  trial  of  God  himself. 
Ps.  cxxxix.  23,  2-i,  '  Search  me,  O  God,  and  know  my  heart ;  try  me,  and 
know  my  thoughts ;  and  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me,'  or  any 
way  of  pain,  or  of  grief,  or  of  provocation,  as  the  Hebrew  hath  it,  or  any 
course  of  sin  that  is  grievous  to  God  or  man.  A  gracious  heart,  a  pure 
heart,  can  neither  allow  of  any  way  of  wickedness,  nor  wallow  in  any 
way  of  wickedness,  nor  make  a  trade  of  any  way  of  wickedness,  nor  give 
up  itself  to  any  way  of  wickedness.  Though  sin  may  cleave  to  a  pure 
heart,  as  dross  doth  to  silver,  yet  a  pure  heart  will  not  mix  nor  mingle 
with  sin.  'And  lead  me  in  the  way  everlasting,'  or  in  the  way  of  eternity, 
or  in  the  way  of  antiquity,  as  the  Hebrew  hath  it ;  that  is,  that  good 
old  way  that  leads  to  peace  and  rest,  to  heaven  and  happiness,  Jer.  vi.  16. 
Evangelical  purity  of  heart  lies  in  this,  that  it  will  not  admit  any  known 
sin  to  mingle  with  the  frame  and  purpose  of  the  heart.  A  pure  heart,  like 
a  pure  fountain,  will  still  be  a- working  and  a-casting  outthe  mud  and  filth 
that  is  in  it.  Though  sin  may  cleaveto  a  regenerate  man,  as  dross  doth 
to  the  silver,  yet  it  mingles  not  with  the  regenerate  part,  nor  the  rege- 
nerate part  mingles  not  with  it,  no  more  than  oil  mingles  with  the  water, 
or  water  mingles  with  the  oil.  Now  you  know,  though  the  water  and 
the  oil  touch  one  another,  yet  they  do  not  mingle  one  with  another; 
so  though  grace  and  sin,  in  a  regenerate  man,  may  as  it  were  touch  one 
another,  yet  they  do  not  mingle  one  with  another.  Dear  hearts  !  look, 
as  we  truly  say,  that  gold  is  pure  gold  that  is  digged  out  of  the  mineral, 
though  much  dross  may  hang  about  it ;  and  as  we  truly  say,  that  such 
and  such  an  air  is  pure  air,  though  at  times  there  be  many  fogs  and  mists 
within  it  ;  and  as  we  truly  say,  that  such  and  such  springs  are  pure 
springs,  though  mud,  and  dirt,  and  filth  may  be  lying  at  the  bottom  of 
those  springs ;  and  as  we  truly  say,  that  face  is  a  fair  face,  though  it 

^  1  Tim.  i.5;  James  i.  8;  1  Peter  i  22;  Prov.  xx.  6;  Eccles.  ii  21;  1  John  i.  8;  Johniii.  2; 
Luke  i.  5,  6. 

VOL.  IIL  S 


274 


A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS. 


[Chap.  I. 


hath  some  freckles  in  it ;  so  we  may  as  truly  say,  that  such  and  such  a 
heart  is  a  pure  heart,  thouj^h  there  may  be  much  sinful  dross  and  filth 
cleaving  to  it.  The  Jews  niport,  that  when  Noah  sent  forth  his  sons  to 
people  the  world,  he  delivered  to  every  one  of  them  some  relics  of  old 
Adam.  It  may  be  fabulous  for  the  history,  but  it  is  true  in  the  morality  ; 
the  relics  of  his  sinful  corruptions  cleaves  close  to  us  all.  Beloved  !  the 
best,  the  wisest,  the  holiest,  and  the  most  mortified  Christiansen  earth, 
do  carry  about  with  them  a  body  of  sin  and  death,  Rom.  vii.  22,  23 ; 
they  have  in  them  a  fountain  of  original  corruption,  and  from  this  foun- 
tain sin  will  still  be  arising,  bubbling  and  a-boiling  up  as  the  scum  in  a 
pot  over  the  fire.  But  mark,  as  in  wine,  or  honey,  or  water,  though 
scum  and  filth  may  arise,  yet  the  wine,  the  honey,  the  water,  will  be  still 
a-purging  and  purifying  itself,  and  a-working  and  casting  it  out;  so  though 
sin,  though  corruption,  though  spiritual  filth  may,  and  too  often  doth, 
arise  in  a  gracious  heart,  yet  there  is  a  spring  of  grace,  a  spring  of  living 
water  in  him,  there  is  a  holy  cleansing  and  purifying  disposition  in  a 
regenerate  person,  that  will  still  be  a-working  and  casting  it  out.  But 
now  mark,  in  men  of  impure  hearts  and  lives,  the  scum  doth  not  only 
arise,  but  it  seethes  and  boils  in.  Ezek.  xxiv.  12,  '  She  wearied  herself 
with  lies,  and  her  great  scum  went  not  forth  out  of  her  ;'  notwithstanding 
all  the  threatenings  of  God,  and  all  the  judgments  of  God  upon  her,  yet 
her  scum  and  filthiness  boiled  in.  Though  God  boiled  Jerusalem  in  the  ' 
pot  of  his  judgments,  yet  her  scum  and  filth  stuck  to  every  side  of  her. 
Wicked  men's  scum  and  filth  doth  not  only  ainse,  but  it  also  seethes  and 
boils  in,  and  mingles  together  with  their  spirits  ;  but  so  doth  not  the 
scum  and  filth  that  rises  in  a  gracious  heart.  A  sheep  may  fall  into  the 
mire,  but  a  swine  delights  to  wallow  in  the  mire.'     But, 

[14.]  FouHeenthly,  A  godly  man  may  argue  thus :  Such  as  sin  hath 
not  a  dominion  over,  are  not  under  the  law,  but  under  grace.  Rom.  vi. 
14,  'But  sin  hath  not  a  dominion  over  me,  therefore  I  am  not  under  the 
law,  but  under  grace."  Sin  may  rebel  in  a  saint,  but  it  shall  never  reign 
in  a  saint.  Look,  as  those  beasts,  in  that  Dan.  vii.  12,  had  their  dominion 
taken  away,  though  their  lives  were  spared  and  prolonged  for  a  season 
and  a  time  ;  so  when  Christ  and  grace  enters  into  the  soul,  they  take 
away  the  dominion  of  sin,  though  they  do  for  a  time  spare  the  life  of 
sin.  To  prevent  mistakes,  premise  with  me  briefly  these  few  things : 
First,  that  in  every  regenerate  man  there  are  two  men,  an  old  man  and 
a  new  man  ;  or  if  you  please,  flesh  and  spirit,  Rom.  vii.  Secondly,  The 
old  man,  the  fleshly  part,  will  incline  the  soiil,  and  bias  the  soul,  as  well 
to  sins  again.st  the  gospel,  as  to  sins  against  the  law,  and  to  great  sins 
as  well  as  small  sins;  witness  Noah's  drunkenness.  Lot's  incest,  Asa's 
oppression,  David's  murder  and  adultery,  Solomon's  idolatry,  and  Peter's 
blasphemy.  Thirdly,  The  old  man,  the  fleshly  part,  is  as  much  in  the 
will  as  in  any  other  part  of  the  regenerate  man  ;  and  therefore,  when 
he  falls  into  heinous  sins,  he  may  fall  into  them  with  consent,  delight, 
and  willingness,  so  far  as  his  will  is  unrenewed.  Though  a  real  Christian 
be  changed  in  every  part,  1  Thes.  v.  23,  yet  it  is  but  in  part  and  imperfect. 
Fourthly, The  old  man, the  fleshlypart,is  in  a  regenerate  man's  members, 

'  John  iv.  14-  All  resistance  of  sin  in  a  Scripture  phrase  is  called  conquest ;  for  in  the 
lesistancc  of  it,  there  is  as  much  love  shewed  to  God  as  in  the  conquest  of  it,  though  there 
'be  not  so  much  power  seen. 


Chap.  I.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  27o 

as  well  as  in  his  will,  and  therefore  they  may  be  exercised  and  employed 
in  and  about  those  sins  they  have  consented  unto.  Fifthly,  High  sinnings 
do  waste  and  wound  the  conscience  of  a  regenerate  man,  and  lay  him 
open  to  the  sore  rebukes  of  God,  and  call  for  great  repentance,  and  fresh 
and  frequent  applications  of  the  blood  of  Christ.  These  things  being 
premised,  a  question  may  be  propounded,  viz.  : 

Quest.  What  does  the  dominion  of  sin  import,  and  wherein  does  it 
consist  ?  Now  to  this  considerable  question,  I  shall  give  these  eight 
following  answers  : 

[1.]  First,  Sin  is  in  dominion,  when  it  hath  the  absolute  and  sove- 
reign commamd  of  the  soul,  wJien  it  hath  an  uncontradicted  power, 
when  it  hath  such  an  authority  in  the  soul  to  command  it  as  a  Icing 
doth  his  subjects,  or  as  the  centurion  did  his  servants :  Mat.  viii.  9, 
'For  I  am  a  man  under  authority,  having  soldiers  under  me  ;  and  I  say 
to  this  man,  Go,  and  he  goeth  ;  and  to  another.  Come,  and  he  cometh  ; 
and  to  my  servant,  Do  this,  and  he  doeth  it.'  Now  when  sin  has  such  a 
universal  and  easy  authority  and  command  over  the  whole  man,  body 
and  soul,  as  that  it  can  use  them  in  the  service  of  sin,  when  and  where 
and  how  it  pleaseth,  then  sin  is  in  dominion.  Where  there  is  a  peaceable, 
uncontrolled,  willing,  universal  subjection  of  the  whole  man  unto  the 
commands  of  sin,  there  sin  reigns,  Eph.  ii.  2,  3.     But,  * 

[2.]  Secondly,  Sin  is  in  dominion,  when  in  a  course,  when  ordi- 
narily, there  is  a  quiet,  free,  willing,  and  total  yielding  of  subjection 
to  the  authority,  laiu,  and  command  of  sin.  Mark,  it  is  a  full  posses- 
sion, a  plenary  delight,  and  a  constant  content  in  sin,  that  speaks  out 
the  reign  and  dominion  of  sin,  Rom.  vi.  13-16.  Dominion  of  sin  im- 
ports a  complete  and  universal  resignation  of  the  whole  will  and  man 
to  the  obedience  of  it.  That  man  that  is  wholly  addicted  and  devoted 
to  the  ways  of  sin,  that  man  is  under  the  reign  of  sin  ;  that  man  whose 
whole  heart  is  universally  married  to  his  lusts,  that  man  is  under  the 
dominion  of  his  lusts.  When  a  man  does  as  freely,  cheerfully,  univer- 
sally, and  readily  obey  his  lusts,  as  a  child  does  his  father,  or  a  wife  her 
husband,  or  a  servant  his  master,  or  a  subject  his  prince,  then  sin  is  in 
dominion.  When  a  man  sins  with  greediness,  when  with  Ahab  he  '  sells 
himself  to  work  wickedness,"  1  Kings  xxi.  25,  when  he  commits  '  wicked- 
ness with  both  hands,'  Micah  vii.  3,  when  he  gives  himself  up  or  over 
*  to  all  uncleanness  and  filthiness,'  Eph.  ii.  8,  when  he  freely  and  volun- 
tarily resigns  and  surrenders  up  his  body  and  soul  to  the  obedience  of 
sin,  then  sin  reigns,  then  it  keeps  the  throne.  Where  the  dominion  of 
sin  is  erected,  there  it  sits  in  the  heart,  as  a  king  in  his  throne,  and 
gives  forth  its  laws  and  commands  to  the  soul  and  body,  and  those  com- 
mands are  listened  and  consented  to,  approved  and  delighted  in,  &c.' 
A  subject  cannot  in  a  course  more  freely,  willingly,  universally,  and 
cheerfully  obey  the  commands  of  his  prince,  than  a  sinner  doth  in 
a  course  freely,  willingly,  universally,  and  cheerfully  obey  the  commands 
of  his  lusts ;  and  wherever  this  sad  temper  of  spirit  is,  there  is  sin  in 
dominion.     But  now  mark,  a  regenerate  man's  will  riseth  against  his 

•  A  man  may  be  subject,  as  a  captive,  in  this  or  that  particular  tyranny  of  sin,  who  is 
not  obedient  as  a  servant  to  all  the  government  of  sin  ;  for  that  takes  in  the  whole  will, 
and  an  adequate  submission  thereof  to  the  peaceable  and  uncontrolled  power  of  sin, 
Rom.  vii.  15,  19,  23. 


ii7G  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  I. 

sin,  even  tlicn  wlien  he  is  worsted  by  sin  and  led  captive  by  sin.  A 
tyrant  is  obcyetl  unwillingly  ;  the  wills  of  his  subjects  rise  up  against 
his  connnands,  and  if  his  power  were  not  superior  to  their  wills,  they 
would  never  obey  him.  Sin  is  no  king,  but  a  tyrant  in  the  souls  of  the 
saints,  and  therefore  their  wills,  so  far  as  they  are  renewed,  cannot  but 
rise  against  it.'  O  sirs !  remember  this  for  ever,  that  the  molesting, 
vexing,  and  tempting  power  of  sin,  does  not  speak  out  its  dominion  ; 
for  sin  may  molest,  and  vex,  and  tempt  as  an  enemy,  where  it  doth  not 
rule  and  reign  as  a  king ;  as  you  see  this  day  in  many  nations  of  the 
earth,  there  are  many  enemies  that  do  molest,  vex,  and  tempt  the  sub- 
jects of  those  nations,  who  yet  are  far  enough  off  from  having  any  rule 
or  dominion  over  tiiem  ;  but  then  sin  is  in  dominion,  when  it  commands 
in  the  heart  as  a  king  in  his  throne,  or  as  a  lord  in  his  house,  or  as  a 
general  in  his  army,  freely,  boldly,  universally,  cheerfully;  and  when 
the  soul  duth  as  freely,  boldly,  universally,  and  cheerfully  subject  itself 
to  sin's  commands.  Where  men  commonly  yield  up  their  wills  and 
affections  to  the  commands  of  sin,  there  sin  reigns ;  and  this  is  the  case 
of  every  unregenerate  man  ;  but  where  the  will  does  commonly  make  a 
stout  opposition  to  sin,  there  it  reigns  not ;  now  this  is  the  case  of  every 
regenerate  man.  That  prince  cannot  truly  be  said  to  reign  in  that  king- 
dom, where  commonly  he  meets  with  stout  opposition  ;  so  it  is  here.  A 
sincere  Christian  makes  it  the  great  business  and  work  of  his  life,  above 
all  other  things  in  this  world,  to  make  all  the  opposition  he  can  against 
his  lusts,  and  is  thoroughly  resolved  to  die  fighting  against  his  sins,  as 
Pietro  Candiano,  one  of  the  Dukes  of  Venice,  died  fighting  against  the 
Nauritines,  with  the  weapons  in  his  hand.  As  Caesar  said  in  a  battle 
he  fought  against  one  of  Pompey's  sons,  '  At  other  times  I  fought  for 
honour,  but  now  I  fight  for  my  life ;'  so  a  sincere  Christian  fights  against 
his  sins,  as  for  his  life.  Castellio's  opinion  was  vain,  viz.,  that  men 
were  of  three  sorts,  some  unregenerate,  some  regenerating,  and  others 
regenerated,  and  that  these  last  have  no  combat  betwixt  flesh  and  spirit, 
which  is  quite  cross  to  Scripture,  Rom.  vii.  14;-24,  Gal.  v.  17,  &c.,  and 
contrary  to  the  experience  of  all  saints,  in  all  the  ages  of  the  world,^  &c. 
But, 

[8.]  Thirdly,  When  a  man  is  usually  perempto'i^  in  hie  sinnings, 
in  the  face  of  all  rej^rehensions  and  arguments  that  tend  to  dissuade 
him  from,  sin,  then  sin  is  in  doviinion,  Prov.  xxix.  1  ;  Jer.  v.  3,  4 ; 
and  xliv.  15-17.  When  the  constant  bent  of  the  heart  is  inflamed  to- 
wards sin,  and  when  the  desires  of  the  soul  are  insatiably  carried  after 
sin,  and  when  the  resolutions  of  the  soul  are  strongly  and  habitually  set 
upon  sin,  then  sin  is  in  the  throne,  and  then  it  reigns  as  a  king.  When 
(iod  hedges  up  the  sinner's  way  with  thorns,  yet  the  sinner  will  break 
through  all  to  his  sin,  Hosea  ii.  6,  7;  when  life  and  death,  heaven  and 
hell,  glory  and  misery,  are  set  before  the  sinner,  yet  the  sinner  will  be 
peremptory  iu  his  sinnings,  though  he  lose  his  life,  his  soul,  and  all  the 

'  The  apostle,  aa  Chrysostani  and  Tlieodoret  observes,  on  Rom.  vi.  12,  doth  not  say, 
Let  not  aia  tyrannize,  for  tluit  is  sin's  own  work,  and  not  ours  ;  but  lie  says.  Let  it  not 
ri'ign  in  you  ;  for  when  a  kiji^  rcij^ns,  the  subjects  do,  as  it  were,  actively  obey  and  em- 
brace his  command,  whereas  they  are  rather  patients  than  apjents  in  a  tyranny. 

^  It  is  (V  harder  thinp;  to  figlit  with  a  maja's  lusts,  than  to  light  with  the  cross. — Augut- 
line  [Confessions. — G.]. 


Chap.  L]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  277 

glory  of  another  world,  then  sin  reigns,  Deut.  xxx.  15-19,  and  xi.  26-29. 
But, 

[4.]  Fourthly,  When  men  ordinarily,  habitually,  commonly  are  very 
careful,  studious,  and  laborious  to  make  provision  for  sin,  then  sin 
reigns:  Rom.  xiii.  14,  'Make  no  provision  for  the  flesh,  to  fulfil  the 
lusts  thereof ;'  or,  as  the  Greek  has  it,  '  Make  no  projects  for  the  flesh,' 
or  '  cater  not  for  the  flesh.'  When  a  man's  head  and  heart  is  full  of 
projects  how  to  gratify  this  lust,  and  how  to  satisfy  that  lust,  and  how 
to  fulfil  the  other  lust,  then  sin  reigns,  then  it  is  in  its  throne :  James  iv. 
3,  '  Ye  ask  and  receive  not,  because  ye  ask  amiss,  that  ye  may  consume 
it  upon  your  lusts.''  Both  the  law  of  God  and  nature  requires  me  to 
make  provision  of  raiment,  food,  and  physic  for  my  body,  and  for  theirs 
that  are  under  ray  charge;  but  it  may  cost  me  my  life,  my  estate,  yea,  my 
very  soul,  to  make  provision  for  my  lusts.  Such  as  ask  amiss  shall  be 
sure  to  ask  and  miss.  He  that  would  make  God  a  bawd  to  his  lusts, 
may  ask  long  enough  before  God  will  answer.  Of  all  affronts  there  is 
none  to  this  of  making  God  a  servant  to  our  lusts  ;  and  where  this  frame 
of  spirit  is,  there  sin  is  in  dominion,  Hosea  ii.  8.  He  that  abuses  mer- 
cies to  serve  his  hists,  fights  against  God  with  his  own  weapons,  as 
David  did  against  Gohath,  and  as  Benhadad  did  against  Ahab,  with  that 
very  life  that  he  had  newly  given  him ;  such  a  soul,  like  the  waters  ot 
Jordan,  will  at  last  certainly  drop  into  the  dead  lake.     But, 

[o.J  Fifthly,  When  sin  is  commonly,  habitually  sweet,  and  the  soul 
takes  a  daily  pleasure  and  delight  in  it,  then  it  reigns ;  as  you  may 
see  by  comparing  the  scriptures  in  the  margin  together.^  When  a  man 
daily  takes  as  joyful  contentation  and  satisfaction  in  his  lusts,  and  in 
walking  after  the  ways  of  his  own  heart,  as  he  does  in  his  highest  out- 
ward enjoyments,  or  in  his  nearest  and  dearest  relations,  then  certainly 
sin  is  in  dominion.  Such  men  as  can  go  constantly  on  in  a  way  of 
wickedness,  merely  to  delight  and  content  the  flesh,  such  men  are  cer- 
tainly under  the  power  and  reign  of  sin.  Many  of  the  heathens,  who 
knew  what  rational  delights  were,  scorned  sensual  delights  as  inferior 
to  them.  These  will  one  day  rise  in  judgment  against  many  of  the 
professors  in  our  days.  I  know  there  is  no  real  pleasure  or  delight 
in  sin.  If  intemperance  could  afford  more  pleasure  than  temperance, 
then  Heliogabalus  should  have  been  more  happy  than  Adam  in  para- 
dise ;  yea,  if  there  were  the  least  real  delight  in  sin,  there  could  be 
no  perfect  hell,  where  men  shall  most  perfectly  sin,  and  most  per- 
fectly be  tormented  with  their  sins.  '  Hark,  scholar,'  said  the  harlot  to 
Apuleius,  'it  is  but  a  bitter  sweet  that  you  are  so  fond  of*  When  an 
asp  stings  a  man,  it  doth  at  first  tickle  him,  and  make  him  laugh  till 
the  poison  by  little  and  little  gets  to  his  heart,  and  then  it  pains  him 
more  than  before  it  delighted  him.  It  is  so  with  sin,  it  may  tickle  the 
soul  at  first,  but  it  will  pain  it  at  last  with  a  witness.  I  have  read  of  a 
gallant  addicted  to  uncleauness,  who  at  last  meeting  with  a  beautiful 
dame,  and  having  enjoyed  his  fleshly  desires  of  her,  he  found  her  in  the 
morning  to  be  the  dead  body  of  one  that  he  had  formerly  been  naught 

1  David,  in  an  hour  of  temptation,  once  made  provision  for  his  lusts,  2  Sam.  xi.  14, 15; 
but  this  was  not  iiis  course,  his  trade,  &c. 

^  Job  XX.  12,  13;  Prov.  ii.  14;  Amos  vi.  13;  Zeph.  iii.  11;  2  Thes.  ii.  12. 
^  Plutarcli. 


278 


A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS. 


[Chap.  I. 


with,  which  had  been  acted  by  tlie  devil  all  night,  and  left  dead  again 
in  the  morning ;  so  that  the  gallant's  pleasure  ended  in  no  small  terror. 
And  thus  it  is  doubtless  with  all  sinful  pleasures.  What  sin  is  there  so 
sweet  or  profitable  that  is  worth  burning  in  liell  for,  or  worth  shutting 
out  of  heaven  for  ?  &c.     But, 

[{).]  Sixthly,  When  7)i<in  commonlu  take  j><^i't  with  sin,  when  they 
take  up  anus  in  the  defence  of  sin,  and  in  defiance  of  the  command^ 
of  God,  the  motions  of  the  Sinrit,  and  the  checks  of  conscience,  then  sin 
is  in  dominion.  He  that  readily,  resolvedly,  and  habitually  fights  sin's 
battles  is  sin's  servant,  and  without  all  peradventure  under  the  reign 
and  dominion  of  sin.  Look,  as  we  groundedly  conclude,  that  such  men 
are  under  the  reign  and  dominion  of  that  king,  that  they  readily, 
resolvedly,  and  habitually  take  up  arms  to  fight  for;  so  when  the 
inward  faculties  of  the  soul,  and  the  outward  members  of  the  body,  do 
readily  resolve,  and  habitually  take  up  arms  to  fight  for  sin,  then  and 
there  sin  is  in  dominion,  as  you  may  plainly  see  by  consulting  the  scrip- 
tures in  the  margin  ;'  but  where  the  soul  readily,  resolvedly,  and  habi- 
tually strives  against  it,  conflicts  with  it,  and  makes  war  against  it,  there 
it  is  not  in  dominion,  there  it  reigns  not,  as  you  may  see  by  comparin'g 
the  scriptures  in  the  margin  together.^  That  man  that  can  truly  appeal 
to  God,  and  say,  Lord !  thou  that  knowest  all  hearts  and  things,  thou 
knowest  that  there  is  nothing  under  the  whole  heavens  that  I  am  so 
desirous  and  ambitious  of  as  this,  that  my  sins  may  be  subdued,  that 
my  strongest  lusts  may  be  mortified,  and  that  those  very  corruptions 
that  my  nature,  constitution,  and  complexion  is  most  inclined  to,  may 
be  brought  to  an  under  ; — that  man  that  can  appeal  to  God,  and  say, 

0  Lord  !  whatever  becomes  of  me,  I  will  never  be  reconciled  to  any 
known  sin  ;  yea.  Lord,  though  I  should  perish  for  ever,  yet  I  am  resolved 
to  fight  against  my  sins  for  ever  ;  let  God  do  what  he  will  against  me, 

1  will  do  all  I  can  against  my  sins,  and  to  honour  my  God  ; — that  man 
is  not  under  the  reign  and  dominion  of  sin.     But, 

[7]  Seventhly,  When  sin  commonly  rises  hy  opposition,  then  it 
reigns.     Look,  as  grace,  when  it  is  in  the  throne,  it  rises  by  opposition: 

2  Sam.  vi.  22,  '  I  will  yet  be  more  vile ;'  Mark  x.  47,  48,  '  And  many 
charged  him  that  he  should  hold  his  peace :  but  he  cried  the  more  a 
great  deal.  Thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me'  ;■'  so  when  sin  is  in 
the  throne,  it  rises  higher  and  higher  by  opposition.  As  the  more 
water  you  cast  vipon  lime,  the  more  fiercely  it  burns  ;  so  when  sin  is  in 
its  reign  and  dominion,  it  flames  out  the  more  by  opposition.  Witness 
the  Jews'  malice  and  envy  against  Christ,  which,  when  it  received  but 
a  little  easy,  gentle  check  by  Pilate,  they  cried  out  so  much  the  more, 
'Crucify  him,  crucify  him,'  Mark  xv.  12-14.  A  man  that  is  under  the 
reign  and  dominion  of  sin,  is  like  the  rainbow  ;  the  rainbow  is  never 
on  that  side  of  the  world  that  the  sun  is,  but  wheresoever  it  appears,  it 
is  in  opposition  against  the  sun :  if  the  sun  be  in  the  east,  the  rainbow 
is  in  the  west,  &c.  Where  sin  has  the  throne,  it  will  still  rise  higher 
and  higher  by  opposition.  Reprove  a  swearer  for  swearing,  and  he 
will  swear  so  much  the  more  ;  yea,  many  times  he  will  swear  that  he 
did  not  swear,  when  indeed  he  did ;  and  so  it  holds  in  all  other  vices 


'  Rom.  vi.  19.  20;  Eph.  ii.  2.  3;  Titua  iii.  3. 
-  Uom.  vii.  23,  24;  Gal.  v.  17    JRom.  viii.  IJ. 


3  Acts  iv.  C-34,  V.  40-42. 


Chap.  I.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  279 

that  the  sinner  is  given  up  to.  It  is  said  of  Catiline,  that  he  was  a 
compound  and  bundle  of  warring  lusts  and  vices;  the  same  may  be  said 
of  all  others,  where  sin  is  in  dominion.     But, 

[8.]  Eighthly,  and  lastly,  If  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath  not 
dominion  over  you,  then  sin  has  certainly  dominion  over  you,  Rom. 
vi.  17,  18.  Christ  hath  no  dominion  over  that  soul  that  sin  hath 
dominion  over,  and  sin  hath  no  dominion  over  that  soul  that  Christ 
hath  dominion  over.  Christ  and  sin  cannot  have  dominion  over  the 
same  soul  at  one  and  the  same  time;  Christ's  dominion  is  destructive, 
and  inconsistent  with  sin  s  dominion,  &c. 

Quest.  But  how  shall  I  know  ivhether  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath 
dominion  over  'iny  soul  or  no  ?  Hoio  shall  I  knoiv  whether  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  be  my  Lord  or  no  ?  For  if  1  can  hut  groundedly  con- 
clude that  Christ  is  my  Lord,  then  I  may  very  boldly,  safely,  and 
undoubtedly  conclude,  that  sin  is  not  my  Lord ;  but  if  Christ  be  not 
my  Lord,  1  may  more  than  fear  that  sin  is  certainly  my  Lord. 

Ans.  Sol.  Canst  thou  truly  say,  in  the  presence  of  the  great  and 
glorious  God,  that  is  the  trier  and  searcher  of  all  hearts,  that  thou 
hast  given  up  thy  heart  and  life  to  the  rule,  authority,  and  govern- 
ment of  Jesus  Christ ;  and  that  thou  hast  chosen  him  to  be  thy 
sovereign  Lord  and  King,  and  art  truly  willing  to  submit  to  his 
dominion,  as  the  only  precious  and  righteous,  holy  and  heavenly, 
sweet  and  pleasant,  profitable  and  comfortable,  safe  and  best  dominion 
in  all  the  world;  and  to  resign  up  thy  heart,  thy  will,  thy  affections, 
thy  life,  thy  all,  really  to  Christ,  luholly  to  Christ,  and  only  to  Christ  V 
Canst  thou  truly  say,  0  dear  Lord  Jesus !  other  lords,  viz.,  the  world, 
the  flesh,  and  the  devil,  have  had  dominion  too  long  over  me ;  but  now 
these  lords  I  utterly  renounce,  I  for  ever  renounce,  and  do  give  up  my- 
self to  thee,  as  my  only  Lord,  beseeching  thee  to  rule  and  reign  over 
me  for  ever  and  ever,  Isa.  xxvi.  13 ;  O  Lord,  though  sin  rages,  and 
Satan  roars,  and  the  world  sometimes  frowns,  and  sometimes  fawns, 
yet  I  am  resolved  to  own  thee  as  my  only  Lord,  and  to  serve  thee  as 
my  only  Lord,  Joshua  xxiv.  5  ;  my  greatest  fear  is  of  offending  thee, 
and  my  chiefest  care  shall  be  to  please  thee,  and  my  only  joy  shall  be 
to  be  a  praise,  a  name,  and  an  honour  to  thee.  O  Lord,  I  can  appeal 
to  thee  in  the  sincerity  of  my  heart,  that  though  I  have  many  invincible 
weaknesses  and  infirmities  that  hang  upon  me,  and  though  I  am  often 
worsted  by  my  sins  and  overcome  in  an  hour  of  temptation,  yet  thou 
that  knowest  all  thoughts  and  hearts,  thou  dost  know  that  I  have  given 
up  my  heart  to  the  obedience  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  do  daily  give  it  up 
to  his  rule  and  government  ;  and  it  is  the  earnest  desire  of  my  soul, 
above  all  things  in  this  world,  that  Jesus  Christ  "may  still  set  up  his 
laws  in  my  heart,  and  exercise  his  dominion  over  me.  Now,  doubtless 
there  is  not  the  weakest  Christian  in  the  world,  but  can  venture  him- 
self upon  such  an  appeal  to  God  as  this  is  ;  and  without  all  peradventure, 
where  such  a  frame  and  temper  of  spirit  is,  there  the  dominion  of  Jesus 
Christ  is  set  up  ;  and  where  the  dominion  of  Christ  is  set  uj),  there  sin 
has  no  dominion  ;  but  where  the  dominion  of  Christ  is  not  set  up, 
there  sin  is  in  full  dominion.  Christ's  dominion  cannot  consist  with 
sin's  dominion,  nor  sin's'  dominion  cannot  consist  with  Christ's  domi- 
>  Ps.  cxxxix.  23,  24,  xxvi.  2 ;  Jer.  xi.  20,  xvii.  10 ;  Prov.  xvii.  3 ;  I  Thes.  ii.  4. 


280 


A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS. 


[Chap.  I. 


nion,  Mat.  vi.  24<.  Now  by  these  eight  things,  if  men  are  not  resolved 
beforehand  to  put  a  cheat  upon  tlieir  own  souls,  they  may  know 
wh(!tht'r  their  sins  have  dominion  over  tliera  or  no,  and  so  accordingly 
conclude  for  or  against  themselves.     But, 

[15.]  Fifteeiitlily,  and  lastly,  A  godly  man  may  argue  thus  :  There 
is  no  condemnation  to  tiiem  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the 
Spirit,  Kom.  viii.  1  ;  but  I  walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit ; 
therefore  there  is  no  condemnation  to  me.'  Walking  after  the  flesh 
notes  a  course  of  sin,  and  walking  after  the  Spirit  notes  a  course  of 
godliness.  Now,  to  such  as  keep  off  from  a  course  of  sin,  and  that 
keep  on  in  a  course  of  godliness,  there  is  no  condemnation,  there  is  not 
one  condemnation  ;  for  God  the  Father  won't  condemn  sucli  a  person, 
nor  Jesus  Christ  won't  condemn  such  a  person,  nor  the  Holy  JSpirit 
won't  condemn  such  a  person,  nor  the  word  of  grace  won't  condemn 
such  a  person,  nor  no  commandment  or  threatenings  will  condemn 
such  a  person,  no,  nor  such  a  man's  own  heart  nor  conscience,  if  it  be 
rightly  informed,  won't  condemn  him  ;  and  therefore  Avell  may  the 
Holy  Ghost  say  to  such  a  one.  There  is  no  condemnation  to  such  a 
one  ;  there  is  not  one  condemnation,  &c. 

Now  thus  you  see,  '  by  comparing  spiritual  things  with  spiritual 
things,'  and  by  a  rational  arguing  from  Scripture,  a  man  may  attain 
unto  a  comfortable  certainty  of  his  gracious  state,  and  safely  and 
groundedly  conclude  his  interest  in  Christ.  Now  this  assurance  of 
God's  favour,  '  by  the  witnessing  of  our  own  spirits,'  which  assurance 
is  deduced  by  way  of  argument  syllogistically,  is  more  easily  attained 
than  many — may  I  not  say  than  most  ? — Christians  imagine  ;  for  let 
a  gracious  man  but  clear  himself  of  heart-condemning  sins,  and 
rationally  argue  as  before  has  been  hinted,  and  he  will  speedily  reach 
to  some  comfortable,  supporting,  soul -satisfying  and  soul-quieting 
assurance,  there  being  an  infallible  connection  between  the  fore-men- 
tioned graces  and  future  glory,  1  John  iii.  20,  21.  These  fifteen  argu- 
ments may  well  be  looked  upon  as  fifteen  sure  and  infallible  evidences 
of  the  goodness  and  happiness  of  a  Christian's  estate. 

Oh  that  you  would  often,  every  day,  think  on  this,  viz.  that  the  un- 
doubted verity  of  God's  promises  proveth  an  inseparable  connection 
between  true  faith  and  eternal  glory  :  John  iii.  14-16,  '  And  as  Moses 
lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so  must  the  Son  of  man 
be  lifted  up  ;  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but 
have  eternal  life.  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him  should  not  perish,  but 
have  everlasting  life.'  John  v.  24,  '  Verily,  verily' — these  serious 
asseverations  or  protestations  amount  almost  to  an  oath — '  I  say  unto 
you,  He  tliat  heareth  my  words,  and  believeth  on  him  that  sent  me, 
hath  everlasting  life,  and  shall  not  come  into  condemnation  ;  but  is 
passed  from  death  to  life.'  John  iii.  3G,  '  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son 
hath  everlasting  life/  He  hath  it  in  the  promise,  he  hath  it  in  the 
flrst-fruits,  Ilom.  viii.  23  ;  he  hath  it  in  the  earnest,  Eph.  i.  13,  14  ; 
and  he  hath  it  in  Christ  his  head,  Eph.  ii.  6.  Mark  xvi.  IG,  '  He  that 
believeth,  and  is  baptized,  sliall  be  saved  ;  he  that  believeth  not  shall 
be  damned.'  1  Peter  ii.  C,  '  Behold,  I  lay  in  Sion  a  chief  corner-stone, 
'  Walking,  in  Scripture,  signifies  to  bold  on  a  course  of  life,  Gen.  v.  22,  and  xvii.  1. 


Chap.  I.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  281 

elect,  precious  :  and  he  that  believeth  on  hnxi  shall  not  be  confounded.' 
John  vi.  40,  '  And  this  is  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,  that  every  one 
which  seeth  the  Son,  and  believeth  on  him,  may  have  everlastmg  life  : 
and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.'     Ver.  47,  '  Verily,  verily,  I 
say  unto  you.  He  that  believeth  on  me  hath  everlasting  life.'     John  xi. 
25,  '  Jesus  said  unto  her,  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life  :  he  that 
believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live.'     Ver.  26, 
'  And  whosoever  liveth,  and  believeth  in  me,  shall  never  die.'     John 
XX.  31,  '  But  these  are  written,  that  ye  may  believe  that  Jesus  is  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God  ;  and  that  believing  ye  might  have  life  through 
his  name.'     Look,  as  certainly  as  the  unbeliever  shall  be  cast  into  outer 
darkness,  so  certainly  shall  the  believer  be  partaker  of  the  glorious  in- 
heritance of  the  saints  in  light  ;  for  certainly  the  promises  are  as  true 
as  the  threatenings  :  Acts  xvi.  30,  31,  '  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved.'     The  apostle  speaks  not  doubtingly, 
Perhaps  thou  shalt  be  saved  ;  nor  they  do  not  say,  Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  it  may  be  thou  mayest  go  to  heaven  ;  but  they  speak 
boldly,  confidently,  peremptorily,  '  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
thou  shalt  be  saved."     Joshua  xxiii.  14,  xxi.  45.     O  my  soul !  what 
greater  certainty  and  security  can  any  man  have  than  the  infallible 
promise  of  that  God  that  is  truth  itself,  who  will  not,  who  cannot,  deny 
his  word  ?     But  the  same  love  and  free  grace  that  moved  him  to  infuse 
grace  into  his  children's  souls,  will  move  him  also  to  keep  the  word 
that  is  gone  out  of  his  mouth,  and  to  make  good  whatever  he  hath 
promised.     Thus  you  evidently  see  that  the  promises  prove  an  in- 
separable connection  between  grace  and  glory,  between  faith  and  ever- 
lasting life  ;  so  that,  let  me  but  prove  that  I  have  a  saving  faith,  and 
the  scriptures  last  cited  prove  infallibly  that  I  shall  be  saved. 

Oh  labour  as  for  life,  daily  to  give  a  firm  and  fixed  assent  to  the  truth 
of  those  blessed  promises  last  cited,  and  hold  it  as  an  indisputable  and 
inviolable  principle,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
or  whosoever  hath  received  Christ  as  his  Lord  and  Saviour,  shall  be 
certainly  saved.'  This  is  the  person  that  hath  the  word,  the  promise, 
the  covenant,  the  oath  of  that  God  that  cannot  possibly  lie,  or  die,  for 
the  pardon  of  his  sin,  and  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul.  Now,  O  my 
soul,  what  security  couldst  thou  ask  more  of  a  deceitful  man,  than  that 
which  the  great  Jehovah,  the  faithful  God,  of  his  own  accord,  hath  given 
to  thee,  viz.,  his  word  and  his  oath  ?  Now  not  to  believe  God  upon  his 
promise  and  oath,  is  to  make  him  a  liar,  yea,  the  worst  of  liars  ;  yea,  it  is 
to  do  worse  than  the  devils,  for  they  '  believe  and  tremble.'  Though 
tlie  word  of  the  Lord  deserves  the  greatest  credit  that  any  mortals  can 
give  unto  it,  he  being  truth  itself  that  hath  said  it,  though  it  hath  no  oath 
nor  no  asseverations  to  be  its  surety,  yet  God,  in  his  infinite  condescending 
love  to  poor  sinners,  that  he  may  sink  the  truth  of  what  he  saith  deeper 
into  the  hearts  and  minds  of  his  people,  and  leave  the  fairer  and  fuller 
print  in  our  assents  to  the  same,  he  sets  on  the  word  of  promise  with 
the  weight  of  asseverations  and  oaths  ;  yea,  and  to  all  these  he  hath 
annexed  his  broad  seal,  the  Lord's  supper,  and  the  privy  seal  of  his 
Spirit.     Oh  unreasonable  unbelief !  shall  not  the  oath  of  God  silence  all 

1  1  Tim.  i.  15  :  1  John  i.  9  ;  Heb.  vi.  17,  18  ;  Ezek.  sxxii.  11,  xviii.  '62  ;  1  John  v. 
10-14  ;  James  ii.  19. 


282  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  I. 

disputes  ?  A  man  would  never  desire  of  any  honest  man,  so  much  as 
God  hath  condescended  to,  for  tlic  confirmation  of  our  faith.  Witness 
his  promises,  his  covenant,  his  oath,  and  ids  seals;  and  therefore  let  us 
give  glory  to  him  by  believing,  and  quietly  rest  upon  his  faithfulness. 

O  sirs  !  that  soul  that  dares  not  take  his  sanctification  as  an  evidence, 
yea,  as  a  choice  and  sure  evidence  of  his  interest  in  Christ,  and  of  the 
Lord's  precious  love  to  him,  according  to  the  promises  of  his  favour  and 
grace,  several  of  which  hath  been  but  now  under  consideration,  that 
soul  ought  to  acknowledge  it  as  his  sin,  yea,  as  his  great  sin,  for  which 
lie  deserves  to  be  smartly  rebuked,  as  making  God  a  loud  liar.  O  my 
friends  !  it  is  a  spiritual  peevishness  and  sinful  crossness  that  keeps 
many  good  men  and  women  long  in  a  sad,  dark,  doubting,  perplexed, 
and  disconsolate  condition  ;  and  certainly  it  is  no  small  sin  to  set  light 
by  any  work  of  the  blesssd  Spirit,  and  the  joy,  comfort,  and  peace  that 
we  might  have  by  it.  Ah,  how  many  are  there  that  fear  the  Lord,  who 
quench,  grieve,  vex,  and  provoke  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  denying  his  work, 
and  by  quarrelling  against  themselves,  and  the  blessed  work  of  the 
Spirit  in  them  !  Certainly  it  is  the  duty  of  every  Christian  to  hear  as 
well  what  can  be  said  for  him,  as  what  can  be  said  against  him.  Many 
poor,  weak,  and  yet  sincere  Christians,  are  often  apt  to  be  too  sour,  rigid 
and  bitter  against  their  own  souls  ;  they  love  to  practise  a  merciless 
severity  against  themselves  ;  they  do  not  indifferently,  impartially  con- 
sider how  the  case  stands  between  God  and  their  own  souls.'  It  is  in 
this  case,  as  Solomon  speaks  in  another  :  '  There  is  that  maketh  him- 
self rich,  and  yet  hath  nothing ;  and  there  is  that  maketh  himself 
poor,  and  yet  hath  great  riches,'  Prov.  xiii.  7-  That  is,  there  be  those 
in  the  world  that  pretend  they  are  rich,  and  make  a  show  before  men 
as  if  they  were  men  of  great  estates,  whereas  indeed  they  are  exceeding 
poor  and  needy.^ 

There  are  not  a  few  that  stretch  their  wing  beyond  their  nest ;  that 
bear  a  port  beyond  their  estates  ;  that  trick  vip  themselves  with  other 
men's  plumes,  laying  it  on  above  measure  in  clothes,  in  high  entertain- 
ments, in  stately  buildings,  in  great  attendance,  &c.,  when  not  worth 
one  groat  in  all  the  world,  but  either  they  die  in  prison,  or  lay  the  key 
under  the  door,*  or  compound  for  tw^elve  pence  in  the  pound,  &c.  And 
there  are  others  again  that  are  exceeding  rich  and  wealthy,  and  yet 
feign  themselves  and  look  upon  themselves  to  be  very  poor  and  needy. 
To  apply  this  spiritually,  it  is  the  damning  sin  of  the  self-tlattering 
hypocrite,  to  make  himself  rich,  to  make  himself  significant,  to  make 
his  condition  better  than  it  is,  Rev.  iii.  17  ;  and  it  is  the  vanity,  the  folly 
of  some  sincere  Christians  to  make  their  condition  worse  than  indeed  it  is, 
to  make  themselves  more  miserable  and  unhappy  than  indeed  they  are. 
Ah,  Christians  !  it  is  sad  Avith  you,  it  is  night  with  you,  when  you  read 
over  the  evidences  of  God's  love  to  your  souls,  as  a  man  does  a  book 
which  he  intends  to  confute.  Is  it  not  sad  when  Christians  siiall  study 
hard  to  find  evasions  to  wheel  off  all  those  comforts,  refreshings,  cheer- 
iags,  and  supports,  that  are  tendered  to  them,  that  are  due  to  them,  and 

*  Ps.  Ixxii.  2,  Ixxxviii ;  Job.  xv.  11,  xvi.  8,  9. 

'^  Ever  since  man  ceased  to  be  wbat  lie  slioiild  be,  be  strivetb  to  seem  to  bo  wbat  he  ia 
not.     It  is  not  the  outward  show  that  shews  what  things  are. 
=*  '  Take  lliyht.'— ti. 


Chap.  I.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  283 

that  they  may  upon  gospel  grounds  justly  claim  as  their  portion,  as 
their  inheritance  ?  And  oh  that  all  sucli  Christians  would  seriously 
and  frequently  lay  to  heart  these  eight  things. 

[1.]  First,  That  they  higldy  dishonour  the  blessed  God,  and  the  work 
of  his  grace,  by  denying  that  which  he  hath  done  for  them  and 
wrought  in  them. 

[2.]  Secondly,  They  are  spiritual  murderers,  they  are  self-murderers, 
they  are  soid-m^ui-derers  ;  for  by  this  means  they  stab  and  wound  their 
own  precious  souls  and  consciences  through  and  through  with  many  a 
deadly  dart.  Now  is  there  any  murder  like  to  spiritual  murder,  to  self- 
murder,  to  soul-murder  ?  Surely  no.     But, 

[3.]  Thirdly,  They  are  thieves;  for  by  this  means  they  rob  their  oivn 
precious  souls  of  that  joy,  peace,  comfort,  rest,  content,  assurance,  and 
satisfaction  which  otherwise  they  might  enjoy.  Now  there  is  no  theft 
to  spiritual  theft ;  and  of  all  spiritual  theft,  there  is  none  to  that  which 
reaches  the  precious  and  immortal  soul.  Mark  all  prevalent  disputes 
about  our  personal  integrity,  they  do  hold  off  the  application  and  tastes 
of  comfort,  though  they  do  not  disannul  the  title  and  right.  Even  the 
good  man  will  walk  uncomfortably  so  long  as  he  concludes  and  strongly 
fears  that  his  estate  is  sinful ;  for  sensible  comfort  riseth  or  falleth, 
Cometh  on  or  goeth  off,  acccording  to  the  strength  of  our  judgment  and 
present  apprehensions.  Observe,  it  is  not  what  indeed  our  estate  is,  but 
what  we  judge  of  it,  which  breeds  in  us  sensible  comfort  or  discomfort. 
A  false  heart  may  even  break  with  a  timpany^  of  foolish  joy  upon  an 
erring  persuasion  of  his  estate,  and  so  may  a  sound  sincere  heart  be  very 
heavy  and  disconsolate  upon  an  unsound  misconstruction  and  judging 
of  its  true  condition.     But, 

[4.]  Fourthly,  They  bear  false  witness  against  Christ,  his  Spirit, 
their  own  souls,  and  the  work  of  grace  that  is  wrought  in  them.  Oh 
how  many  dark,  doubting,  drooping  Christians  are  there,  who,  if  you 
would  give  them  ten  thousand  worlds,  yet  would  never  be  brought  to 
bear  false  witness  against  their  poorest  neighbour,  brother,  or  friend, 
and  that  out  of  conscience,  because  of  that  command,  '  Thou  shalt  not 
bear  false  witness,'  &c.,  who  yet  make  no  conscience,  no  bones  of  it,  fre- 
quently to  bear  witness  against  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  his  gracious 
works  upon  their  own  hearts  !     But, 

[5.]  Fifthly,  They  join  with  Satan  and  his  work  and  his  sugges- 
tions, and  with  that  strong  party  he  has  in  them,  against  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  his  work,  and  his  weak  party  in  them.  Sin  is 
Satan's  work,  and  grace  is  Christ's  work.  Now,  how  sad  is  it  to  see  a 
Christian  fall  in  with  Satan's  work  in  him,  against  the  work  of  Christ 
that  is  in  him.^  Satan  has  a  strong  party  in  their  souls,  and  Christ  has 
but  a  weak  party.  Now,  how  unjust  is  it  for  them  to  help  the  strong 
against  the  weak,  when  they  should  upon  many  accounts  be  a-helping 
the  weak  against  the  strong,  a-helping  the  Lord  against  the  mighty,  a- 
helping  weak  grace  against  strong  and  mighty  corruptions.  Ah,  how 
skilful  and  careful  are  many  weak  Christians  to  make  head  against  the 
work  of  Christ  in  their  own  souls,  and  to  plead  hard  for  Satan  and  his 

'  '  Swelling,'  =  up-rising. — G. 

2  See  Mr  Dod  on  the  Commandments,  pp.  310,  311 ;  and  pp.  321-324.  [1606  and  1622, 
4to,  partly  by  Cleaver. — G.] 


284  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  I. 

works  in  them,  as  if  they  had  received  a  fee  from  him  to  plead  against 
Christ  and  tlieir  own  souls.  O  Cliristians  !  that  you  would  be  wise  at 
last,  and  let  Baal  plead  for  Baal,  let  Satan  plead  for  himself,  but  do  you 
plead  for  Christ  and  that  seed  of  God  that  is  in  you.  Well,  remember 
this,  that  as  fire  is  often  hid  under  the  embers,  so  grace  is  often  hid 
under  many  foul  distempers ;  and  as  a  little  fire  is  fire,  though  it  be 
even  smothered  under  the  embers,  so  a  little  grace  is  grace,  though  it 
be  even  smothered  under  much  corruption,  1  John  iii.  9. 

Now,  by  these  short  hints  you  may  easily  perceive  how  many  royal 
commands  these  poor  Christians  transgress  who  deny  and  belie  the 
blessed  work  of  the  Lord  in  them.     But, 

[0.]  Sixthly,  They  rob  the  Spirit  of  all  the  honour  and  glory  that  is 
due  unto  1dm  for  that  blessed  tuork  of  grace  and.  holiness  tJiat  he  lias 
formed  iqy  in  their  hearts.  Oh  what  a  grief  and  dishonour  must  it  be 
to  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  when  he  hath  put  forth  a  power  in  men's  hearts 
equivalent  to  that  by  which  the  world  was  created,  and  by  which  Christ 
was  raised  from  the  dead,  we  find  it  overlooked,  and  not  at  all  acknow- 
ledged, Rom.  viii.  11.  Spiritus  Sanetus  est  t^s  delicata,  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  a  very  tender  thing.  But  do  these  poor  doubting  souls  carry 
it  tenderly  to  him  ?  Surely  no.  Dear  Christians,  the  standing  law  of 
heaven  is,  'Quench  not  the  Spirit,'  1  Thes.  v.  J 9.  Now,  if  tiie  word 
Spirit  is  not  here  taken  essentially  for  the  three  persons  in  Trinity,  nor 
yet  metonymically  for  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  but  hypostatically  for  the 
third  person  in  Trinity,  as  some  conceive,  then  you  must  remember  that 
you  may  grieve  and  quench  the  Spirit  (1.)  not  only  by  your  enormities, 
Isa.  Ixiii.  10;  (2.)  not  only  by  refusing  the  cordials  and  comforts  that 
he  brings  to  your  doors,  yea,  that  he  puts  to  your  mouths,  Ps.  Ixxvii.  2 ; 
(3.)  not  only  slighting  and  despising  his  gracious  actings  in  others,  Acts 
ii.  13  ;  (4.)  nor  only  by  fathering  those  sins  and  vanities  upon  him  that 
are  only  the  brats  and  fruits  of  Satan  and  your  own  hearts ;  but  also, 
(5.)  in  the  fifth  place,  by  misjudging  and  miscalling  the  precious  grace 
that  he  has  wrought  in  your  souls,  as  by  judging  and  calling  your  faith 
fancy,  your  sincerity  hypocrisy,  your  wisdom  folly,  your  light  darkness, 
your  zeal  wild-fire,  &c.'  Now,  O  sirs  !  will  you  make  conscience,  yea, 
much  conscience,  of  quenching  the  Spirit  in  the  four  first  respects,  and 
will  you  make  no  conscience  of  quenching  the  Spirit  in  this  fifth  and 
last  respect  ?     Oh,  how  can  this  be  ?     Oh,  why  should  this  be  ?     But, 

[7.]  Seventhly,  They  keep  grace  at  a  veinj  great  under;  for  hoiv  can 
grace  spring,  and  thrive,  and  flourish,  and  increase  in  the  soul,  when 
the  soul  is  fall  of  daily  fears  and  doubts  that  the  root  of  the  matter  is 
not  in  it,  Job  xix.  28  ;  or  that  the  root  is  still  unsound;  or  that  the 
work  that  is  passed  upon  it  is  not  a  work  in  power,  1  Thes.  i.  5  ;  or 
that  it  is  not  a  special  and  peculiar  work,  but  some  common  work  of 
the  Spirit,  which  a  man  may  have  and  go  to  hell  ?     But, 

[8.]  Eighthly,  and  lastly.  They  very  much  discourage,  dishearten,  and 
disanimaie  many  poor,  vjeak  Christians,  who  observing  of  them,  of 
whom  they  have  had  very  high  and  honourable  thoughts  for  the  grace 
of  God  that  they  have  judged  to  be  in  them,  to  be  still  a-questioning  of 
their  integrity,  and  still  a-doubting  of  the  graciousness  and  goodness  of 

*  Mark,  yon  cnnnot  dospise  flic  gifts  or  graces  of  any  that  are  sincere,  but  by  interpreta- 
tion you  judge  the  Spirit,  and  despise  the  Spirit,  as  it  is  said  of  the  poor  iu  Trov.  xvii.  6. 


Chap.  I.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  285 

their  conditions,  do  begin  to  question  their  own  estates  and  conditions; 
yea,  and  many  times  peremptorily  to  conclude  that  surely  they  have  no 
grace,  they  have  no  interest  in  Christ,  and  that  all  this  while  they  have 
but  put  a  cheat  upon  their  own  souls. 

Now,  oh  that  all  poor,  weak,  dark,  doubting  Christians  would  never 
leave  praying  over  these  eight  things,  and  pondering  upon  these  eight 
things,  till  they  are  perfectly  cured  of  that  spiritual  malady  that  they 
have  been  long  labouring  under,  and  which  has  been  very  prejudicial  to 
the  peace  and  comfort  of  their  own  souls. 

Dear  hearts,  a  gracious  soul  may  safely,  boldly,  constantly,  and 
groundedly  say  that  which  the  word  of  the  Lord  saith.  Now,  the  word 
of  the  Lord  saith,  that  '  the  poor  in  spirit  are  blessed,  and  that  they  that 
mourn  are  blessed,  and  that  they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteous- 
ness are  blessed,  and  that  they  that  are  pure  in  heart  are  blessed,'  Mat. 
V.  3,  4,  6,  8,  and  therefore  he  is  blessed.  And  assuredly  he  that  cannot 
embrace  and  seal  to  these  as  true  and  blessed  evidences  of  a  safe  and 
happy  condition,  is  greatly  to  lament  and  mourn  over  his  unbelief,  and 
earnestly  to  seek  the  Lord  to  persuade  his  heart  and  to  satisfy  and  over- 
power his  soul  in  this  thing,  as  the  poor  man  in  the  Gospel  did  ;  Mark 
ix.  24,  '  And  straightw^ay  the  father  of  the  child  cried  out  with  tears, 
Lord,  I  believe  ;  help  my  unbelief.' 

0  sirs  !  the  condition  of  the  promises  last  cited  being  fulfilled,  the 
promises  themselves  must  certainly  and  infallibly  be  fulfilled,  else  the 
great  and  blessed  God  should  lie,  be  unrighteous,  unfaithful,  and  deny 
himself;^  which  is  as  impossible  as  for  God  to  die,  or  to  send  another 
Saviour,  or  to  give  his  glory  to  graven  images.  Assuredly  the  too  hard, 
the  too  harsh,  the  too  severe,  the  too  jealous  thoughts  and  conjectures, 
and  the  too  humble,  if  I  may  so  speak,  censures  and  surmises  that  many 
weak,  doubting  Christians  have  of  themselves,  or  of  the  goodness  or 
graciousness  of  their  estates,  by  reason  of  the  weakness  of  their  graces, 
or  depth  of  melancholy,  or  the  present  prevalency  of  some  unmortified 
lusts,  or  the  subtilty  of  Satan,  shall  never  make  void  the  faithfulness  of 
God,  or  the  promises  of  God,  which  in  Christ  Jesus  are  all  yea  and  amen, 
2  Cor.  i.  20.  Doubtless  God  will  never  shut  any  poor,  weak,  doubting 
Christian  out  of  heaven,  because  through  bashfulness,  or  an  excess  of 
modesty,  or  the  present  darkness  that  is  upon  his  understanding,  or 
through  the  ungroundedness  of  some  strong  fears  of  an  eternal  mis- 
carriage, he  cannot  entertain  such  good  thoughts,  such  honest  thoughts, 
such  gracious  thoughts  of  himself,  or  of  the  goodness  or  happiness  of  his 
condition,  as  he  should  entertain,  and  as  he  would  entertain,  if  once  he 
could  but  be  too  hard  for  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil. 

Oh  that  you  would  remember  this  for  ever,  viz.,  that  the  Lord  never 
makes  any  promises  to  support,  comfort,  cheer,  and  encourage  his  people 
against  their  sadness,  darkness,  doubts,  and  droopings,  but  they  shall 
support,  comfort,  cheer,  and  encourage  his  poor  people  in  that  condition ; 
for  otherwise  the  Lord  should  provide  means  for  an  end,  out  of  his 
infinite  wisdom,  love,  and  tender  care  and  compassion  towards  his  people, 
and  yet  they  should  never  attain  that  end.  But  thus  to  imagine  is  no 
small  folly  ;  yea,  it  is  little  less  than  blasphemy.  Well,  sirs  !  this  is  to 
be  for  ever  remembered,  viz.,  that  whatsoever  gift  or  grace  of  God  in 
^  Joskua  xxi.  45,  xxiii.  14,  15  ;  1  John  v.  10-12, 


2,SG  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  I. 

man  brings  liim  within  tlic  compass  of  God's  promises  of  eternal  favours 
and  mercies,  that  gift,  that  grace,  must  needs  be  an  infallible  sign  or 
evidence  of  salvation.  But  such  are  the  gifts  and  graces  specified  in 
the  fifteen  particulars  but  now  cited,  and  therefore  that  soul  that  really 
finds  those  gifts  and  graces  in  himself,  or  any  of  them,  shall  certainly  be 
saved.     But, 

The  ninth  maxim  or  coiwideraHon. 

IX.  Ninthly,  Consider  this,  Tliat  in  divers  men  there  are  divers  de- 
grees of  assurance,  and  in  one  and  the  same  gracious  soul  there  are 
different  degrees  of  assurance  at  divers  times,  but  there  is  in  no  man 
at  any  time  in  this  life  perfection  of  degrees  ;  for  our  understanding 
and  hnoivledge  in  this  life  is  imperfect  both  as  to  the  faculty  and  its 
acts.  1  Cor.  xiii.  12,  '  For  now  we  .see  through  a  glass  darkly  (Gr.,  in 
a  riddle),  but  then  face  to  face.  Now  I  know  in  part,  but  then  shall  I 
know  even'  as  also  I  am  known.'  A  clear,  distinct,  immediate,  full, 
and  perfect  knowledge  of  God  is  desirable  on  earth,  but  we  shall  never 
attain  to  it  till  Ave  come  to  heaven.  This  well  is  deep,  and  for  the  most 
part  we  want  a  bucket  to  draw  withal.  The  best  of  men  can  better  tell 
what  God  is  not  than  what  he  is;  the  most  acute  and  judicious  in  divine 
knowledge  have  and  must  acknowledge  their  ignorance.  Witness  that 
great  apo.stle  Paul,  who  learned  his  divinity  among  the  angels,  and  had 
the  Holy  Ghost  for  his  immediate  tutor,  yet  he  confesses  that  he  knew 
but  in  part.  Certainly  there  is  no  man  under  heaven  that  hath  such  a 
perfect,  complete,  and  full  assurance  of  his  salvation,  in  an  ordinary  way, 
as  that  one  degree  cannot  be  added  to  the  former.  Neither  is  there 
any  repugnancy  in  asserting  an  infallible  assurance  and  denying  a  per- 
fect assurance ;  for  I  infallibly  know  that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  this 
God  is  holy,  just,  and  true,  and  yet  I  have  no  perfect  knowledge  of  a 
deity,  nor  of  the  holiness,  justice,  and  truth  of  God,  for  in  this  hfe  the 
most  knowing  man  knows  but  in  part.  Dear  friends !  in  the  church  of 
Christ  there  are  believers  of  several  growths  :  there  are  fathers,  young 
men,  children,  and  babes,  I  John  i.  1 3,  ]  4  ;  1  Peter  ii.  2.  And  as  in 
most  families  there  are  commonly  more  children  and  babes  than  grown 
men,  so  in  the  church  of  Christ  there  are  commonly  more  Aveak,  stag- 
gering, doubting  Christians  than  there  are  strong  ones,  grown  up  to  a 
full  assurance.  Some  think  that  as  soon  as  they  be  assured,  they  must 
needs  be  void  of  all  fears,  and  filled  with  all  joy  in  believing,  but  this  is 
a  real  mistake  ;  for  glorious  and  ravishing  joy  is  a  separable  accident 
from  assurance  ;  nor  yet  doth  assurance  exclude  all  doubts  and  fears, 
but  only  such  doubts  and  fears  as  ariseth  from  infidelity  and  reigning 
hypocrisy.     But, 

lite  tenth  maxim  or  consideration. 

X.  Tenthly,  Consider,  We  have  no  ground  from  Scripture  to  expect 
that  Ood  should,  either  by  a  voice  from  heaven,  or  by  sending  an 
angel  from  about  his  throne,  or  by  any  glorious  ai)paritions  or  strong 
impressions,  or  by  any  extraordinary  u-ay  of  revelations,  assure  us 
that  we  do  believe,  or  that  our  grace  is  true,  or  that  our  interest  in 
God  and  Christ  is  certain,  or  that  our  pardon  is  sealed  in  heaven,  or 

•  As  is  not  a  note  of  equality,  but  likeness  ;  so  that  the  sense  may  be  this  :  Look,  as 
God  knoweth  me  after  a  manner  agreeable  to  his  infinite  excellency,  so  shall  I  know  God 
according  to  my  capacity,  not  obscurely,  but  perfectly,  as  it  were  face  to  face. 


Chap.  I.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  287 

that  we  are  in  a  justified  state,  and  that  we  shall  he  at  last  undoubt- 
edly saved.  Oh  no  !  But  we  are  to  use  all  those  blessed  helps  and 
means  that  are  appointed  by  God,  and  common  to  all  believers,  for  the 
obtaining  of  a  j)articular  assurance  that  we  are  believers,  and  that  our 
state  is  good,  and  that  we  have  a  special  propriety  in  Christ  and  in  all 
the  fundamental  good  that  comes  by  him.  Mark,  he  that  will  receive 
no  establishment,  no  comfort,  no  peace,  no  assurance,  except  it  be  ad- 
ministered by  the  hand  of  an  angel,  and  witnessed  to  by  some  voice 
from  heaven,  &c.,  will  certainly  live  and  die  without  establishment, 
comfort,  peace,  or  assurance.  Gregory^  tells  us  of  a  religious  lady  of 
the  empress's  bed-chamber,  whose  name  was  Gregoria,  that,  being  much 
troubled  about  her  salvation,  did  write  unto  him,  that  she  '  should 
never  cease  importuning  of  him  till  he  had  sent  her  word  that  he  had 
received  a  revelation  from  heaven  that  her  sins  were  pardoned,  and  that 
she  was  saved.'  To  whom  he  returned  this  answer,  '  That  it  was  a  hard 
and  altogether  a  useless  matter  which  she  required  of  him  ;  it  was  diffi- 
cult for  him  to  obtain,  as  being  unworthy  to  have  the  secret  counsels  of 
God  to  be  imparted  to  him,  and  it  was  as  unprofitable  for  her  to  know: 
and  that,  first,  because  such  a  revelation  might  make  her  too  secure ; 
and  secondly,  because  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  demonstrate  and 
make  known  unto  her  or  any  other  the  truth  and  infallibility  of  the 
revelation  which  he  had  received  to  be  from  God,  so  that,  should  she 
afterwards  call  into  question  the  truth  of  it,  as  well  she  might,  her 
troubles  and  doubtings  concerning  her  salvation  would  have  been  as 
great  as  they  were  before.'  Oh  therefore,  let  all  believers  that  would 
have  sure  establishment,  sound  comfort,  lasting  peace,  and  true  and 
sweet  assurance  of  the  love  of  God,  and  of  their  interest  in  Christ,  &c., 
take  heed  of  flying  unto  revelations,  visions  or  voices  from  heaven,  to 
assure  them  of  their  salvation,  and  of  the  love  of  God,  and  of  their  in- 
terest ia  Christ,  &c.  If  you  who  are  advantaged  to  consult  history, 
please  to  do  it,  you  will  find  upon  record  that  where  one  hath  been  mis- 
taken about  searching  his  own  heart,  and  trying  his  ways,  and  observ- 
ing the  frame  and  temper  of  his  own  spirit,  many  hundreds  have  been 
eternally  deceived  and  deluded  by  voices,  visions,  apparitions,  revela- 
tions, and  strange  impulses  and  strong  impressions,  especially  amono- 
the  Romanists,  2  Thes.  ii.  9—12  ;  and  within  these  few  years,  have  not 
many  hundreds  in  this  nation  fallen  under  the  same  woful  delusions, 
who  are  all  for  crying  up  a  light  within,  and  a  Christ  within?  &c.  And 
this  you  are  seriously  and  conscientiously  to  observe  in  opposition  to 
the  papists,  who  boldly  and  stoutly  affirm  that  assurance  of  a  man's  sal- 
vation can  be  had  by  no  other  means  than  by  extraordinary  revelation. 
Witness  the  council  of  Trent,  who  have  long  since  said,  '  That  if  any 
man  say  that  he  knoweth  he  shall  certainly  persevere,  or  infallibly  be 
assured  of  his  election,  except  he  have  this  by  special  revelation,  let 
him  be  Anathema.'  Without  all  peradventure,  God  will  one  day  cross 
and  curse  such  a  wicked  council,  that  curseth,  that  anathematizeth  his 
people  for  asserting  and  maintaining  that  that  may  certainly  be  obtained 
in  this  life,  as  I  have  sufficiently  proved  by  ten  arguments  in  my  treatise 
called  Heaven  on  Earth,  from  page  1  to  page  26.^     I  think  there  is  a 

1  Vide  Gregorii  Epistolas ;  a  Lapide  in  Kom,  viii.  16. 

2  See  Vol.  II.  p.  300,  seq.—G,. 


288  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  I. 

great  truth  in  that  Confession  of  Faith,  that  saith  that  '  infallible  assur- 
ance doth  not  so  belong  to  the  essence  of  faith,  but  that  a  true  believer 
may  wait  long  and  conflict  with  many  difficulties  before  he  be  partaker 
of  it ;  yet,  being  enabled  by  the  Spirit  to  know  the  things  which  are 
freely  given  liim  of  God,  he  may  without  any  extraordinary  revelation, 
in  the  ri'dit  use  of  ordinary  means,  attain  thereunto  ;  and  therefore  it 
is  the  duty  of  every  one  to  give  all  diligence  to  make  his  calling  and 
election  sure.''     But, 

The  eleventh  maxim  or  consideration. 

XL  Eleventhly,  Consider  that  probabilities  of  grace,  of  sinceHty,  of 
an  interest  in  Christ,  and  of  salvation,  may  be  a  very  great  stay,  and 
a  singular  support,  and  a  special  cordial  and  comfort  to  abundance 
of  precious  CJiristians  that  tuant  that  sweet  and  blessed  assurance  that 
their  souU  do  earnestly  breathe  and  long  after.  There  are  doubtless 
many  thousands  of 'the  precious  sons  and  daughters  of  Zion  comparable 
to  fine  gold,'  Lam.  iv.  2,  that  have  not  a  clear  and  full  assurance  of  their 
interest  in  Christ,  nor  of  the  saving  work  of  God  upon  their  souls,  who 
yet  are  able  to  plead  many  probabilities  of  grace,  and  of  an  interest  in 
Christ.  Now  doubtless  probabilities  of  grace  and  of  an  interest  in 
Christ  may  serve  to  keep  off  fears  and  doubts,  and  darkness  and  sadness, 
and  all  rash  and  peremptory  conclusions  against  a  man's  own  soul,  and 
his  everlasting  welfai'e,  and  may  contribute  very  much  to  the  keeping 
up  of  a  great  deal  of  peace,  comfort,  and  quietness  in  his  soul.  The 
probable  grounds  that  thou  hast  grace,  and  that  God  has  begun  to  work 
powerfully  and  savingly  upon  thee,  are  mercies  more  worth  than  ten 
thousand  worlds.  Will  you  please  seriously  and  frequently  to  dwell 
upon  these  ten  particulars. 

[1.]  First,  That  though  many  weak  gracious  soids  do  not  enjoy 
eomrau7iion  with  God  in  joy  and  delight,  yet  they  do  enjoy  commu- 
nion with  God  in  sorrow  and  tears,  Hos.  xii.  4  ;  Isa.  xxxviii.  3  ;  Ps.  li. 
17.  A  man  may  have  communion  with  God  in  a  heart-hnmbling,  a 
heart-melting,  and  a  heart-abasing  way,  when  he  hath  not  communion 
with  God  in  a  heart-reviving,  a  heart-cheering,  and  a  heart-comforting 
way.  It  is  a  very  great  mistake  among  many  weak,  tender-spirited 
Christians,  to  think  that  they  have  no  communion  with  God  in  duties, 
except  they  meet  with  God  embracing  and  kissing,  cheering  and  com- 
fortino-  up  their  soula  And  oh  that  all  Christians  would  remember  this 
once  for  all,  viz.,  that  a  Christian  may  have  as  real  communion  with 
God  in  a  heart-humbling  way,  as  he  can  have  in  a  heart-comforting  way, 
John  XX.  11-19.  A  Christian  may  have  as  choice  communion  with 
God  when  his  eyes  are  full  of  tears,  as  he  can  have  when  his  heart  is 
full  of  joy.  When  a  godly  man  upon  his  dying  bed  was  asked  which 
were  his  most  joyful  days,  either  those  before  his  conversion  or  those 
since  his  conversion,  upon  which  he  cried  out,  '  Oh  give  me  my  mourn- 
iniT  days  again,  give  me  my  mourning  days  again,  for  they  were  my 
joyfullest  days.'  Many  times  a  poor  Christian  has  never  more  joy  in 
his  heart  than  when  his  eyes  are  full  of  tears.     But, 

[2.]  Secondly,  Though  many  poor,  iveak,  doubting,  trembling  Chins- 
tians  dare  not  say  that  they  do  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  yet  they  dare 

I  1  John  V.  13  ;  I?a.  1.  10  ;  Mark  ix.  24  ;  1  Cor.  ii.  12  ;  1  John  iv.  13, 14  ;  Ileb.  vi.  11 
12  ;  Eph.  iii.  17-19  ;  2  Peter  i.  10. 


Chap.  I.J  a  cabinet  of  jitWels.  289 

say  that  they  would  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  with  all  their  hearts,  and 
luith  all  their  souls,  and  tlmj  dare  say,  that  if  it  were  in  their  povjer, 
they  tvould  even  shed  tears  of  blood  because  they  cannot  love  Christ  both 
as  they  would  and  as  they  should}  Blessed  Bradford  would  sit  and 
weepat  dinner  till  the  tearsfell  on  his  trencher, because  hecould  love  God 
no  more.  ISo  the  poor,  doubting,  trembling  Christian  mourns  and  laments 
because  he  can  love  Christ  no  more.  '  A  man  may  love  gold,  and  yet 
not  have  it,  but  no  man  loveth  God  but  he  is  sure  to  have  God,'  saith 
Augustine.  A  good  man  once  cried  out,  '  I  had  rather  have  one  Christ, 
than  a  thousand  worlds.' 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Though  many  poor,  weak,  doubting,  trembling  Chris- 
tians dare  not  say  that  they  have  grace,  yet  they  dare  say  that  they  prize 
the  least  d,ram  of  grace  above  all  the  gold  and  silver  of  the  Indies.  Were 
all  the  world  a  lump  of  gold,  and  in  their  hands  to  dispose  of  it,  they 
would  give  it  for  grace,  yea,  for  a  little  grace.  Now  certainly  no  man  can 
thus  highly  prize  grace  but  he  that  has  grace.  No  man  sees  the  worth 
and  lustre  of  grace,  no  man  sees  a  beauty  and  excellency  in  grace,  nor 
no  man  can  value  grace  above  the  gold  of  Ophir,  but  he  whose  heart  has 
been  changed,  and  whose  eyes  has  been  opened  by  the  spirit  of  grace.^ 
But, 

[4]  Fourthly,  Though  many  poor,  doubting,  trembling  Christians 
dare  not  say  that  their  condition  is  good,  that  their  condition  is  safe 
and  happy,  yet  they  dare  say  that  they  would  not  for  ten  thousand 
worlds  change  their  conditions  with  the  vain  and  debauched  men  of 
the  tvorld,  who  delight  in  sin,  tvho  walloiu  in  sin,  who  make  a  sport 
of  sin,  and  ivho  live  under  the  reign  and  dominion  of  sin.  They 
had  rather,  with  Lazarus,  be  full  of  sores  and  full  of  wants,  and  live  and 
die  in  rags,  and  after  all  be  carried  *by  angels  into  Abraham's  bosom, 
than  with  Dives,  every  day  to  fare  sumptuously,  and  be  clothed  glo- 
riously, and  perish  eternally,  Luke  xvi.  Though  they  are  poor,  and 
wicked  men  rich  ;  though  they  are  debased,  and  wicked  men  exalted  ; 
though  they  are  empty,  and  wicked  men  full  ;  though  they  are  low,  and 
wicked  men  high  ;  though  they  enjoy  nothing,  and  wicked  men  enjoy 
everything  ;  yet  they  would  not  for  as  many  worlds  as  there  be  men  in 
the  world  change  conditions  with  them.     But, 

[5.]  Fifthly,  Though  poor,  doubting,  staggering,  trembling  Christians 
dare  not  say  that  they  do  not  sin,  because  there  is  not  a  just  man  upon 
the  earth,  that  doeth  good  and  sinneth  not :  Eccles,  vii.  20,  'And  because 
no  man  can  say  I  have  made  my  heart  clean,  I  am  pure  from  my  sin  ;' 
Prov.  XX.  9,  '  And  because  in  many  things  we  offend  all  ;'  James  iii.  2, 
'  And  because  if  we  say  we  have  no  sin  we  deceive  ourselves,  and  the 
truth  is  not  in  us  ;'  1  John  i.  8,  chap.  iii.  6,  8,  9,  10  ;  yet  they  dare  say 
that  they  ivo  u  Id  not  willingly,  luilfully,  wickedly,  resolutely,  maliciously, 
and  habitually  sin  against  the  Lord  to  gain  theivhole  world.  Though 
they  dare  not  say  they  do  not  sin,  yet  they  dare  say,  if  they  miglit  have 
their  choice,  they  would  never  dishonour  God  more,  nor  crucify  the  Lord 
of  glory  more,  nor  grieve  the  Spirit  of  grace  more,  nor  wound  conscience 

^  It  was  a  famous  saying  of  Austin's,  he  loves  not  Christ  at  all  that  loves  not  Christ 
above  all.     [Confessions,  and  De  Civitite  Dei,  often. — G.] 

*  Cardan  saith,  that  every  precious  stone  hath  an  egrej^'ious  virtue  in  it.  The  same  we 
may  say  of  every  saving  gracu. 

VOL.  III.  T 


290  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS,  [ChAP.  I. 

more,  nor  cloud  the  face  of  God  more,  nor  darken  their  evidences  for 
heaven  more,  nor  interrupt  their  comnuiniou  with  God  more,  &c.     But, 

[6.]  Sixthly,  T/iovf/hpoor,  douJilhuj,  sfa(/f/erliH/,tremhHn(j  Christ taiia 
dare  not  say  that  Ood  is  their  God,  or  that  Christ  is  their  liedeemer, 
or  that  the  Spirit  is  their  Comfoiier;  yet  they  dare  say,  that  if  God,  and 
Christ,  and  the  Spiiit,  and  grace  and  gloi^y,  and  holiness  o.nd  liappi- 
ness,  were  offered  to  them  on  the  one  hand,  and  all  the  honours,  plea- 
sures, profits,  dell(/hts,  and  carnal  contents  of  the  tvorld  were  offered 
them  on  the  other  hand,  they  had  ten  thousand  times  rather,  they  had 
infinitely  rather,  choose  God,  and  Christ,  and  the  S^nrit,  and  grace  and 
holiness,  and  everlasting  happiness,  than  the  contrary :  Cant.  v.  JO  ; 
Deut.  xxvi.  17  ;  Ps.  Ixxiii.  25  ;  Philip,  iii.  6-8.  Look,  as  Rachel  cried 
out,  '  Give  me  children,  or  I  die,'  Gen.  xxx.  1 ;  so  these  poor  hearts  are 
still  crying  out,  'O  Lord,  give  me  thyself,  or  I  die;  give  me  thy  Christ,  or 
I  die  ;  give  me  thy  Spirit  and  grace,  or  I  die  ;  give  me  pardon  of  sin,  or 
I  die  ;  lift  \ip  the  light  of  thy  countenance  upon  me,  or  I  die  ;  bring  me 
under  the  bond  of  the  covenant,  or  I  die.  O  Lord,  let  all  these  things 
be  done,  or  I  am  undone,  and  that  for  ever ;  Lord,  let  the  men  of  this 
world  take  the  world,  and  divide  it  among  themselves  ;  let  me  but  enjoy 
thyself,  thy  Christ,  thy  love,  and  I  shall  say,  '  My  lot  is  fallen  to  me  in  a 
pleasant  place,  and  verily  I  have  a  goodly  heritage,'  Ps.  xvi.  5,  G.     But, 

[7.]  Seventhly,  T1  tough  poor,  doubting,  staggering,  trembling  Chris- 
tians dare  not  say  that  they  have  grace  in  their  own  hearts,  yet  they 
dare  say  that  tliey  dearly  love,  and  highly  honour,  and  greatly  prize 
the  graces  of  the  Spirit  ivhich  they  see  sparkling  and  sldning  in  the 
hearts  and  lives  and  lips  of  other  saints}  And  they  dare  say  that  . 
there  are  no  men  in  all  the  world  that  are  so  precioup,  so  lovely,  so 
worthy,  and  so  honourable  in  their  eyes,  or  so  high  in  their  esteems,  as 
those  who  have  the  image  of  God,  of  Christ,  of  holiness,  most  clearly, 
fairly  and  fully  stamped  upon  them.     But, 

[8.]  Eighthly,  Though  poor,  doubting,  trembling  Christians  dare 
not  say  that  they  have  such  strength  and  'power  against  their  sins  as 
they  ivould  have,  or  as  they  should  have,  or  as  many  of  the  dear  saints 
of  God  have,  ivho  often  lead  cap>tivity  coj^tive  ;  yet  they  dare  say,  that 
when  the  Lord  is  pleased,  7ioiu  and  then,  by  his  Spirit,  j)ower,  ivoi'd, 
grace,  &c.,  to  help  them,  though  it  be  but  a  little,  against  their  sins,  to 
help  them  in  any  measure  to  subdue  their  sins,  or  to  assist  them  to 
bring  any  one  sin  or  another  to  an  under,  or  to  arm  them  against  any 
temptations,  occasions,  or  pyrovocations  to  sin,  there  are  no  such  times 
or  seasons  of  joy,  comfort,  delight,  refreshing,  and  content  to  their  sotds 
as  these  are:  Ps.  Ixv.  3,  Gal.  v.  14.  The  language  of  their  souls  in  such 
a  day  as  this  is,  is  this  :  Oh  that  it  might  be  always  thus  with  us  !  Oh 
that  every  day  we  might  lead  captivity  captive  !  Oh  that  every  day 
we  might  have  our  lusts  at  an  under  !  Oh  that  every  day  we  might 
triumph  over  the  old  man  !  Oh  that  every  day  one  lust  or  another 
might  fall  before  the  power,  the  Spirit,  the  presence,  the  grace  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.     But, 

[9.]  Ninthly,  Tliovgli  poor,  doubting,  staggeHng,  trembling  Chris- 
tians dare  not  say  that  they  make  so  much  advantage,  so  much  earn- 
ings of  the  sei^ions  they  hear,  or  of  the  'players  they  make,  or  of  the 
^  Acts  xi.  23  ;  Pa.  xv.  4  ;  Ps.  xvi.  a  ;  Lam.  iv.  2  ;  1  Tlies.  i.  2,  3  ;  Heb.  xi.  38. 


Chap.  I.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  291 

scri'ptures  they  read,  or  of  the  communion  of  saints  that  they  enjoy,  as 
olliers  do  ;  yet  they  dare  say  that  they  ivoiild  not  for  all  the  world  cast 
off  praying,  or  hearing,  or  reading,  or  the  communion  of  saints,  and 
give  up  themselves  to  the  ways  of  sin  and  Satan,  and  the  ivorld.  Ps. 
iv.  3;  Ixvi.  19,  20;  cxxxviii.  8;  Lam.  iii.  55-58.     But, 

[  1 0.]  Tenthly  and  lastly,  Though  j^oor, doubting,  staggering,  trembling 
Christians  dare  not  say  that  Christ  is  their  Saviour,  yet  they  dare  say 
that  they  d.esire  and  endeavour  to  honour  Christ  as  their  Lord,  though 
they  cannot  see  Christ  bestowing  himself  on  them  as  their  Redeemer, 
John  XX.  28,  yet  they  are  willing  to  make  a  resignation  of  themselves 
up  to  him  as  their  king  ;  they  are  loilling  to  resign  up  their  hearts 
and  lives  to  the  government  of  Jesus  Christ.  Though  they  cannot  find 
comfort,  yet  they  will  oppose  sin;  though  the}?- cannot  comprehend  Christ, 
yet  they  will  not  willingly  offend  Christ  ;  though  they  cannot  see  their 
own  propriety  in  Christ,  yet  they  desire  nothing  more  than  that  Christ 
may  claim  a  propriety  in  them ;  though  they  cannot  see  Christ  as  a 
friend,  yet  they  can  look  upon  sin  as  an  enemy  ;  though  they  cannot 
close  with  the  promises,  yet  they  will  close  with  the  precepts  ;  though 
they  cannot  close  with  the  ]3rivileges  of  a  Christian,  yet  they  will  close 
with  the  services  of  a  Christian  ;  though  they  cannot  share  in  the  com- 
forts of  a  Christian,  yet  they  will  side  with  the  duties  of  a  Christian ; 
though  they  cannot  clear  up  their  interest  in  Christ,  yet  they  are  willing 
to  yield  subjection  to  Christ;  though  they  want  strength  to  throw  them- 
selves into  the  arms  of  Christ  to  save  them,  yet  the}^  will  cast  themselves 
at  the  feet  of  Christ  to  serve  him ;  though  they  want  the  light  of  comfort 
and  consolation,  yet  they  will  walk  in  the  light  of  commands  and  direc- 
tions, Isa.  1.  10. 

All  men  will  grant  that  these  ten  things  are  strong  probabilities  of 
grace  ;  but  give  me  leave  to  say  that  they  are,  without  all  controversy, 
most  sure,  sound,  solid,  and  infallible  evidences  of  true  grace,  and  of  an 
interest  in  Christ  and  salvation  ;  and  therefore  all  those  poor  doubting, 
staggering,  and  trembling  Christians  that  find  all  these,  or  any  of  these 
ten  things  in  their  own  souls,  they  ought  for  ever  to  bless  the  Lord,  and 
speak  well  of  his  name  upon  these  accounts.  And  therefore,  O  my  soul ! 
be  thou  much  in  adoring  and  admiring  of  free  and  infinite  grace,  that 
hath  wrou2rht  all  these  thincrs  in  thee  and  for  thee. 

But  now,  dear  hearts,  that  this  eleventh  particular  concerning  pro- 
babilities of  grace  may  the  better  stick  upon  you,  and  be  the  more 
seriously  minded  and  weighed  by  you,  I  beseech  you  often  to  ponder 
upon  these  six  following  things : 

[1.]  First,  That  you  have  deserved  hell,  and  therefore  for  you  to  have 
but  a  probability  of  going  to  heaven,  is  infinite  grace  and  mei'cy. 
You  have  deserved  to  be  shut  up  in  chains  of  darkness  with  devils  and 
damned  spirits  to  all  eternity,  Jude  6,  and  therefore  for  you  to  have 
a  probability  of  enjoying  for  ever  the  presence  of  God,  Christ,  the  glorious 
angels,  and  '  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect  in  heaven,'  Heb.  xii. 
22—24,  is  a  mercy  more  worth  than  ten  thousand  worlds.  You  have 
deserved  to  dwell  with  a  '  devouring  fire,'  Isa.  xxxiii.  14,  and  to  lie  for 
ever  under  those  flames  and  torments  that  are  ea.seless,  endless,  and 
remediless  ;  and  therefore  for  you  to  have  a  probabihty  of  satiating  and 
delighting  your  souls  in  that  fulness  of  joy,  and  in  those  '  everlastino- 


292  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  I 

pleasures  that  be  at  God's  right  hand,'  Ps.  xvi.  11,  is  grace,  yea,  glorious 
grace  upon  the  throne,  &c.     But, 

[2.]  iSecondly,  Consider  that  if  you  cast  up  a  time  avd  faithful  ac- 
count, you  vnll  ceHainly  find  that  the  conifoH,  the  jieace,  the  joy, 
the  quiet,  the  rest,  the  satisfaction,  the  content  that  tlis  generality  of 
saints  do  enjoy,  is  more  from  probabilities  of  grace,  than  it  is  from 
any  ceiiainty  or  assurance  that  they  have  of  grace  being  in  their 
souls ;  it  is  more  from  probabilities  of  an  interest  in  Christ,  than  from 
any  assurance  of  an  interest  in  Christ  ;  it  is  more  from  probabilities  of 
beiug  saved,  than  it  is  from  any  special  persuasions  that  they  shall  be 
saved  ;  it  is  more  from  probabilities  of  going  to  heaven,  than  it  is  from 
any  raised  fixed  confidence  that  they  shall  go  to  heaven  ;  and  therefore 
the  people  of  God  have  very  great  cause  to  bow  before  tiie  Lord,  and  to 
adore  his  grace,  and  for  ever  to  speak  well  of  his  name,  for  the  very 
probabilities  of  grace,  and  of  an  interest  in  Christ,  and  of  being  saved 
and  glorified. 

[3. J  Tliirdly,  Consider  that  there  leave  been  very  many  under  svrh 
dreadful  horrors  and  terrors  of  conscience,  and  under  such  wrath 
and  displeasure  of  an  angry  God,  and  that  have  lain  trembling  upon 
fheir  dying  beds,  and  that  have  been  even  ready  to  be  sivalloived  up 
in  the  gulf  of  despair,  ivho  tmndd  have  given  cdl  the  wcndd,  had  it  been 
in  their  power,  for  the  very  probabilities  of  grace.  Spira,  being  in  a 
deep  despair  for  renouncing  of  those  doctrines  of  the  gospel  which  he 
had  once  stoutly  professed,  said,  '  That  he  would  willingly  suffer  the 
most  exquisite  tortures  of  hell-fire  for  the  space  of  ten  thousand  years, 
upon  condition  he  might  be  well  assured  to  be  released  afterward.'^  He 
further  added,  in  that  hellish  and  hon'ible  fit,  that  his  dear  wife  and 
children,  for  whose  sake  principally  he  turned  away  from  the  gospel,  to 
(Mubrace  this  present  world,  appeared  now  to  him  as  hangmen,  hags, 
and  torturers.  A  despairing  soul  is  Magor  Missabib,  a  terror  to  him- 
self; his  heart  a  hell  of  horror,  his  conscience  an  Aceldama,  a  field  of 
black  blood.  So  that  as  Augustine  describes  such  a  one  flying  from  the 
field  to  the  city,  from  the  city  to  his  house,  from  his  house  to  his  cham- 
ber, from  his  chamber  to  his  bed,  &c.,  so  that  he  can  rest  nowhere,  but 
is  as  if  infernal  devils  in  fearful  shapes  were  still  following  of  him,  and 
still  terrifying  and  tormenting  his  distressed  and  perplexed  soul.  Now, 
doubtless  such  poor  souls  would  have  given  ten  thousand  worlds,  had 
they  so  many  in  their  hands  to  give,  and  that  for  the  very  probabilities 
of  grace  ;  and  how  many  tempted,  deserted,  clouded,  wounded,  and  be- 
nighted souls  arc  there,  who  would  think  it  a  heaven  on  this  side  heaven, 
if  they  could  but  see  probabilities  of  grace  in  their  souls  !  Oh,  there- 
tore,  let  not  the  probabilities  of  grace  be  a  small  tiling  in  your  eyes,  but 
bow  the  knee,  and  let  the  high  praises  of  God  be  found  in  your  mouths, 
even  for  probabilities  of  grace!     But, 

[4.]  FouHldy,  Consider  tltat  Satan  is  a  very  deadly  enemy  to  the 
leant  pjrobabilities  of  grace,  and  will  do  all  he  can  to  cloud,  darken, 
and  obscure  probabilities  of  grace,  since  divine  vengeance  Itas  cut  him 

*  He  ilied  desperately,  wlio  died  with  tliis  desperate  paying  in  his  mouth,  Sprs  et  for- 
tuna  valete.  Farewell,  life  and  hope  together.  Despair  is  Satan's  niasterjjiece ;  it  carries 
iiic!i  headlong  to  hell,  as  the  devils  did  the  herd  of  swine  into  the  deep.  [Spira:  cf. 
Sibbes,  vol.  iii.,  note  qq,  p.  533. — G.] 


1 


Chap.  I.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  293 

off  from  the  least  hopes,  from  the  least  probabilities  of  ever  obtainhifj 
the  least  chum  of  grace  or  mercy}  Oh  how  does  he  storm  and  take 
on  against  every  probabiHty  of  grace  and  mercy  that  God  vouchsafes  to 
his  people  for  their  comfort  and  encouragement !  Satan  is  an  old  experi- 
enced enemy,  almost  of  six  thousand  years'  standing,  and  he  very  well 
knows  that  probabilities  of  grace  will  certainly  arm  a  Christian  against 
many  temptations,  and  sweetly  support  him  under  many  afflictions,  and 
exceedingly  heighten  and  raise  his  resolutions.  He  knows  that  proba- 
bilities of  grace  will  turn  crosses  into  crowns,  storms  into  calms,  and 
winter  nights  into  summer  days.  Satan  knows  that  probabilities  of 
grace  will  make  every  bitter  sweet,  and  every  sweet  seven  times  more 
sweet ;  and  therefore  his  spirit  rises  and  swells  against  every  probability 
of  grace.  Now  the  greater  Satan's  rage  is  against  the  probabilities  of 
grace,  the  more  thankful  we  should  be  for  the  probabilities  [of]  grace.  It 
is  good  to  move  and  act  cross  to  him,  who  in  all  liis  actings  loves  to  act 
cross  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  our  souls.     But, 

[5.]  Fifthly,  Consider  that  from  probabilities  in  outiuard  things, 
'men  coimmovly  gather  a  great  deal  of  comfort,  support,  quietness, 
and  satisfaction.  When  the  physician  tells  the  patient  that  it  is  pro- 
bable, yea,  very  probable  that  he  will  recover,  live  and  do  well,  oh  what 
a  support,  comfort,  and  refreshing  is  this  to  the  languishing  patient  ! 
When  there  is  but  a  probability  of  a  good  market,  how  does  the  market- 
man  smile ;  when  there  is  but  a  probability  of  good  trading,  how  does 
the  tradesman  cheer  up ;  when  there  is  but  a  probability  of  a  good  voy- 
age, how  does  the  merchants'  and  the  mariners'  spirits  rise  ;  when  there 
is  but  a  probability  of  a  good  harvest,  how  does  the  husbandman  sing ; 
when  there  is  but  some  hopes,  some  probability  of  a  pardon  for  a  con- 
demned man,  how  does  his  spirits  revive,  and  how  does  his  heart  even 
leap  and  dance  for  joy ;  and  so  when  a  Christian  has  but  some  hopes, 
some  probabilities  of  grace,  of  an  interest  in  Christ,  and  of  being  saved, 
he  may  well  cheer  up  and  maintain  his  ground  against  all  fears  and 
doubts,  objections  and  temptations.     But, 

[6.]  Sixthly  and  lastly.  Consider  there  is  a  great  deal  of  grace  and 
•mercy  in  Scripture  per  adventures,  as  you  may  easily  see  by  compar- 
ing the  scriptures  in  the  margin  together."^  Scripture  peradventures 
ought  to  keep  down  despair,  and  raise  our  hopes  and  our  hearts.  To 
know  that  God  is  favourable,  and  that  sin  is  pardonable,  and  that  mercy 
is  attainable,  and  that  hell  is  avoidable,  is  no  small  comfort  to  a  poor 
doubting  trembling  Christian.  And  as  there  is  a  great  deal  of  grace  and 
mercy  in  Scripture  peradventures,  so  there  is  a  great  deal  of  grace  and 
favour  in  Scripture  may-bes,  as  you  may  see  by  comparing  these  scrip- 
tures in  the  margin  together.*  Now,  if  Scripture  peradventures  and  Scrip- 
ture may-bes  afford  so  much  support,  relief,  and  comfort  to  your  souls, 
as  indeed  they  do,  then  doubtless  probabilities  of  grace,  of  an  interest  in 
Christ,  of  going  to  heaven,  and  of  being  saved,  ought  very  much  to  sup- 
port, relieve,  cheer,  and  comfort  the  hearts  of  all  those  that  have  such 
probabilities.     A  gracious  soul  may  say  when  he  is  lowest  and  weakest, 

'  Let  not  any  think,  saith  Luther,  tlie  devil  is  now  dead,  no  nor  yet  asleep ;  for  as  lie 
that  '  keepeth  Israel,'  so  he  that  hatetli  Israel  '  never  slumbereth  or  sleepeth.' 

2  Exod.  xxxii.  30;  I  Sam.  ix.  C ;  1  Kings  xx.  21;  2  Tim.  ii.  25. 

*  I  Sam.  xiv.  6  ;  2  Sam.  xvi.  12  ;  2  Kings  xix.  4  ;  Isa.  xxxvii.  4  ;  Ezek.  xiv.  11  ;  Aiuos 
V.  15  ;  Zeph.  ii-  3  ;  Dan.  iv.  27. 


294  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ClIAP.  I, 


i 


Well,  though  I  dare  not  say  that  J  have  grace,  yet  I  have  a  peradven- 
ture  for  it ;  and  tiiough  I  dare  not,  I  cannot  say  I  have  an  interest  in 
Christ,  yet  if  1  have  a  may-he  for  it,  I  ought  to  bear  up  bravely  and 
comfortably  against  all  fears  and  doubts  ;  yea,  and  to  take  the  comfort 
and  the  sweet  of  all  those  blessed  prol)abilities  of  grace,  of  an  interest 
in  Christ,  and  of  being  saved,  and  of  all  the  peradventurcs  and  may-bcs 
that  are  scattered  up  and  down  in  the  book  of  God,  and  with  Hannah  to 
walk  up  and  down  without  a  sad  countenance,  1  Sam.  i.  18. 

The  UiH'lfth  mcuvim,  or  consideration. 

XII.  Twelftldy,  Consider  that  it  is  a  Christians  greatest  imsdom 
and  highest  concernment,  to  take  the  most  commodAovs  time  for  the 
casting  up  of  his  spiritual  accounts.  If  I  would  know  what  I  am 
worth  for  another  world,  and  what  I  have  to  shew  for  'the  inheritance 
of  the  saints  in  light,'  then  I  am  to  take  my  heart  when  it  is  at  best, 
and  when  I  am  most  divinely  prepared  and  fitted  for  this  great  service, 
then  to  enter  upon  it.  It  is  no  wisdom  for  a  man  to  go  to  see  his  face 
in  troubled  waters,  or  to  look  for  a  pearl  in  a  pnddle.  There  are  some 
particular  times  and  seasons  in  which  it  is  no  way  safe  nor  convenient 
for  a  Christian  to  enter  upon  the  trial  of  his  spiritual  estate.  As,  first. 
When  the  body  is  greatly  distempered  ;  2,  When  the  sonl  is  greatly 
tempted  by  Satan,  or  sadly  deserted  by  God  ;  3,  When  the  conscience 
is  so  deeply  wounded  by  some  great  falls,  as  that  the  soul  is  filled 
with  exceeding  great  fear,  terror,  and  horror.^  It  is  with  many  poor 
Christians  in  this  case,  as  it  hath  been  with  some  who  have  been  so 
struck  with  the  fear  and  horror  of  death  before  the  jndge,  that  though 
they  were  good  scholars,  and  able  to  read  anything,  yet  fear  and  hon-or 
hath  so  surprised  them,  that  when  their  lives  have  been  at  stake,  and 
the  book  hath  been  given  them  to  read,  they  have  not  been  able  to  read 
one  line,  one  word.'"*  So  many  of  the  precious  servants  of  Christ,  when 
they  have  been  under  wounds  of  conscience,  and  when  they  have  been 
filled  with  fears,  terrors,  and  horrors,  they  have  not  been  able  to  look 
up  to  heaven,  nor  read  their  evidences,  nor  turn  to  the  breasts  of  the 
promises,  nor  call  to  mind  their  fonner  experiences,  nor  behold  the  least 
glimpse  of  heaven's  glories,  Ps.  xl.  12,  Ixxvii.,  Ixxxviii. ;  Job  xxiii.  8,  9. 
No  man  in  his  wits,  if  i)e  were  to  weigh  gold,  would  weigh  it  in  the 
midst  of  high  winds,  great  storms,  and  horrible  tempests,  which  would 
so  hurry  the  balance  up  and  down,  this  way  and  that,  that  it  would  be 
impossible  for  him  to  weigh  his  gold  exactly.  Now  the  trial  of  our 
spiritual  estates  is  like  the  weighing  of  gold,  for  we  are  all  to  weigh  our- 
selves by  the  balance  of  the  sanctuary.  Job.  xxxi.  C  ;  Dan.  v.  27.  God 
himself  will  one  day  weigh  us  by  that  balance,  and  if  we  hold  weight 
Avhen  he  comes  to  weigh  us,  we  are  safe  and  happy  for  ever.  But  when 
he  comes  to  weigh  us  in  the  balance  of  the  sanctuary,  if  we  shall  then  be 
found  too  light,  it  had  been  good  for  us  we  had  never  been  born.  When 
Belshazzar  saw  the  handwriting  upon  the  wall,  his  countenance  was 
changed,  and  his  thoughts  troubled,  and  the  joints  of  his  loins  were 
loosed,  and  his  knees  smote  one  against  another,  verses  5,  G  ;  but  what 
was  all  this  to  an  everlasting  separation  fron\  God,  and  to  those  endless, 

'  Tinica  of  flesertion  and  temptation    are  rather  times   and  seasons  for  monrniii;', 
watcliing,  rcstinp,  and  seekinji;  of  God,  than  forjudging  and  determining  of  our  condition!!. 
-  Cf.  Sibbes,  vol.  v.  p.  408.— G. 


Chap.  I.]  '  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  295 

ceaseless,  and  remediless  torments  that  such  must  endure,  who,  when 
they  are  weighed  in  the  balance,  shall  be  found  too  light  ?  2  Thes.  i. 
7-10.  A  man  that  would  weigh  gold  to  a  grain,  must  weigh  it  in  a 
quiet  still  place  ;  and  so  a  man  that  would  make  an  exact  trial  of  his 
spiritual  estate,  he  must  take  his  soul  when  it  is  most  serious,  quiet, 
still,  and  composed  ;  he  must  take  his  heart  when  it  is  in  the  best  frame, 
and  most  disposed  to  solemn  and  weighty  work.  There  are  some  times 
which  are  very  unapt  for  a  gracious  person  to  sit  as  judge  upon  his 
spiritual  estate,  and  to  pass  sentence  upon  his  own  soul'  The  best 
Christians  under  heaven  do  meet  with  divers  inward  and  outward 
changes  ;  sometimes  the  light  shines  so  clear  that  they  can  see  things 
as  they  are,  but  at  other  times  all  is  dark  and  cloudy,  and  tempestuous, 
and  then  they  are  apt  to  judge  themselves  by  feeling  and  new  re- 
presentations, and  not  according  to  the  truth.  O  sirs  !  remember  this 
once  for  all,  that  times  of  inward  or  outward  distresses  are  best  for 
praying,  and  worst  for  judging.  If  a  man  will  at  such  times  pass  sen- 
tence on  himself  or  his  estate  as  a  judge,  he  will  certainly  judge  un- 
righteous judgment,  for  then  the  soul  is  not  itself,  and  is  very  apt  and 
prone  to  take  Satan's  work  for  his  own,  and  to  side  with  him  against  it- 
self, yea,  and  then  usually  it  will  see  nothing,  it  will  think  of  nothing,  it 
will  dwell  upon  nothing  but  what  makes  against  itself.  4.  When  God 
exercises  a  man  with  someexceedingsevereandunusual  providences,  when 
God  steps  out  of  his  ordinary  way  of  dispensations  in  his  dealings  with  a 
man  ;  when  God  sets  a  man  up  before  all  the  world  as  a  mark  to  shoot  at, 
as  he  did  Job,  Job  vii.  20,  xvi.  12.  Now  a  poor  Christian  is  ready  to  doubt 
and  conclude.  Surely  the  Lord  has  no  regard  of  me,  he  has  no  entire  love 
for  me,  his  heart  is  certainly  not  towards  me,  seeing  all  these  sore  trials 
make  so  much  against  me  ;  but  here  the  poor  Christian  is  mistaken,  as 
Jacob  once  was  :  Gen.  xlii.  36,  '  And  Jacob  their  father  said  unto  them. 
Me  have  ye  bereaved  of  my  children  :  Joseph  is  not,  and  Simeon  is  not, 
and  ye  will  take  Benjamin  away.  All  these  things  are  against  me.' 
But  Jacob  was  out,  for  all  those  things  made  for  him,  and  for  the  pre- 
servation of  the  visible  chiu-ch  of  God  in  the  world.  Gen.  xlv.  5-9. 
Certainly  all  the  afflictions  that  befall  the  people  of  God,  are  but  his 
love-tokens.  '  As  many  as  I  love,  I  rebuke  and  chasten,'  Rev.  iii.  19, 
Heb.  xii.  5,  6,  and  therefore  those  Christians  are  miserably  mistaken 
that  take  them  for  testimonies  of  his  wrath,  and  effects  of  his  disfavour. 
0  sirs  !  what  can  be  more  absurd,  displeasing,  and  provoking,  than  for  a 
Christian  to  make  that  an  argument  of  God's  hatred,  that  he  intends 
for  an  instance  of  his  love  ?  and  yet  Christians  are  apt  thus  to  act.  It 
is  observable  the  apostle  reckons  affliction  amongst  God's  honoraries  and 
tokens  of  respect,  '  For  to  you  it  is  given,"  saith  he,  '  not  only  to  believe, 
but  also  to  suffer,'  Philip,  i.  29,  'which,'  saith  father  Latimer,  'is  the 
greatest  promotion  that  God  gives  in  this  world.'  Job,  when  he  was 
himself,  could  not  but  admire  at  it,  Job  vii.  17,  18,  that  God  should 
make  such  an  account  of  man,  and  that  he  should  so  magnify  him,  and 
dignify  him,  as  to  think  him  worthy  of  a  rod,  a  whipping  ;  as  to  think 

^  The  candle  will  never  burn  clear  whilst  there  is  a  thief  in  it.  Sin  indulged  in  the 
conscience,  is  like  Jonah  in  the  ship,  which  causeth  such  a  tempest,  that  the  conscience  is 
like  a  troubled  sea,  whose  waters  cannot  rest,  or  it  is  like  a  mole  in  the  eye,  which  causeth 
a  perpetual  trouble  while  it  is  there.     ['  Thief. '  Cf.  Sibbes,  vol.  iv.,  note/,  p.  486. — G.] 


296  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  I. 

him  worth  a  molting  and  trying  every  morning,  yea,  every  moment. 
It  is  certain  that  great  prosperity  and  worldly  glory  are  no  sure  tokens 
of  God's  love,  Prov.  i.  32,  Ps.  Ixxiii.  5,  Eccles.  ix.  1,  2  ;  and  it  is  certain 
that  great  troubles  and  afflictions  are  no  sure  marks  of  God's  hatred  ; 
and  yet  many  poor  Christians,  when  the  waters  of  affliction  rise  iiigh, 
and  are  ready  to  overflow  them,  oh  how  apt  are  they  to  conclude  that 
God  hates  them,  and  will  revenge  himself  upon  them,  and  that  they 
have  nothing  of  God  or  Christ,  or  the  Spirit,  or  grace  in  them  !  Or,  5, 
when  the  Spirit,  the  Comforter,  stands  afar  off,  Lam.  i.  1(5,  and  withholds 
those  special  influences,  without  which,  in  a  conmion  ordinary  way,  a 
Christian  cannot  divinely,  candidly,  clearly  and  impartially  transact  with 
God  in  order  to  his  own  peace,  comfort  and  settlement.  Or,  6,  when 
either  a  Christian's  evidences  are  not  at  hand,  or  else  they  are  so  soiled, 
darkened,  blotted  and  obscured,  as  that  he  is  not  able  to  read  them.  Or 
7,  when  a  Christian  is  extremely  oppressed  with  melancholy.  Melan- 
choly is  a  dark  and  dusky  humour,  which  disturbs  both  soul  and  body, 
and  the  cure  of  it  belongs  rather  to  tli^  physician  than  to  the  divine. 
It  is  a  most  pestilent  humour  where  it  abounds  ;  one  calls  it  balneum 
diaholi,  the  devil's  bath  ;  it  is  a  humour  that  unfits  a  man  for  all  sorts 
of  services,  but  especially  those  that  concern  liis  soul,  his  spiritual  estate, 
his  everlasting  condition.^  The  melancholy  person  tries  the  physician, 
grieves  the  minister,  wounds  relations,  and  makes  sport  for  the  devil. 
There  are  five  sorts  of  persons  that  the  devil  makes  his  ass  to  ride  in 
triumph  upon,  viz.,  the  ignorant  person,  the  unbelieving  person,  the 
proud  person,  the  hypocritical  person,  and  the  melancholy  person. 
Melancholy  is  a  disease  that  works  strange  passions,  strange  imaginations, 
and  strange  conclusions.  It  unmans  a  man,  it  makes  a  man  call  good 
evil,  and  evil  good  ;  sweet  bitter,  and  bitter  sweet ;  light  darkness,  and 
darkness  light.  The  distemper  of  the  body  oftentimes  causeth  distemper 
of  soul,  for  the  soul  followeth  the  temper  of  the  body.  A  melancholy 
spirit  is  a  dumb  spirit ;  you  can  get  nothing  out  of  him  ;  and  a  deaf 
spirit,  you  can  get  nothing  into  him.^  Now  of  all  the  evil  spirits 
we  read  of  in  the  Gospel,  the  dumb  and  the  deaf  were  the  Avorst.  Dark- 
ness, sadness,  solitariness,  heaviness,  mourning,  &c.,  are  the  only  sweet, 
desirable,  and  delightful  companions  of  melancholy  persons.  Melancholy 
makes. every  sweet  bitter,  and  every  bitter  seven  times  more  bitter. 
The  melancholy  person  is  marvellously  prone  to  bid  sleep  farewell,  and 
joy  farewell,  and  meat  farewell,  and  friends  farewell,  and  ordinances 
farewell,  and  duties  farewell,  and  promises  farewell,  and  ministers  fare- 
well, and  liis  calling  farewell,  and  it  is  well  if  he  be  not  even  ready  to 
bid  God  farewell  too.  Melancholy  persons  are  like  idols,  that  have  eyes 
but  see  not,  and  tongues  but  speak  not,  and  ears  but  hear  not.  Melan- 
choly turns  truths  into  fables,  and  fables  into  truths ;  it  turns  fancies 

'  Pa.  Ixxxviii  ;  Jdb  xxxiii.  10.  It  is  an  old  sayinpr,  that  Melancholia  est  veliiculum 
dcemontim  In  the  Gerniau  proverb,  Luther  sajs  it  tjoes  tor  current.  Caput  melaiicholicum 
diaboli  (■ahhinn,  the  niclaufluily  liead  is  tlie  devil's  bathing  i^laco. 

*  Jlat.  ix.  2^.  !Z9.  It  is  no  more  wonder  to  see  a  nielanclmly  man  doubt  and  question 
liis  spiritual  condition,  tlian  it  ia  to  see  a  child  cry  when  he  is  beaten,  or  to  hear  a  sick  man 
fjroan,  or  to  hear  a  drowning  man  call  out  for  a  boat  You  may  silence  a  melancholy 
man.  wlien  you  are  not  able  to  comfort  liim.  Whilst  Nebuchadnezzar  was  under  the 
power  of  a  deep  melancholy,  lie  could  not  tell  whether  he  was  a  man  or  a  beast.  Melan- 
choly is  the  mother  of  fears,  doubts,  disputes,  and  discomforts. 


Chap.  I.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  2.97 

into  realities,  and  realities  into  fancies.  Melancholy  is  a  fire  that  burns 
inwards  and  is  hard  to  quench.  Now  if  a  Christian  be  under  the  power 
of  natural  or  accidental  melancholy,  his  work  is  not  now  to  be  a-trying 
his  estate,  or  a-casting  up  of  his  accounts  to  see  what  he  is  worth  fur 
another  world,  but  to  use  all  such  ways  and  means  as  God  hath  prepared 
in  a  natural  way  for  the  cure  of  melancholy  ;  for  as  the  soul  is  not  cured 
by  natural  causes,  so  the  body  is  not  cured  by  spiritual  remedies.  Now 
in  the  seven  cases  last  mentioned,  a  Christian's  work  lies  rather  in 
mourning,  self-judging,  self-loathing,  self-abhorring,  and  in  repenting  and 
reforming,  and  in  fresh  and  frequent  exercises  of  faith  on  the  Lord 
Jesus,  on  his  blood,  on  his  promises,  and  on  his  free  rich  sovereign  and 
glorious  grace,  that  is  displayed  and  offered  in  the  gospel,  and  in  a 
patient  waiting  upon  the  Lord  in  the  use  of  all  holy  and  heavenly  helps 
for  deliverance  out  of  his  present  straits,  trials  and  exercises,  than  in 
falling  upon  that  great  work  of  casting  up  his  spiritual  accounts,  and  of 
searching  into  the  records  of  glory,  to  see  whether  his  name  be  registered 
in  the  book  of  life  or  no.  O  sirs  !  when  poor  Christians  are  bewildered, 
their  proper  work  is  to  ca.st  themselves  upon  the  promises,  to  trust  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  to  stay  themselves  upon  their  God,  Isa.  I.  10. 
Job,  in  a  cloudy  stormy  day,  resolves  to  trust  in  the  Lord,  though  he 
should  slay  him.  Job  xiii.  15  ;  and  so  must  you.  And  oh  that  this  rule 
were  more  seriously  minded,  and  effectually  observed  by  all  doubting, 
trembling,  and  staggering  Christians.^    But, 

The  thirteenth  nriaxim  or  consideration. 

XIII.  Thirteenthly,  Consider  you  must  never  judge  yourselves  un- 
sound, or  hypocrites,  by  those  things  which  the  Scripture  never  makes 
a  character  of  an  unsound  Christian,  or  of  an  hypocrite,  or  of  hypo- 
crisy} Mark,  as  you  are  to  receive  no  comfort,  but  what  is  backed  with 
clear  scripture,  nor  no  evidences  for  the  goodness  and  happiness  of  your 
spiritual  estate  and  condition,  but  such  as  are  backed  with  clear  scrip- 
tures ;  so  you  are  to  receive,  you  are  to  admit  of  no  arguments,  nor 
pleas,  nor  reasonings,  to  prove  yourself  an  hypocrite,  or  unsound,  or 
that  you  have  no  grace,  or  that  your  spiritual  estate  and  condition  is 
not  good,  but  such  arguments,  pleas,  and  reasonings,  as  are  backed  with 
clear  scriptures.  Now  tell  me,  O  thou  weak,  doubting,  staggering, 
trembling  Christian,  if  thou  canst,  where  are  those  clear  scriptures  that 
proves  wandering  thoughts  in  duty,  or  that  proves  narrowness  or  stiait- 
ness  of  spirit  in  a  duty,  to  be  characters  of  an  hypocrite,  or  of  hypocrisy,  or 
of  one  that  is  unsound  ?  Tell  me,  O  thou  sighing  Christian,  if  thou  canst, 
where  are  those  clear  scriptures  that  proves  the  want  of  a  good  memory  for 
the  best  things,  or  the  want  of  those  gifts  or  abilities  that  many  Chris- 
tians have,  to  pray,  to  speak,  to  discourse,  to  open  Scripture,  or  to  dis- 
pute for  the  concernments  of  Christ  and  his  kingdom,  to  be  characters 
of  an  hypocrite  or  of  hypocrisy,  or  of  one  that  is  unsound  ?  Tell  me, 
O  thou  distressed  Christian,  if  thou  canst,  where  are  those  clear  scrip- 
tures that  will  justify  thee  to  conclude  that  thou  art  an  hypocrite,  be- 
cause thou  art  without  the  present  evidence  of  thy  sincerity  ?    Are  there 

•  The  grand  rule  by  -which  we  must  try  and  judge  of  our  spiritual  nnd  eternal  estates, 
is  the  word  of  God.  Isa.  viii.  20.  In  this  scripture  the  prophet  plainly  shews  whither  we 
must  go  with  our  doubts,  fears,  scruples,  questions,  and  with  whom  we  must  consult,  and 
of  whom  we  must  take  advice ;  and  that  is  '  the  law  and  the  testimony.' 


298  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ClIAP.  I. 

not  many  of  the  precious  sons  and  daughters  of  Zion,  comparable  to  fine 
gold,  Lam.  iv.  2,  who  have  true  grace  and  sincerity  in  their  hearts, 
thougli  for  the  present  it  be  hid  from  their  eyes  ?  Isa.  1.  10,  1  Jolni 
V.  ]o.  Joseph's  brethren  had  their  money  in  their  sacks,  though  they 
did  not  see  it,  nor  know  it  till  they  came  to  their  inn  and  opened  them, 
Gen.  xliv.  So  many  of  the  dear  children  of  God  have  sincerity  in 
their  hearts,  tliough  for  the  present  they  do  not  see  it  nor  know  it.  O 
sirs  !  it  is  Christ's  work,  not  grace's,  to  evidence  itself  so  clearly  and 
fully  to  our  eyes,  as  to  enable  us  to  own  it.  It  is  one  thing  for  the 
Spirit  of  God  to  work  grace  in  the  soul,  and  another  thing  for  the  Spirit 
to  shine  upon  his  own  work.  Now,  till  the  Spirit  shines  upon  his  own 
work,  the  soul  is  in  the  dark.  The  graces  of  the  Spirit  are  best  seen 
in  the  light  of  the  Spirit,  as  we  see  the  sun  best  by  his  own  light, 
1  Cor.  ii.  12.  It  is  good  for  doubting  Christians  when  they  are  in  the 
dark,  to  hold  fast  this  conclusion,  viz.,  that  they  maybe  upright,  though 
at  present  they  are  not  able  to  see  their  uprightness.  Now,  though 
this  will  not  bring  in  a  full  tide  of  comfort  into  their  souls,  yet  it  will  keep 
them  from  despair,  and  it  will  support  and  uphold  their  hearts,  till  the 
Spirit,  who  is  a  messenger  of  a  thousand,  shall  shew  them  their  upright- 
ness. Tell  me,  0  thou  mourning  Christian,  if  thou  canst,  where  are 
those  clear  scriptures  that  proves  deadness,  dulness,  and  indisposedness 
in  duty,  though  it  be  sadly  lamented,  bewailed,  and  mourned  over,  and 
much  striven  against,  yea,  though  it  be  the  great  grief  and  burden  of 
the  soul,  to  be  characters  of  hypocrites,  or  of  hypocrisy,  or  of  one  that 
is  unsound  ?  Tell  me,  O  thou  disquieted  Christian,  if  thou  canst, 
where  are  those  clear  scriptures  that  proves  the  want  of  those  enlarge- 
ments, ravishments,  joys,  comforts,  peace,  or  assurance  that  some  others 
have,  to  be  characters  of  hypocrites  or  hypocrisy,  or  of  one  that  is  un- 
sound ?  And  yet,  upon  the  account  of  the  above  mentioned  things  on 
the  one  hand,  and  under  a  sensible  want  of  the  things  last  cited  on  the 
other  hand,  how  exceeding  apt  and  prone  are  many  poor  weak,  doubt- 
ing, trembling  Christians,  confidently  and  peremptorily  to  conclude 
themselves  to  be  hypocrites,  and  to  be  unsound,  and  that  they  have  not 
a  dram  of  grace,  nor  no  saving  intei'est  in  Christ  at  all !  O  sirs  !  remem- 
ber this  once  for  all,  that  as  you  must  never  admit  of  any  arguments, 
pleas,  or  reasonings,  for  the  comfort,  peace,  and  refreshment  of  your 
souls,  but  such  as  are  attended  with  the  evidence  of  clear  Scripture,  but 
such  as  are  backed  with  pregnant  scriptures,  so  you  must  never  admit 
of  any  pleas,  arguments,  or  reasonings,  to  trouble,  vex,  perplex,  and  dis- 
quiet the  peace  of  your  souls,  but  such  as  are  attended  with  clear  Scrip- 
ture evidence,  but  such  as  are  well  backed  with  canonical  Scripture.' 
Now  if  this  choice  rule  were  but  wisely  observed,  and  carefully,  fre- 
quently, and  conscientiously  practised  by  niany  weak,  doubting,  trem- 
bling Christians,  how  would  it  set  them  at  liberty  from  their  fears, 
doubts,  and  misgivings  of  heart !  how  would  it  knock  off  all  their 
chains,  and  wipe  all  tears  from  their  eyes,  and  remove  that  sadness  that 

'  In  all  soul  cases,  God  expects  we  should  consult  his  word,  and  cleave  to  his  word, 
without  warping  or  turning  aside  either  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the  left.  John  xii.  48: 
That  bodk  tliat  shall  try  you  at  last,  and  that  shall  save  you  or  damn  you  in  the  great 
day,  is  the  only  book  by  which  you  must  make  a  judgment  of  your  present  and  future 
estates.  Clemens  of  Alexandria,  speaking  of  the  word,  saith.  It  is  the  touchstone  of 
truth  and  falsehood. 


Chap.  I.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  299 

lies  like  a  load  upon  their  hearts,  and  how  soon  would  it  bring  them  into 
a  condition  of  peace,  comfort,  quietness,  and  settlement.  O  sirs  !  every 
working  and  appearance  of  hypocrisy  doth  not  presently  prove  the  per- 
son in  whom  it  is  to  be  an  hypocrite.  A  man  may  be  hypocritical,  either, 
1,  really ;  or,  2,  in  opinion  and  fancy.  Many  of  the  dear  children  of 
God  are  very  apt  and  prone  many  times  both  to  suspect  and  falsely 
charge  the  true  estate  of  their  souls.  A  child  in  a  distemper  may 
question  the  inheritance  which  is  entailed  on  him,  &c.  ;  but,  remember 
this,  if  thy  heart  be  upright,  all  comfort  is  thy  portion  ;  for  as  our  dis- 
trustful fears  do  not  prejudice  the  reality  of  the  estate  of  grace,  so 
our  frequent  suspicions  that  we  are  hypocrites,  does  not  cut  us  off  from 
the  title  and  right  of  promised  comforts.  Christians  must  carefully 
distinguish  between  the  presence  of  hypocrisy  and  the  predominancy 
of  hypocrisy.  In  the  most  upright  hearts  that  are  in  the  world, 
there  is  more  or  less  hypocrisy  remaining  in  them.  All  the  saints  that 
ever  were  in  the  world  have  found  more  or  less  of  this  root  of  bitterness 
springing  up  in  them,  Rom.  vii.  22,  23,  Heb.  xii.  15.  It  is  not  the  pre- 
sence of  hypocrisy,  but  the  reign  of  hypocrisy  that  damns  the  soul.  That 
hypocrisy  that  is  discerned,  resisted,  opposed,  and  mourned  over,  will 
never  make  a  Christian  miserable.  Where  the  standing  frame  and 
general  bent  of  a  man's  heart  is  upright,  there  the  presence  of  hypocrisy 
cannot  denominate  a  man  an  hypocrite.  All  men  must  stand  and  fall 
for  ever  according  to  the  standing  frame  and  general  bent  of  their  hearts. 
If  the  standing  frame  and  general  bent  of  their  hearts  be  sincere,  they 
are  happy  for  ever ;  but  if  the  standing  frame  and  general  bent  of 
their  hearts  be  hypocritical,  they  are  miserable  for  ever.     But, 

Tlie  fourteenth  maxim  or  consideration. 

XIV.  Fourteenthly,  Consider  you  must  never  judge  yourselves  un- 
sound, or  hypocrites,  for  such  things,  or  from  such  considerations,  or 
hy  such  arguments  or  reasonings,  which  being  admitted  and  granted 
to  he  true,  will  necessarily  and  unavoidably  prove  the  whole  genera- 
tion of  the  faithful,  the  whole  body  of  them  that  fear  the  Lord,  to  he 
unsound,  and  to  he  a  pack  of  notorious  hypocrites,  Ps.  Ixxiii.  15. 
He  that  shall  judge  himself  unsound,  or  an  hypocrite,  because  his 
thoughts  and  imaginations  are  that  he  is  not  sincere,  or  because  he  is 
thus  and  thus  tempted,  or  because  he  is  at  particular  times,  and  in  par- 
ticular cases,  thus  and  thus  worsted  and  captivated  by  sin,  Isa.  Iv.  7-9, 
uotwithstandingf  all  the  resistance  that  he  is  able  to  make  asfainst  it,  and 
notwithstanding  his  hatred  of  it,  and  his  loathing  and  judging  of  him- 
self for  it,  or  because  he  is  thus  and  thus  afflicted  in  his  family,  or  in 
his  relations,  or  in  his  own  person  ;  or  because  he  is  thus  and  thus  dis- 
tracted in  prayer,  and  straitened  in  prayer  ;  or  because  he  is  sometimes 
troubled  with  sad,  hard,  hideous,  and  blasphemous  thoughts  of  God  ; 
he  does  in  so  judging  judge  and  condemn  the  whole  generation  of  the 
righteous,  for  there  are  none  of  them  but  first  or  last,  more  or  less, 
have  been  exercised  even  as  he  is,  or  as  he  has  been  exercised.^  Who 
dare  judge  his  neighbour,  his  brother,  his  friend,  an  hypocrite,  because 

'  Jacob,  Joseph,  Job,  David,  Heman,  Paul,  and  those  wortliies  in  the  IJth  of  the 
Hebrews,  have  been  as  much  afflicted  as  thou  hast  been  :  now  for  thee  to  conclude  that 
thou  art  not  beloved,  because  thou  bast  been  thus  afflicted,  this  is  to  conclude  against 
all  those  worthies,  of  whom  this  world  was  not  worthy,  Heb.  xi.  38. 


oOO  A  CAIJINET  OF  JKWELS.  [ChAP.  I. 

the  hand  of  the  Lord  has  been  various  ways  lifted  up  against  him,  or 
because  Satan  has  been  let  loose  to  play  with  his  grand  battery  upon 
him?  Now  if  thou  darest  not  judge  thy  neighbour  an  hypocrite  upon 
these  accounts,  how  darest  thou  to  judge  thyself  an  hypocrite  upon  the 
very  same  accounts  ?  Wlien  thy  neighbour,  thy  brothi^r,  thy  friend  is 
thus  and  thus  afflicted,  tempted,  distressed,  &c.,  thou  canst  tell  them 
that  this  has  been  the  common  lot  of  the  people  of  God  in  all  the  ages 
of  the  world  ;  thou  canst  tell  them  that  no  man  knows  love  or  hatred 
by  these  things,  and  that  all  things  come  alike  to  all  ;  thou  canst  tell 
them  that  the  choicest  saints  have  been  most  afflicted,  tempted,  clouded, 
and  distressed  ;  thou  canst  tell  them  that  all  shall  end  well,  that 
all  shall  issue  well.'  Remember  the  patience  of  Job,  and  consider  the 
end  tiiat  the  Lord  made  with  him.  Thou  canst  tell  them  that  thou 
hast  got  that  good  by  afflictions,  temptations,  cloudings,  distresses,  that 
thou  wouldst  not  exchange  for  ten  thousand  worlds.  Now  if  Christians, 
when  they  are  afflicted,  tempted,  clouded,  distressed,  would  be  but  as 
kind,  favourable,  and  merciful  to  themselves  as  they  are  to  others  in 
the  same  condition,  how  well  would  it  be  with  them,  how  soon  would 
they  get  out  of  the  snare  !  O  sirs  !  if  this  rule  were  but  prudently  con- 
sidered, and  seriously  practised,  how  would  the  fears,  doubts,  and  dark- 
nesses of  many  poor  weak,  doubting,  staggering,  and  trembling 
Christians  vanish,  and  what  peace,  comfort,  and  settlement  would  they 
quickly  find.  O  sirs  !  we  must  never  stand  to  that  judgment  which  we 
pass  upon  our  spiritual  estates,  which  is  irrational,  or  without  sufficient 
ground  from  Scripture,  or  which  would  be  to  condemn  the  generation  of 
the  just.  We  may  safely  appeal  from  that  sentence  of  our  judgment, 
which  acts  itself  in  times  of  passion  or  violent  temptation,  as  he  did 
from  Ale.xander  drunk  to  Alexander  sober,  &c.  We  must  not  unjustly 
vex  our  own  hearts,  and  dash  out  our  integrity,  when  the  sentence  that 
we  pass  upon  ourselves  is  rather  of  imagination  than  of  reason.  When 
a  man  thinks,  and  thinks  again  and  again  that  his  heart  is  not  sincere 
with  God,  though  many,  if  not  all,  evidences  of  sincerity  appear  in  him, 
and  when  he  cannot  produce  any  one  inherently  distinguishing  ground 
of  an  hypocrite  in  himself,  why  this  is  but  an  imaginary  judgment,  and 
utterly  unreasonable,  for  this  is  to  condemn  the  innocent  without  cause. 
O  sirs  !  that  soul  will  never  be  settled  in  peace  and  comfort,  which 
gives  way  to  his  own  imaginations  and  passions,  and  which  hath  a  con- 
ceit that  every  sinful  thought,  or  violent  temptation,  or  more  durable 
conflict  with  an  inward  corruption,  or  the  resurrection  of  some  old  sin, 
or  frequent  distractions  in  religious  duties,  or  particular  falls  or  slips 
into  this  or  that  sin,  cannot  stand  with  grace,  cannot  stand  Avitli  up- 
rightness, cannot  stand  with  singleness  and  soundness  of  heart.  Oh 
that  you  would  for  ever  remember  this,  viz.,  that  where  a  man  hath 
either  no  ground  at  all,  or  those  that  he  hath  are  false,  he  should  never  so 
settle  on  them,  and  yield  and  entertain  them,  !ls  to  question  his  estate  for 
them,  or  for  tliem  to  shut  the  door  of  comfort  against  his  own  soul.  But, 

The  fifteenth  maxim  or  consideration. 

XV.  Fifteenthly,  Consider  in  judging  of  yourselves  and  your  spiH- 
tual  estates  and  conditions,  you  'must  ahvays  have  an  eye  to  your 
natural  tempers,  complexions,  constitutions,  and  inclinations,  and  the 
'  Ecclos.  ix.  1-3  ;  Isa.  i.  25,  xxvii.  9  ;  Heb.  xii.  10,  11  ;  Jamos  v.  10,  11. 


Chap.  I.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  SOI 

sins  and  temptations  that  these  do  lay  you  most  open  to,  and  remem,ber 
that  as  in  soTne  tempers  a  little  grace  makes  a  very  great  sJtow,  so  in 
other  tempers  a  great  deal  of  grace  makes  hut  a  very  little  show.  A  little 
water  in  a  long  narrow-mouthed  glass  seems'to  be  a  great  deal,  when  ten 
times,  yea,  twenty  times  as  much  in  a  large  cistern  is  hardly  discernible; 
the  application  is  easy.'  A  little  sugar  will  serve  w^ell  enough  for  sweet 
wines,  but  much  more  is  requisite  to  sweeten  that  wine  that  is  sharp  and 
harsh.  A  little  grace  will  make  a  very  glorious  show  in  such  men  and 
women  whose  very  natural  tempers  are  sweet,  soft,  gentle,  meek,  affable, 
courteous;  when  a  great  deal  of  grace  is  hardly  discernible  in  those  men 
aud  women  whose  very  natural  tempers  are  cross,  crooked,  choleric,  fierce, 
passionate,  rough,  and  unhewn.  As  a  good  man  said  of  an  eminent  light 
now  in  heaven,  '  That  he  had  grace  enough  for  ten  men,  but  scarce 
enough  for  himself,'  his  natural  temper  was  so  bad,  which  he  would  him- 
self often  lament  and  bewail,  saying  to  his  friends,  '  That  he  had  such  a 
cross,  crooked  nature,  that  if  God  had  not  given  him  grace,  none  would 
have  been  able  to  have  lived  one  day  quietly  with  him.'  A  sincere  Chris- 
tian may  have  more  roughness  of  nature,  and  more  sturdiness  of  passions, 
than  is  in  many  a  moral  man.  He  that  hath  more  Christianity  may 
have  less  morality,  as  there  is  more  perfection  of  animal  and  sensitive 
faculties  in  some  brutes  than  in  some  men.  It  is  an  old  experienced 
truth,  that  those  sins  are  with  the  greatest  pains,  labour,  travail,  and 
difficulty  subdued  and  mortified,  which  our  natural  tempers,  complexions, 
and  constitutions  do  most  strongly  incline  and  dispose  us  to,  and  were 
but  those  lusts  subdued  and  brought  under,  it  would  be  no  difficult 
thing  to  bring  all  other  things  to  an  under.  When  Goliath  was  slain, 
the  Philistines  fled,  1  Sam.  xvii.  51,  52;  when  a  general  in  an  army 
falls,  the  common  soldiers  are  quickly  routed.  So  it  is  here ;  get  but 
the  sins  of  your  natural  tempers,  complexions,  and  constitutions  under 
your  feet,  and  you  will  quickly  ride  in  a  holy  triumph  over  the  rest. 
When  justice  is  effectually  done  upon  your  constitution-sins,  other  sins 
will  not  be  long  lived  ;  thrust  but  a  dart  through  the  heart  of  Absolom, 
and  a  complete  conquest  will  follow,  2  Sam.  xviii.  14,  seq.  Now  before  T 
close  up  this  particular,  let  me  advise  you  frequently  to  consider,  that 
you  can  never  make  a  true,  a  right,  a  serious  judgment  of  yourselves, 
or  of  your  spiritual  estates  and  conditions,  without  a  prudent  eye  upon 
your  natural  tempers,  complexions,  and  constitutions,  granting  to  your- 
•  selves  such  indulgence  and  grains  of  allowance  upon  the  account  of  your 
natural  tempers,  as  will  stand  with  sincerity  and  the  covenant  of  grace. 
But, 

The  sixteenth  maxim  or  consideration. 

XYI.  Sixteenthly,  Consider,  if  you  cannot,  if  you  dare  not  say  that 
you  have  grace,  yet  do  not  say  that  you  have  no  grace,  for  the  being  of 
grace  in  the  soul  is  one  thing,  and  the  seeing  of  grace  in  the  soul  is 
another  thing.  Mark  iv.  26-28  :  A  man  may  have  grace,  and  yet  not 
know  that  he  has  grace  ;  he  may  have  a  seed  of  God  in  him,  and  yet 
not  see  it.  1  John  v.  1 3,  He  may  believe,  and  yet  not  believe  that  he 
does  believe  ;  the  child  lives  before  it  knows  that  it  lives.  If  you  can- 
not say  that  your  graces  are  true,  yet  do  not  say  they  are  counterfeit, 

*  A  little  gold  ring  upon  an  alabaster  hand  makes  a  more  glorious  show  than  a  very 
great  ring  upon  a  leprous  hand  ;  the  application  is  easy. 


.•502  A  CABINET  OF  JKWELS.  [ChAP.  I. 

lest  you  bear  false  witness  against  the  real  work  of  the  Spirit  in  you. 
There  are  none  so  apt  to  question  the  truth  of  their  grace  as  those  are 
that  are  truly  gracious.  Though  Satan  cannot  hinder  the  Holy  Spirit 
from  working  true  grace  in  the  soul,  yet  he  will  do  all  he  can  to  fill  the 
soul  with  fears  and  doubts  and  jealousies  about  the  truth  of  that  grace 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  has  wrought  in  it,  1  John  iv.  4  ;  Ps.  Ixxvii.  When 
did  you  ever  know  the  devil  to  tempt  an  hypocrite  to  believe  that 
his  graces  were  not  true,  and  that  certainly  ho  iiad  not  tlie  root  of  the 
matter  in  him  ?  If  you  cannot  say  that  you  have  an  interest  in  Christ, 
yet  do  nut  say  that  you  have  no  interest  in  Christ ;  for  a  man  may 
have  an  interest  in  Christ,  and  yet  not  see  his  interest  in  Christ,  not 
know  his  interest  in  Christ.  There  are  many  precious  Christians  that 
walk  in  darkness,  who  yet  have  an  interest  in  that  Jesus  that  is  all 
li<^'-lit,  life,  and  love,  Isa.  1.  10.  If  you  cannot  say  that  your  pardon  is 
sealed  in  the  court  of  your  own  conscience,  yet  do  not  say  that  it  is  not 
sealed  in  the  court  of  heaven  ;  for  many  a  Christian  has  his  pardon 
sealed  in  the  coiu't  of  heaven,  before  it  is  sealed  in  the  court  of  his  own 
conscience,  Ps.  li.  A  pardon  sealed  in  the  court  of  conscience,  is  that 
new  name  and  white  stone  which  God  does  not  give  to  every  one  at  first 
ci)n version,  Rev.  ii.  17.  God  will  take  his  own  time  to  seal  up  every 
Christian's  pardon  in  his  bosom.  If  you  cannot  say  that  your  name  is 
written  in  the  book  of  life,  yet  do  not  say  that  it  is  not  written  in  the 
book  of  life.  The  di.sciples'  names  were  first  written  in  heaven  before 
Christ  bid  them  rejoice  because  their  names  were  written  in  heaven, 
Luke  X.  20.  A  man  may  have  his  name  written  in  heaven,  and  yet  it 
may  be  a  long  while  before  God  may  tell  him  that  his  name  is  written 
in  heaven.  Ay,  you  cannot  say  that  the  precious  promises  are  yours, 
yet  do  not  say  that  they  are  children's  bread,  and  such  dainties  that 
your  soul  shall  never  taste  of.  It  is  not  every  precious  Christian,  that 
has  an  interest  in  the  promises,  that  can  run  and  read  his  interest  in  the 
promises,  Ps.  Ixxvii.,  Ixxxviii.;  1  Pet.  i.  4.  If  you  cannot  say  that  the 
heavenly  inheritance  is  yours,  yet  do  not  say  that  it  is  not  yours.  A 
Christian  may  have  a  good  title  to  the  heavenly  inheritance,  and  yet 
not  be  able  to  make  good  his  title,  to  clear  up  his  title  ;  as  a  child 
in  the  arms  or  in  the  cradle  may  be  heir  to  a  crown,  a  kingdom,  and 
yet  he  is  not  able  to  make  good  his  title.  If  you  cannot  say  that  you 
have  assurance,  yet  do  not  say  that  you  shall  never  have  assurance,  for 
a  man  may  want  assurance  one  year,  and  have  it  the  next ;  one  month, 
and  have  it  another  ;  one  week,  and  have  it  another  ;  one  day,  and 
have  it  another ;  yea,  one  hour,  and  have  it  another,  Luke  xix.  1-10  ; 
Acts  xvi.  29-35  ;  Rom.  xi  33.  If  you  cannot  say  that  you  shall  cer- 
tainly go  to  heaven,  yet  do  not  say  that  you  shall  undoubtedly  go  to 
hell ;  for  who  made  you  one  of  the  privy-councillors  of  heaven  ?  Who 
acquainted  you  with  the  secret  decrees  of  God  ?  &c.  Now  were  this 
rule  but  thoroughly  minded,  and  conscientiously  practised,  oh  how 
well  would  it  go  with  many  tempted,  troubled,  bewildered,  and  clouded 
(Christians  !  Oh  how  would  Satan  be  disappointed,  and  poor  souls 
(juieted,  composed,  and  refreshed.     But, 

The  seventeenth  maxim  or  consideration. 

XVII.  Seventeenthly,  Whenever  you  cast  your  eye  vj^on  your  gra- 
cious evidences,  it  highly  concerns  you  seriously  to  remember  that  you 


Chap.  I.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  803 

have  to  deal  ivitli  God  in  a  covenant  of  grace,  and  not  in  a  covenant 
of  luorks.  Every  breach  of  peace  with  God  is  not  a  breach  of  covenant 
with  God.  Though  the  wife  hath  many  weaknesses  and  infirmities 
hanging  upon  her,  and  though  she  may  often  grieve,  provoke,  and  dis- 
please her  husband,  yet  as  long  as  she  remains  faithful,  and  truly  lov- 
ing, and  in  the  main  obedient  to  him,  though  he  may  alter  his  carriage 
towards  her,  yet  he  will  not  withdraw  his  love  from  her,  or  deny  his 
relation  to  her.  No  more  will  God  towards  his  weak  miscarrying  ones,  as 
you  may  evidently  see  by  comparing  the  scriptures  in  the  margin 
together.^  Doubtless  there  are  many  dear  Christians  Avhose  troubles  of 
conscience  about  their  spiritual  and  eternal  estates  arise  from  their 
looking  upon  God  and  dealing  with  God  in  a  covenant  of  works.^  Are 
there  not  many  precious  Christians,  who,  when  they  fall  before  tempta- 
tions, and  are  worsted  by  their  corruptions,  that  are  ready  to  question 
all,  and  throw  up  all  as  lop  and  peremptorily  to  conclude  against  their 
own  souls,  that  all  is  naught,  very  naught,  stark  naught,  and  that  they 
are  hypocrites,  and  that  God  will  never  own  such  as  they  are,  nor  never 
accept  of  such  as  they  are,  nor  never  delight  in  such  as  they  are,  nor 
never  have  anything  to  do  with  such  as  they  are  ;  and  all  this  because 
they  do  not  aright  understand  the  covenant  of  grace,  and  think  that 
they  have  to  deal  with  God  in  a  covenant  of  works.  Though  many 
Christians  do  freely  and  readily  acknowledge  that  there  is  a  covenant 
of  grace,  yet  upon  the  least  stirring  of  any  corruption,  or  the  least  con- 
quest that  is  made  upon  them  by  the  violence  of  any  temptation,  they 
are  so  full  of  fears,  faintings,  reasonings,  diffidences,  and  despondencies, 
&c.,  and  they  carry  it  so  weakly  and  unworthily  towards  the  Lord,  as 
if  there  were  no  covenant  of  grace  at  all,  or  as  if  they  had  wholly  and 
only  to  deal  with  God  in  a  covenant  of  works.  Now  what  a  high  dis- 
honour is  this  to  the  free,  rich,  infinite,  sovereign,  and  glorious  grace 
of  God,  which  so  sparkles  and  shines  in  the  covenant  of  grace,  and  which 
tells  usthat  our  eternal  estates  shall  never  be  judged  by  a  covenant  of 
works,  and  that  the  want  of  an  absolute  perfection  shall  never  damn  a 
believing  soul,  and  that  the  obedience  that  God  requires  at  our  hands 
is  not  a  legal  but  evangelical !  Oh  that  all  those  dear  Christians  who  are 
so  apt  to  be  dejected  and  overwhelmed  upon  the  account  of  the  prevalency 
of  such  and  such  corruptions,  and  because  they  fail  in  keeping  covenant 
with  God,  and  in  walking  in  a  covenant-relation  with  God  ;  I  say,  oh 
that  all  these  would  frequently  and  seriously  consider  of  these  three 
things. 

[I.]  First,  That  so  long  as  a  Christian  doth  not  renounce  his  cove- 
nant witJt  God,  80  long  as  he  doth  not  wilfully  and  tuickedly  break 
the  bond  of  the  covenant,  the  substance  of  the  covenant  is  not  yet 
broken,  though  some  articles  of  the  covenant  may  be  violated,  Ps. 
Ixxxix.  30-35,  2  Sam.  xxiii.  5.     While  Christ  lies  at  the  bottom  of  the 

1  Jer.  iii.  12,  14,  22;  Hosea.  xiv.  4  ;  Isa.  Ixiii.  22-26  ;  Ivii   16-18. 

2  Everylliing  which  is  a  ground  of  grief  or  sorrow  to  the  people  of  God,  is  not  a  suffi- 
cient ground  of  questioning  their  integrity,  or  the  goodness  and  liappiness  of  their 
spiritual  estates  and  conditions.  If,  upon  every  slip,  failing,  and  infirmity,  a  Christian 
should  question  all  that  ever  was  wrought  in  him,  and  done  by  God  upon  him,  his  life 
will  certainly  be  made  up  of  fears  and  doubts,  and  he  will  never  attain  to  any  settled 
peace,  comfort,  or  assurance,  or  be  able  to  live  that  life  of  joy,  praise,  and  thankfulness 
that  the  gospel  calls  for. 


304-  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  I. 

covenant,  it  cannot  be  utterly  broken.  As  among  men  there  be 
some  trespasses  against  some  particular  clauses  in  covenants,  which, 
though  they  be  violated,  yet  the  whole  covenant  is  not  forfeited  ;  it  is 
80  here.  Every  jar,  every  miscarriage  doth  not  break  the  marriage 
covenant  ;  no  more  doth  every  sin,  every  miscarriage  break  the  cove- 
nant between  God  and  the  soul.     But, 

[2.]  Secondly,  SeiiousJy  consider  that  many  tvcak  Christians  are 
much  mistaken  about  the  terms  and  condition  of  the  covenant  of 
grace ;  they  think  that  the  condition  of  the  covenant  is  perfect  and 
uusinning  obedience,  whereas  it  is  only  sincere  obedience.  Mark,  that 
man  sincerely  obeys  and  sincerely  walks  in  covenant  with  God,  who 
sincerely,  who  heartily,  who  ordinarily  desires,  labours,  and  endeavours 
to  obey  the  law  of  God,  the  will  of  God,  and  to  walk  in  covenant  with 
God.^  Mark,  particular  actions  do  not  denominate  any  estate  ;  it  is 
the  course  of  actions  which  doth  denominate  a  man's  walking  in  cove- 
nant with  God,  or  his  not  walking  in  covenant  with  God.  If  his  course 
of  actions  be  sinful,  he  walks  not  in  covenant  with  God  ;  but  if  his 
course  of  actions  be  holy  and  gracious,  he  walks  in  covenant  with  God. 
Though  the  needle  of  the  seaman's  compass  may  jog  this  way  and  that 
way,  yet  the  bent  of  the  needle  will  still  be  northward  ;  so  though  a 
Christian  in  covenant  with  God  may  have  his  particular  sinful  jogoings 
this  way  or  that  way,  yet  the  bent  of  his  heart  will  still  be  to  walk  in 
covenant  with  God.     But, 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Consider  that  infirmities,  abeiTations  of  weakness,  do 
not  nullify  or  evacuate  our  covenant  with  God,  nor  hinder  our  walk- 
ing in  covenant  with  God;  for  if  they  should,  then  no  man  could  pos- 
sibly keep  covenant  with  God,  or  walk  in  covenant  with  (5od.  Infir- 
mities God  passes  by  and  pardons  in  course,  and  will  never  put  them 
into  the  account,  and  therefore  they  cannot  hinder  our  walking  in  cove- 
nant with  God.  Breaches  made  in  the  first  covenant  were  irreparable, 
but  breaches  made  in  the  covenant  of  grace  are  not  so,  because  this 
covenant  is  established  in  Christ,  who  is  still  a-making  up  all  breaches. 
Mark,  there  are  five  things  which  shew  that  the  deviations  of  God's 
people  are  only  infirmities  and  not  enormities,  weaknesses  and  not 
wickednesses ;  and  the  first  is  this,  viz.,  that  they  do  frequently  and 
principally  arise  from  the  subtilty  and  sudden  power  of  Satan's  temp- 
tations. 1  Chron.  xxi.  1.  (2.)  That  the  frame  of  their  spirits  is  against 
the  evil  that  they  do,  Rom.  vii.  15,  16,  19,  23,  24..  (3.)  Their'"daily 
cries,  tears,  and  complaints,  speak  it  out  to  be  an  infirmity.  They  are 
in  this  particular  like  a  lost  sheep,  or  a  lost  child,  or  a  lost  friend. 
( i.)  Though  they  do  fall,  yet  they  rise  again ;  though  they  do  step  or 
wander  out  of  the  way,  yet  they  do  return  into  the  right  way  again. 
(5.)  When  they  do  fall,  there  is  a  vast  difference,  a  mighty  difference  be- 
tween their  falls,  and  the  falls  of  wicked  men  that  are  not  in  covenant 
with  God,  and  tliat  [I.]  first,  in  respect  of  wilHngness ;  [2.]  in  respect 
of  choice  ;  [3.]  in  respect  of  affection  ;  [4.]  in  respect  of  course  ;  [5.]  in 
respect  of  quietness  ;  [G.]  in  respect  of  continuance.  Mark,  when 
wicked  men  fall,  when  men  out  of  covenant  with  God  fall,  then  they  fall 
willingly,  they  fall  out  of  choice,  they  fall  out  of  affection  to  fall,  they 
full  in  a  course,  they  fall,  and  they  are  quiet  under  their  falls  ;  they  fall, 
'  Isa  liv. ;  vii.  8-10;  Jer.  xxxi.  33-37. 


J 


Chap.  I.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  305 

and  continue  to  fall,  'to-morrow  shall  be  as  to-day,'  Isa.  Iv.  12.  But 
persons  in  covenant  with  God,  though  they  do  fall,  yet  they  do  not  fall, 
nor  cannot  fall,  as  they  do  that  are  out  of  covenant  with  God.  For 
[1.]  first,  there  is  in  all  such  persons  an  habitual  purpose  to  keep  cove- 
nant with  God  ;  [2.]  an  habitual  desire  to  keep  covenant  with  God  ; 
[3.]  an  habitual  resolution  to  keep  covenant  with  God  ;  [4.]  an  habitual 
endeavour  to  keep  covenant  with  God.  Now,  where  it  is  thus,  that  man 
is  certainly  in  covenant  with  God,  and  that  man  walks  in  covenant  with 
God  ;  he  is  under  a  covenant  of  grace  ;  his  sins  are  pardoned,  and  there- 
fore they  shall  never  be  his  ruin.  Doubtless  many  precious  Christians 
have  charged  and  condemned  themselves  for  those  things  that  the  great 
God  will  never  charge  them  with,  nor  condemn  them  for,  Isa.  Ixiii.  17. 
Blessed  Bradford  wrote  himself  an  hypocrite,  a  painted  sepulchre  ;  but 
doubtless  God  will  never  bring  in  such  a  charge  against  him.^  0  sirs  ! 
the  stirrings  of  sin,  and  the  workings  of  sin,  and  the  prevalency  of  sin 
for  particular  acts  will  stand  with  the  covenant  of  grace,  though  not 
with  the  covenant  of  works.  You  may  not  by  any  means  conclude  that 
you  are  not  in  a  covenant  of  grace,  because  such  and  such  corruptions 
stirs  in  you,  or  because  such  or  such  weaknesses  now  and  then  breaks 
forth  and  discovers  themselves,  either  in  your  lips  or  lives.  Did  Chris- 
tians but  study  the  covenant  of  grace  more,  and  understand  better  than 
they  do  the  difference  between  the  covenant  of  grace  and  the  covenant 
of  works,  how  would  their  fears  and  doubts  about  their  S23iritual  and 
eternal  estates  vanish,  as  the  clouds  before  the  sun  when  it  shines  in  its 
greatest  strength  and  glory  !  &c. 

It  was  the  saying  of  an  eminent  minister  on  his  deathbed,  that  he 
had  much  peace  and  quietness,  not  so  much  from  a  greater  measure  of 
grace  than  other  Christians  had,  or  from  any  immediate  witness  of  the 
Spirit,  but  because  he  had  a  more  clear  understanding  of  the  covenant 
of  grace  than  many  others,  having  studied  it  and  preached  it  so  many 
years  as  he  had  done.  Doubtless,  had  Christians  a  more  clear  and  a 
more  full  understanding  of  the  covenant  of  grace,  they  would  live  more 
holily,  serviceably,  humbly,  fruitfully,  comfortably,  and  sweetly  than 
they  do;  and  they  would  die  more  willingly,  readily,  and  cheerfully  than 
many  (may  I  not  say  than  most  ?)  Christians  use  to  do.     But, 

The  eighteenth  maxim  or  consideration. 

XVIII.  Eighteenthly  and  lastly,  That  trouble,  grief,  and  sorroiv  for 
sin,  that  drives  a  man  from  God,  is  sinful,  and  must  one  day  be  re- 
pented of  and  wept  over.  All  true  trouble,  grief  and  sorrow,  drives  to 
God,  as  is  evident  by  the  scriptures  in  the  margin.^  Suppose  thou  hast 
so  and  so  sinned,  yet  it  is  a  false  inference  that  therefore  thou  shouldst 
be  discouraged,  and  let  thy  hopes  sink,  and  thy  heart  faint,  as  if  there 
were  no  help,  no  hope,  no  comfort  for  thee  in  thy  God. 

Quest  But  when  is  a  mans  trouble  or  sorroiv  for  sin  sinful  ? 

Ans.  [1.]  When  it  keeps  Christ  and  the  soul  asunder.  [2.]  When 
it  keeps  the  soul  and  the  promises  asunder.  [3.]  When  it  unfits  a  man 
for  the  duties  of  his  place  and  calling,  wherein  the  providence  of  God 
has  stated  him.     [4.]  When  it  unfits  a  man  for  the  duties  of  religion, 

'  See  index,  sub  nomine,  for  other  references  to  Bradford. — G. 

2  Hosea  v.  14,  15,  vi.  1-3;  Jer.  xxxi.  18-20;  Ps.  li.;  Hosea  xiv.  1,  2;  Ps.  xxv.  11. 
VOL.  III.  U 


306  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

either  private  or  public.  [5.]  When  it  takes  off  the  sweet  and  comfort 
of  all  outward  comforts  and  enjoyments,  and  renders  all  our  mercies 
like  the  white  of  an  egg,  that  has  no  taste  or  savour  in  it.  [6.]  When 
it  weakens,  wastes,  or  destroys  the  outward  man  ;  all  godly  sorrow  is  a 
friend  to  the  soul,  and  no  enemy  to  the  body. 

And  thus  much  for  those  divine  maxims,  considerations,  and  rules 
that  are  seriously  to  be  minded  and  observed  in  order  to  the  clearing 
up  a  man's  interest  in  Christ,  and  his  title  to  all  the  glory  of  another 
world.  Certainly  these  eighteen  maxims,  considerations,  or  rules,  if 
God  shall  please  powerfully  to  set  in  with  them,  are  of  singular  use  for 
the  clearing  up  of  the  saving  work  of  God  upon  poor  souls.  And  there- 
fore it  highly  concerns  Christians  seriously  to  ponder  upon  them,  as 
Mary  did  upon  the  sayings  of  the  angel  in  her  heart,  Luke  ii.  19.  Now 
these  things  being  premised,  I  shall  come  in  the  next  chapter  to  lay 
down  some  infallible  evidences  of  saving  grace. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Containing  many  choice,  precious,  and  infallible  evidences  of  true 
saving  grace,  upon  tvhich  a  Christian  may  safely  and  securely, 
comfortably  and  confidently,  rest  and  adventure  the  weight  of  his 
precious  and  immortal  soul,  and  by  which  he  ma.y  certainly  know 
that  it  shall  go  well  tvith  him  for  ever  ;  and  that  he  has  a  real  sav- 
ing interest  in  Christ,  and  shall  be  everlastingly  happy,  lohen  he 
shall  be  here  no  more,  &c. 

I.  First,  There  are  some  things  in  regard  of  sin,  and  a  Christian's 
actings  about  it,  that  speaks  out  a  gracious  estate,  and  that  discovers  a 
saving  principle  of  grace  to  be  in  the  soul.  I  shall  instance  in  these 
eleven  particular.^. 

[1.]  First,  A  universal  willingness  to  be  rid  of  all  sin,  is  an  in- 
fallible evidence  of  the  tridh  of  grace  in  a  man's  soid}  The  first 
saving  work  of  the  Spirit  upon  the  soul  is  the  dividing  between  sin  and 
the  soul ;  it  is  a  making  an  utter  breach  betwixt  sin  and  the  soul ;  it  ia 
a  dissolving  of  that  old  league  that  has  been  between  the  sinner  and  his 
sin.  The  first  work  of  the  Spirit  is  to  make  a  man  look  upon  sin  as  an 
enemy,  and  to  deal  with  sin  as  an  enemy,  to  hate  it  as  an  enemy,  to 
loathe  it  as  an  enemy,  to  fear  it  as  an  enemy,  and  to  arm  against  it  as 
an  enemy.  When  the  Holy  Spirit  takes  possession  of  a  soul,  from  that 
day  forward  tlie  soul  looks  upon  sin  with  as  evil  and  as  envious  an  eye 
as  Saul  looked  on  David  when  the  evil  spirit  was  upon  him.  Oh,  saith 
Said,  that  I  were  but  once  well  rid  of  this  David ;  and  oh,  saith  the 
gracious  soul,  that  I  were  but  once  well  rid  of  this  proud  heart,  this 
hard  heart,  this  luibolieving  heart,  tliis  unclean  heart,  this  froward 
heart,  this  earthly  heart  of  mine,  &c.  Look,  as  the  daughters  of  Heth 
even  made  llebekah  weary  of  her  life.  Gen.  xxvi.  35,  so  corruptions 
within  makes  the  gracious  soul  even  weary  of  his  life.  '  Many  a  day 
have  I  sought  death  with  tears,'  said  blessed  Cowper,  '  not  out  of  im- 

>  Isa.  xxviii.  15,  18,  xxx.  22  ;  Ilosca  xiv.  8  ;  Rom.  vii.  22-24. 


1 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  HOT 

patience,  distrust,  or  perturbation,  but  because  I  am  weary  of  sin,  and 
fearful  to  fall  into  it.'  Look,  as  when  Christ  hath  won  the  will,  he  hath 
won  the  man  ;  so  when  sin  hath  lost  the  will,  it  hath  lost  the  man. 
The  will  is  the  heart ;  '  My  son,  give  me  thy  heart,'  is,  My  son,  give  me 
thy  will.  The  will  is  the  fort-royal  of  the  soul  ;  it  is  that  stronghold 
that  stands  out  stoutest  and  longest  against  all  the  assaults  of  heaven. 
When  the  will  is  won,  all  is  won,  the  castle  is  won,  the  heart  is  won  ; 
the  man  is  won  when  the  will  is  won.^  A  man's  judgment  and  reason 
may  say,  I  ought  to  turn  from  sin,  and  his  conscience  may  say,  I  must 
turn  from  sin,  or  it  will  be  bitterness  in  the  end,  and  yet  the  work  not 
done,  nor  the  soul  won  ;  but  when  the  heart  says,  the  will  says,  I  will 
turn  from  sin,  then  the  work  is  done,  and  the  man  is  won.  Where  rea- 
son saith  these  lusts  ought  to  be  subdued,  and  the  conscience  saith 
these  lust&  must  be  subdued,  and  the  will  saith  these  lusts  shall  be  sub- 
dued,— Ps.  Ixv.  3,  '  As  for  our  transgressions,  thou  shalt  purge  them 
awaj^' — there  is  a  saving  work  upon  the  soul.  When  the  will  says  to 
sin,  as  Ephraim  said  to  his  idols,  '  Get  you  hence,  what  have  I  any  more 
to  do  with  you?'  Hosea  xiv.  8,  then  the  work  of  God  is  begun  in  power 
upon  the  soul. 

A  universal  willingness  to  be  rid  of  all  sin,  speaks  the  heart  to  be 
sound  and  sincere  with  God.  The  enmity  that  grace  works  in  the  heart 
against  sin  is  against  the  whole  kind  ;  it  is  against  all  sin,  as  well  pro- 
fitable and,  pleasurable  sins  as  disparaging  and  disgracing  sins  ;  and  as 
well  against  small  sins  as  against  great  sins.  True  grace  strikes  at  root 
and  branch,  at  head  and  members,  at  father  and  son.  A  true  Israelite 
would  not  have  one  Canaanite  left  in  the  holy  land  ;  he  would  have 
every  Egyptian  drowned  in  the  red  sea  of  Christ's  blood:  Ps.  cxix.  104, 
'  I  hate  every  false  way' :  Ps.  cxxxix.  24,  '  Search  me,  O  Lord  !  and  see 
if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me,  and  lead  me  in  the  way  everlast- 
ing.' Saving  grace  makes  a  man  as  willing  to  leave  his  lusts,  as  a  slave 
is  willing  to  leave  his  galley,  or  a  prisoner  his  dungeon,  or  a  thief  his 
bolts,  or  a  beggar  his  rags.  But  now  take  a  man  that  is  in  his  natural 
condition,  and  he  is  as  unwilling  to  part  with  his  sins,  as  Abraham  was 
to  turn  Hagar  and  Ishmael  out  of  doors.  Ambrose  reports  of  one  Theo- 
timus,  that  having  a  disease  upon  his  body,  the  physician  told  him, 
That  except  he  did  abstain  from  intemperance,  drunkenness,  unclean- 
ness,  &c.,  he  was  like  to  lose  his  eyes ;  his  heart  was  so  desperately  set 
upon  his  lusts,  that  he  answered,  Vale  lumen  amicuvi,  Farewell,  sweet 
light  then ;  he  had  rather  lose  his  eyes  than  leave  his  sins.  So  they 
in  Micah  vi.  6,  7,  do  make  very  large  offers  for  a  dispensation  to  live 
in  their  sins  ;  they  offer  calves  of  a  year  old  ;  they  offer  thousands  of 
rams,  and  ten  thousand  rivers  of  oil ;  yea,  they  offer  their  first  born  for 
their  transgressions,  the  fruit  of  their  bodies  for  the  sin  of  their  souls. 
Sinners'  hearts  are  so  glued  to  their  lusts,  that  they  will  rather  part 
with  their  nearest,  dearest,  and  choicest  enjoyments,  than  part  with 
their  sins  ;  yea,  when  they  are  put  hard  to  it,  they  will  rather  part  with 
God,  Christ,  and  all  the  glory  of  another  world,  than  they  will  part  with 
some  base  bosom  lust.     Witness  that  young  man  in  the  Gospel,  who 

'  Eestraining  grace  doth  only  suppress  and  abate  the  acts  of  sin,  it  doth  never  alter 
the  disposition  and  will  of  a  man  as  to  sin.  You  may  chain  up  a  lion,  but  you  cannot 
change  the  nature  of  a  lion. 


308  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

■went  away  .sorrowful,  because  he  had  great  possessions,  Mat.  xix.  21,  22. 
Look,  as  a  man  leaves  his  wife  and  children,  his  country,  estate,  and 
trade,  with  tears  in  his  eyes  and  sorrow  in  his  heart ;  so  does  an  unre- 
generate  man  leave  his  lusts,  with  tears  in  his  eyes  and  sorrow  in  his 
heart.  Very  observable  is  the  story  of  Phaltiel :  David  had  married 
Michal ;  Saul  injuriously  gave  her  to  another.  When  David  came  to  the 
crown,  and  was  able  to  speak  a  word  of  command,  he  sends  for  his  wife 
Miohal;  her  husband  dares  not  but  obey;  he  brings  her  on  her  journey, 
and  then,  not  without  great  reluctancy  of  spirit,  takes  his  leave  of  her. 
But  what,  was  Phaltiel  weary  of  his  wife  that  he  now  forsakes  her  ?  Oh 
no  !  he  was  forced  to  it,  and  though  she  was  gone,  yet  he  cast  many  a 
sad  thouglit  after  her,  and  never  leaves  looking  till  he  sees  her  as  far  as 
Bahurim,  weeping  and  bemoaning  her  absence,  2  Sam.  iii.  15,  16. 
And  just  thus  it  is  with  carnal  and  unrogenerate  men,  who,  though  for 
fear,  or  some  other  reasons,  they  shake  hands  with  their  sins,  yet  they 
have  many  a  longing  heart  after  them;  they  part,  but  it  is  upon  a  force; 
they  part,  and  yet  they  are  very  loath  to  part  asunder.'  Look,  as  the  mer- 
chant throws  away  his  goods  in  a  storm,  because  he  cannot  keep  them, 
so  carnal  men,  in  times  of  sickness  and  distress,  or  in  times  of  horror 
and  terror  of  conscience,  or  when  death,  the  king  of  terrors,  knocks  at 
their  doors,  or  when  they  see  hell  gaping  to  devour  them,  and  God  as 
a  terrible  judge  standing  ready  to  pass  an  eternal  doom  upon  them, 
then  they  are  willing  to  cast  overboard  their  usury,  tiieir  drunken- 
ness, their  swearing,  their  cursing,  their  lying,  their  flesh-pleasing,  &c. ; 
but  not  out  of  any  hatred  to  their  lusts,  but  out  of  love  to  them- 
selves, and  out  of  fear  of  being  damned,  &c. ;  for  could  they  but  en- 
joy their  sins  and  heaven  too,  sin  and  they  would  never  part.  But 
now,  were  there  no  danger,  no  wrath,  no  hell,  no  damnation,  no  sepa- 
ration from  God  attending  sin,  yet  a  gracious  soul  would  be  heartily 
willing  to  part  with  all  sin,  and  to  be  rid  of  all  sin,  upon  the  account 
of  the  vile  nature  of  sin,  upon  the  accovmt  of  the  defiling  and  polluting 
nature  of  sin.  Of  all  things  in  the  world,  sin  is  the  most  defiling 
thing  ;  it  makes  us  red  with  guilt  and  black  with  filth  ;  it  is  compared 
to  a  menstruous  cloth,  Isa.  xxx.  22,  which  of  all  unclean  things  in  the 
law  was  the  most  unclean,  as  some  observe  ;  and  upon  this  very  ac- 
count a  gi-acious  soul  would  be  willingly  rid  of  it. 

[2.]  Secondly,  A  constant  habitual  luillingness  to  he  rid  of  all  sin, 
is  an  infallible  evidence  of  the  truth  of  grace  in  the  soul.  It  is  not 
a  transient  willingness  to  be  rid  of  sin,  when  a  man  is  either  under 
some  outward  trouble,  or  some  inward  distress,  that  speaks  out  the 
truth  of  saving  grace,  but  a  permanent,  lasting,  and  abiding  willing- 
ness to  be  rid  of  sin  does.  Pharaoh  in  a  fit,  in  a  fright,  when 
thunder  and  hail  and  frogs  and  flies  were  upon  him,  was  then  will- 
ing to  let  Israel  go ;  but  when  his  fright  was  over,  and  the  judg- 
ments removed,  he  grew  prouder  and  harder  than  before.  So  many 
men,  when  they  are  a  little  sermon-sick,  or  under  some  smart  pangs 
of  conscience,  or  under  some  startling  or  amazing  judgments,  oh  !  then 

*  Augustine,  in  liis  youth,  before  his  conversion,  prayed  thus:  '  I  said  indeed  with  my 
lips,  Loni,  give,  and  yet  in  my  heart  I  was  too  willing  to  give  longer  day,  and  could  have 
said,  Lord,  pray  not  yet,  I  was  even  afraid  lest  thou  shouldst  hear  mo  too  soon,  and  too 
soou  heal  and  subdue  my  corruption  for  mo.' — Confessions. 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  309 

they  will  be  willing  to  let  Israel  go,  then  they  will  be  willing  to  let 
drunkenness  go,  and  pride  go,  and  uncleanness  go,  and  worldliness 
go,  &c. ;  but  when  their  sickness  is  over,  and  the  pangs  of  conscience 
abated,  and  judgments  removed,  oh !  then  they  return  with  the  dog  to  his 
vomit,  and  with  the  sow  to  the  wallowing  in  the  mire  again.  There  was  a 
man  well  known  to  a  minister  in  this  city,  who,  in  the  time  of  his  sick- 
ness, was  so  terrified  in  his  conscience  for  his  sins,  that  he  made  the  very 
bed  to  shake  upon  which  he  lay,  and  cried  out  all  night  long, '  I  am  damned, 
I  am  damned,  I  am  damned  ;'  and  this  man,  in  the  days  of  his  outward 
and  inward  distresses,  made  many  and  great  protestations  of  amend- 
ment of  life  if  God  would  be  pleased  to  recover  him  ;  in  a  little  while 
he  did  recover,  and  being  recovered  he  was  as  bad  and  as  wicked,  if  not 
worse,  than  he  was  before,  2  Pet.  ii.  20-22.  So  in  the  time  of  the  great 
sweat  in  king  Edward's  days,  as  long  as  the  heat  of  the  plague  lasted, 
all  sorts  and  ranks  of  people  were  still  a-crying  out,  Peccavl:  'Mercy, 
good  Lord,  mercy,  mercy,  mercy!'  Then  lords  and  ladies,  and  other 
persons  of  quality,  cried  out  to  the  ministers,  '  For  God's  sake  tell  us 
what  we  shall  do  to  avoid  the  wrath  of  God ;  take  these  bags ;  pay  so 
much  to  such  a  one  whom  I  have  deceived,  and  so  much  restore  unto 
another,  whom  in  bargaining  I  over-reached  ;  oh  !  give  so  much  to  the 
poor,  and  give  so  much  to  such  and  such  pious  uses.'  But  after  the 
sickness  was  over,  they  were  just  the  same  men  that  they  were  before. 
Men  in  time  of  trouble  are  very  ready  to  cry  out,  '  Arise  and  save  us,' 
Jer.  ii.  27  ;  and  with  them,  'Deliver  us  this  time,'  Judges  x.  15  ;  and 
with  the  Samaritans,  who  when  God  had  sent  lions  among  tliem,  in- 
quired after  the  manner  of  his  worship,  2  Kings  xvii.  25,  26  ;  and  yet 
after  all  this  to  remain  as  vile  and  wicked  as  they  did :  Jer.  ii.  20,  '  For 
of  old  time  I  have  broken  thy  yoke,  and  burst  thy  bands,  and  thou 
saidst,  I  will  not  transgress,  when  upon  every  high  hill,  and  under 
every  green  tree  thou  wanderedst,  playing  the  harlot.'  A  wicked  man's 
willingness  to  be  rid  of  his  sins  is  transient,  not  constant ;  it  is  like  the 
morning  cloud  and  the  early  dew,  that  passeth  away,  Hosea  vi.  4.  The 
Jews  were  a  very  unstable  people,  a  people  bent  to  backsliding,  a  people 
that  would  often  start  aside  like  a  deceitful  bow,  Hosea  xi.  7 ;  Ps. 
Ixxviii.  34,  37,  57;  Hosea  vii.  16.  Sometimes  when  the  judgments  of 
God  were  heavy  upon  them,  or  when  they  were  under  the  reign  of  some 
good  kings,  then  down  went  their  groves,  their  altars,  their  idols,  and 
their  high  places;  but  soon  after  you  shall  have  them  as  much  set  upon 
idolatry  as  before  ;  sometimes  they  were  willing  to  be  rid  of  their  idols, 
and  at  other  times  they  were  mad  to  go  a-whoring  after  their  idols. 
But  now  a  godly  man,  when  he  is  himself,  he  is  never  unwilling  to  be 
rid  of  his  sins,  yea,  to  be  rid  of  all  his  sins.  The  fixed,  standing,  and 
abiding  disposition  and  bent  of  a  godly  man's  soul,  of  a  godly  man's 
will,  is  to  be  rid  of  every  sin  ;  and  thrice  happy  is  that  man  that  is 
habitually  under  such  a  choice  and  blessed  frame. 

[3.]  Thirdly,  A  transcendant  willingness,  a  superlative  willing- 
ness, an  overtopping  willingness  to  he  rid  of  sin,  is  an  infallible 
evidence  of  the  truth  of  grace  in  the  soul.  When  a  man's  willingness 
to  be  rid  of  his  sins  overtops  his  unwillingness  ;  when  a  man  is  more 
willing  to  be  rid  of  his  sins  than  he  is  to  continue  in  sin,  then  his 
spiritual  state  is  certainly  good,     A  gracious  heart  had  much  rather, 


310  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

if  it  were  put  to  his  choice,  live  witliout  all  sin,  than  to  have  allowance 
to  wallow  in  any  sin  ;  he  had  rather  live  without  the  least  sin,  than  to 
have  liberty  to  live  in  the  greatest,  or  the  most  flesh-pleasing  sin.  It 
is  certain  that  sin  is  more  afflictive  to  a  gracious  soul  than  all  the 
losses,  crosses,  troubles,  and  trials  that  he  meets  with  in  the  world. 
David  cries,  not  Peril,  but  Peccavi ;  not  *  I  am  undone,'  but  '  I  have 
done  foolishly,'  2  Sam.  xxiv.  10.  He  does  not  cry,  Take  away  the 
pestilence,  but.  Take  away  the  iniquity  of  thy  servant.  Nor  Daniel 
cries  not  out,  Oh  we  are  sadly  reproached,  we  are  greatly  distressed, 
we  are  wofully  oppressed,  but,  We  have  rebelled,  Dan.  ix.  5.  And  the 
church  cries  not  out.  Take  away  our  captivity,  but,  Take  away  all  ini- 
quity. It  is  not.  Take  away  our  chains,  but.  Take  away  our  sins  ;  it 
is  not.  Take  away  our  afflictions,  but.  Take  away  our  pollutions  ;  it  is 
not.  Take  away  all  our  enemies'  lives,  but.  Take  away  the  lives  of  all 
our  lusts,  Hosea  xiv.  2.  And  so  Paul  cries  not  out  of  his  reproaches, 
or  persecutors,  or  bonds,  or  chains,  or  stripes,  or  perils,  or  prisons  ;  he 
rather  glories  in  these.  But  he  cries  out  of  a  law  in  his  members,  re- 
belling against  the  law  of  his  mind,  and  bringing  of  him  into  captivity 
to  the  law  of  sin,  which  is  in  his  members,  2  Cor.  xi.  ]G  ;  Rom.  vii.  23. 
Paul  does  not  cry  out,  O  wretched  man  that  I  am  !  who  shall  deliver 
me  from  all  my  sorrows  and  sufferings  ?  but  '  O  "wretched  man  that  I 
am  !  who  shall  deliver  me  from  this  body  of  death  ?'  ver.  24'.  A  sin- 
cere heart,  when  he  is  himself,  had  much  rather  be  rid  of  his  sins  than 
of  his  sufferings,  yea,  of  the  least  sins  than  of  the  greatest  sufferings. 
It  was  a  sweet  saying  of  Bernard  :  '  I  had  rather,'  saith  he,  *  that  God 
should  better  my  heart  than  remove  his  hand  ;  I  had  rather  that  God 
should  continue  my  strokes  than  my  sins.'  And  the  same  noble  spirit 
was  working  bravely  in  Job  when  he  was  under  the  heavy  hand  of  God  : 
Job  xxxiv.  31,  32,  '  Surely  it  is  meet  to  be  said  unto  God,  I  have  borne 
chastisement,  I  will  not  offend  any  more  :  that  which  I  see  not,  teach 
thou  me  ;  if  I  have  done  iniquity,  I  will  do  no  more.'  (See  Job  vii. 
20,  21.) 

But  now  graceless  men  are  much  more  willing  to  be  rid  of  their 
afflictions  than  to  be  rid  of  their  sins.  Witness  Pharaoh,  who  cries  out, 
Take  away  the  frogs!  see  Exod.  x.  17  :  Exod.  viii.  8,  'Then  Pharaoh 
called  for  Moses  and  Aaron,  and  said,  Entreat  the  Lord,  that  he  may 
take  away  the  frogs  from  me,  and  from  my  people  ;  and  I  will  let  the 
people  go,  that  they  may  do  sacrihce  unto  the  Lord.'  It  is  not.  Entreat 
the  Lord,  that  he  would  take  awa}"-  this  proud  heart,  or  this  hard  heart, 
or  this  besotted  heart,  or  this  blind  mind,  or  this  perverse  will,  or  this 
l)enumbed  conscience  that  is  in  me  and  my  people  ;  but  Entreat  the 
Lord,  that  he  may  take  away  the  frogs  from  me  and  my  people.  A 
graceless  heart  is  more  abundantly  willing  to  be  freed  from  punish- 
ment, the  effect  of  sin,  than  it  is  willing  to  be  freed  from  sin,  the  cause 
of  punishment.  A  gracious  heart  sees  more  filthiness  in  sin  than  in 
frogs,  and  had  rather  bo  rid  of  his  sins  than  of  all  the  frogs  or  toads 
that  be  in  the  world.  See  what  a  sad  spirit  was  upon  the  children  of 
Israel,  in  that  Num.  xxi.  6,  7,  'And  the  Lord  sent  fiery  serpents  among 
the  people,  and  they  bit  the  people  ;  and  much  people  of  Israel  died. 
Tlierefore  the  people  came  to  Moses,  and  said.  We  have  sinned  ;  for 
we  have  spoken  against  the  Lord,  and  against  thee  :  pray  unto  the 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  811 

Lord,  that  he  take  away  the  serpents  from  us.'^  Now,  mark,  in  the 
fifth  verse  you  have  them  murmuring  against  God,  and  Moses,  and 
divine  dispensations,  and  nauseating  of  the  wheat  of  heaven  as  light 
meat,  because  they  came  Hghtly  by  it  ;  they  distrust  the  providence  of 
God,  they  let  fly  at  God  ;  their  spirit  swells  against  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel,  and  they  scorn,  deride,  revile,  and  contumeliously  and  despite- 
fully  speak  against  Moses  ;  and  though  they  had  often  smarted  for 
these  sins,  yet  they  are  at  them  again.  Upon  this,  God  sends  an  army 
of  fiery  serpents  among  them,  and  they  bite  and  devour  many  of  them. 
And  now  they  run  to  Moses,  who  but  a  little  before  they  had  despised, 
and  are  very  importunate  with  him  to  pray  to  the  Lord  to  take  away 
the  serpents  from  them.  They  do  not  desire  Moses  to  improve  his 
interest  in  heaven,  that  God  would  take  away  their  proud  hearts,  their 
distrustful  hearts,  their  murmuring  hearts,  &c.,  but  that  God  would 
take  away  the  serpents ;  they  were  much  more  desirous  to  be^  rid  of 
their  serpents  than  they  were  to  be  rid  of  their  sins.  So  those  in  Jer. 
XXX.  15,  '  Why  criest  thou  for  thine  affliction?  thy  sorrow  is  incurable 
for  the  multitude  of  thine  iniquity  :  because  thy  sins  were  increased,  I 
have  done  these  things  unto  thee.'  They  do  not  cry  out  of  their  sins, 
but  tliey  cry  out  of  their  afflictions.  Why  criest  thou  for  thine  afflic- 
tion ?  Unsound  hearts  are  more  ready  and  willing  to  be  rid  of  their 
afflictions  than  they  are  willing  to  have  their  souls  bettered,  or  their 
lives  mended,  or  their  lusts  subdued  by  them. 

Pilate  was  unwilling  to  condemn  Jesus  ;  witness  his  seeking  to  re- 
lease him,  and  his  washing  his  hands,  and  his  pleading  his  innocency, 
&c..  Mat.  xxvii.  17,  18,  22-24  ;  but  yet  the  prevailing  part  of  his  will 
carried  him  forth  to  deliver  up  Jesus  to  be  scourged  and  crucified,  ver. 
26.  So  Herod  was  unwilhng  to  behead  John  Baptist ;  witness  that 
word,  '  The  king  was  exceeding  sorry,'  Mark  vi.  26  ;  but  yet  the  pre- 
vaiUng  part  of  his  will  carried  him  forth  to  cut  off  John's  head,  ver.  27, 
whos6  head  was  more  worth  than  Herod's  kingdom.  So  Darius  was 
very  unwilling  to  cast  Daniel  into  the  lions'  den ;  witness  his  being 
sore  displeased  with  himself,  and  witness  his  setting  his  heart  on  Daniel 
to  deliver  him,  and  witness  his  great  unquietness  of  spirit ;  for  he  could 
neither  eat,  nor  drink,  nor  sleep,  the  night  after  he  was  cast  into  the 
lion's  den  ;  and  witness  his  great  joy  at  Daniel's  safety,  Dan.  vi.  14,  18- 
20  :  all  which  did  clearly  argue  a  very  great  unwillingness  that  Daniel 
should  suffer  ;  and  yet  the  prevailing  part  of  Darius,  his  will,  carried 
him  forth  to  sacrifice  Daniel  to  the  lions,  yea,  to  that  which  was  worse, 
viz.  the  lusts  of  his  enemies,  ver.  16,  17.  By  all  these  instances,  it  is 
most  evident  that  the  prevalent  part  of  a  wicked  man's  will  stands 
most  strongly  biased  towards  sin  ;  but  now  the  prevalent  part  of  a 
Christian's  will  is  to  be  rid  of  sin.  If  the  Lord  should  say  to  a  gracious 
Christian,  Ask  what  thou  wilt,  O  Christian,  and  it  shall  be  granted  to 
thee  ;  the  answer  would  be  :  Lord,  rid  me  of  my  sins  ;  Lord,  take  away 
mine  iniquities  ;  Lord,  mortify  my  corruptions  ;  Lord,  whoever  lives, 
let  these  lusts  die  ;  Lord,  drown  these  Egyptians  in  the  sea  of  thy  Son's 
blood,  who  have  so  violently  and  uuweariedly  pursued  after  the  blood 
of  my  precious  soul ;  Lord,  kill  and  crucify  all  these  sinful  evils  that 

^  Heb.  burning  serpents.     Thus  tliey  are  called  from  the  effect  of  their  biting,  which 
caused  a  mortal  burning,  and  consequently  such  an  excessive  thirst  as  killed  them. 


SI 2  A  CABINET  OF  JKWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

have  killed  and  crucified  the  Lord  of  life  and  glory ;  '  Lord,  wash  me 
throughly  from  mine  iniquity,  and  cleanse  me  from  my  sin,'  Ps.  li.  2,  7  ; 
'  Lord,  purge  me  with  hyssop,  and  I  shall  be  clean  ;  wash  me,  and  I 
shall  be  whiter  than  snow  ;'  Lord,  carnal  reason,  and  flesh  and  blood, 
would  fain  liavo  such  and  such  pleasurable  sins,  and  such  and  such 
profitable  sins,  indulged  and  spared  ;  but.  Lord,  the  earnest,  the  ardent 
desires  of  my  soul  are,  that  1  may  be  rid  of  them,  and  that  justice  to 
the  height  may  be  done  upon  them  ;  Lord,  be  but  the  death  of  my 
sins,  and  my  soul  shall  say,  '  JVly  lot  is  fallen  in  a  pleasant  place,'  and 
*  verily  I  have  a  goodly  heritage  ;'  Lord,  cleanse  me  but  from  all  filthi- 
ness,  both  of  flesh  and  spirit,  and  I  shall  cry,  '  Hosanna'  to  thee.  Mat. 
xxi.  9  ;  Lord,  let  me  but  outlive  my  lusts,  and  follow  them  to  the  grave 
before  others  follow  me  to  my  grave,  and  I  shall  say  it  is  enough,  Ps. 
xvi.  6  ;  2  Cor.  vii.  1.  And  thus  every  gracious  soul  is  more  willing  to 
be  rid  of  his  sins  than  he  is  to  keep  his  sins.  A  porter  cannot  be  more 
willing  to  be  rid  of  his  burden,  nor  a  sick  man  to  be  rid  of  his  disease, 
nor  a  beggar  of  his  nasty  lousy  rags,  nor  a  prisoner  of  his  chains,  than 
a  gracious  soul  is  willing  to  be  rid  of  his  lusts,  &c. 

[4.]  Fourthly,  That  soul  that  does  not,  nor  through  grace  assisting, 
IV ill  not  alloiv  himself,  or  indulge  liimselfin  a  course  of  sin,  or  in  the 
common  2)ractice  of  any  knoivn  sin,  that  soul  is  certainly  a  gracious 
soul.     '  The  evil  that  I  do,  I  allow  not,'  Rom.  vii.  15.     So  Ps.  cxix.  1,  3, 
'  Blessed  are  the  undefiled  in  the  way,  that  walk  in  the  law  of  the  Lord, 
they  also  do  no  iniquity;*  that  is,  tliey  allow  not  themselves  in  the 
practice  of  any  iniquity.     Blessed  souls  live  not  in  the  service  of  sin, 
they  live  not   in  an  ordinary  practice  of  any  iniquity :  1  John  iii.  9, 
'  Whosoever  is  born  of  God,  doth  not  commit  sin,  for  his  seed  remaineth 
in  him,  and  he  cannot  sin,  because  he  is  born  of  God.'     He  that  has 
the  seed  of  God,  the  seed  of  grace  and  regeneration  in  him,  he  cannot 
allow  himself  in  a  way  of  sin,  he  cannot  give  himself  over  to  a  voluntary 
serving  of  sin,  he  cannot  make  a  trade  of  sin.     So  Prov.  xvi.  17,  'The 
highway  of  the  upright  is  to  depart  from  evil  ;'  that  is,  it  is  the  ordinary, 
usual,  constant  course  of  an   upright  man  to   depart  from  evil.     An 
honest  traveller  may  step  out  of  the  king's  highway  into  a  house,  a 
wood,  a  close,  but  his  work,  his  business  is  to  go  on  in  the  king's  high- 
way.    So  the  business,  the  work  of  an  upright  man  is  to  depart  from 
evil.     It  is  possible  for  an  upright  man  to  step  into  a  sinful  path,  or  to 
touch  upon   sinful  facts  ;  but  his  main  way,  his  principal  work  and 
business  is  to  depart  from  iniquity,  as  a  bee  may  light  upon  a  thistle, 
but  her  work  is  to  be  gathering  at  flowers ;  or  as  the  sheep  may  slip 
into  the  dirt,  but  its  work  is  to  be  grazing  on  the  mountains,  or  in  the 
meadows.     Certainly  there  is  no  man  in  the  world  so  abominable  wicked, 
but  that  he  may  now  and  then,  when  he  is  in  a  good  mood,  or  when 
he  is  under  distress  of  conscience,  or  bleeding  under  a  smarting  rod,  or 
beholding  the  hand\vriting  upon  the  wall,  or  under  a  sentence  of  death, 
depart  from  evil ;  but  this  is  not  his  course,  this  is  not  his  business, 
this  is  not  his  work,  this  is  not  his  highway.     Thieves  do  but  now  and 
then  step  into  the  king's  highway  to  take  a  purse,  they  do  not  keep  the 
king's  highway.     But  now  the  upright  man's  highway,  his  common  and 
ordinary  course,  is  to  depart  from  evil,  and  therefore  he  cannot  allow 
himself  liberty  to  walk  in  an  evil  way  :  Titus  ii.  II,  12,  'For  the  grace 


Chap.  IL]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  313 

of  God,  that  bringeth  salvation,  hath  appeared  to  all  men,'  (without  dis- 
tinction of  nations,  sex,  age,  or  condition)  '  teaching  us,  that  denying 
ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  we  should  live  soberly,  righteously,  and 
godly  in  this  present  world.'  Under  the  name  of  ungodliness,  he  com- 
priseth  all  the  breaches  of  the  first  table  ;  and  under  the  name  of 
worldly  Justs,  he  compriseth  all  inordinate  desires  against  the  second 
table ;  and  those  three  words,  '  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,'  have  a 
threefold  reference  :  the  first  to  ourselves,  the  second  to  our  neighbour, 
and  the  third  to  God.  We  must  live  soberly  in  respect  of  ourselves, 
righteously  in  respect  of  our  neighbours,  and  godly  in  respect  of  God. 
And  this  is  the  sum  of  a  Christian's  whole  duty.  Now  if  the  grace  of 
God,  which  bringeth  salvation,  teaches  saints  to  deny  ungodliness  and 
worldly  lusts,  then  certainly  saints  that  are  taught  by  that  grace  can- 
not live,  nor  allow  themselves  in  ungodliness  or  worldly  lusts.  Without 
all  perad venture,  heaven  is  for  that  man,  and  that  man  is  for  heaven, 
that  can  appeal  to  heaven  that  he  allows  not  himself  in  the  practice  of 
any  known  sin.  Thus  David  did  :  '  Search  me,  0  Lord,'  says  he,  'and 
know  my  heart ;  try  me,  and  know  my  thoughts ;  and  see  if  there  be 
any  wicked  way  in  me,"  Ps.  cxxxix.  24-.  It  is  a  most  sure  sign,  that  sin 
hath  not  gained  a  man's  heart  nor  consent,  but  committed  a  rape  upon 
his  soul,  when  he  allows  not  himself  in  it,  but  cries  out  bitterly  to  God 
against  it,  as  Paul  did,  Rom.  vii.  If  the  ravished  virgin  under  the  law 
cried  out,  she  was  guiltless,  Deut.  xxii.  25-27.  Certainly  such  as  cry 
out  of  their  sins,  and  that  would  not  for  all  the  world  allow  themselves 
in  a  way  of  sin,  such  are  guiltless  before  the  Lord.  That  which  a 
Christian  does  not  allow  himself  in,  that  he  does  not  do  in  divine 
account,  &c. 

But;  now  the  whole  trade,  the  whole  life  of  formal  and  carnal  Chris- 
tians, is  nothing  else  but  one  continued  web  of  wickedness  ;  there  is  no 
wicked  unregenerate  person  in  the  world,  but  lives  in  the  daily  practice 
of  some  known  sin  or  other  ;  but  allows  himself  in  some  trade  or  way 
of  wickedness  or  other,  as  you  may  evidently  see  by  comparing  of  these 
following  scriptures  together,  Pro  v.  i.  20-33  ;  Jer.  v.  3,  xliv.  16-19,  ix. 
3-6,  vii.  8-16  ;  Ps.  I.  16,  17;  Isa.  Ixvi.  3  ;  Mat.  vii.  23  ;  Rom.  vi.  12, 
13,  19,  viii.  5  ;  Luke  xiii.  27  ;  Ephes.  ii.  2,  3 ;  Philip,  iv.  19  ;  Titus  iii. 
3  ;  2  Peter  ii.  14.  Sin  is  a  sinner's  absolute  work,  it  is  his  main  work, 
and  the  sinner  is  besides  himself,  besides  his  calling,  as  it  were,  when  he 
is  besides  his  sin. 

[5.]  Fifthly,  He  that  conflicts  viost  with  heart-sins,  and  is  most 
affected  with  spiritual  sins,  and  that  laments  and  mourns  most  over 
secret  sins,  invisible  sins,  sins  that  lie  most  hid  and  remote  from  the 
eyes  of  the  world,  he  is  certainly  a  gracious  soul}  Grace  in  truth, 
and  grace  in  power,  will  rise  and  conflict,  and  make  head  against  the 
most  inward  and  secret  vanities  of  the  soul,  as  against  secret  self-love, 
and  secret  hardness  of  heart,  Isa.  Ixiii.  1 7  ;  and  secret  unbelief,  Mark 
ix.  24;  and  secret  carnal  confidence,  and  secret  hypocrisy,  and  secret 
envy,  and  secret  malice,  and  secret  vain-glory,  and  secret  fretting  and 
murmuring,  and  secret  lustings,  and  secret  runnings-out  of  the  soul 
after  the  meat  that  perisheth,  and  secret  pride.  Hence  Hezekiah 
humbles  himself  for  the  pride  of  his  heart ;  and  so  David,  he  humbles  him- 
I  Ps.  xix.  12  ;  cxix.  1]3,  '  I  hate  vain  thoughts  ;'  Ps.  xxx.  6,  7  ;  Isa.  Ixiv.  7. 


314  A  CARINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

self  for  the  pride  of  hi.s  heart  in  numbering  of  the  people,  2  Chron.  xx.xii. 
25,  2  Sam.  xxiv.  10.    And  how  does  the  same  prophet  chide  himself  for 
sinful  defection  of  spirit :  '  Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my  soul,  and 
why  art  thou  disquieted  in  me?'  Ps.  xlii.  11.     And  how  does   he  at 
another  time  befool  himself,  and  be-beast  himself,  for  his  secret  jrrudtr- 
mg  and  fretting  at  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked  :  'So  foolish  was  I  and 
ignorant,  I  was  as  a  beast  before  thee,'  Ps.  Ixxiii.  22.     And  so  Paul  was 
most  affected  and  afflicted  with  a  law  in  his  members  rebelling  ajjainst 
the  law  of  his  mind.     Inward  pollutions  and  defilements  did  sit  closest 
and  saddest  upon  his  spirits.  And  the  same  apostle  in  that  2  Cor.  vii.  1, 
is  for  keeping  down  the  filthiness  of  the  spirit,  as  well  as  the  filthiness 
of  the  flesh  ;  he  is  for  inward  cleansing,  as  well  as  for  outward  cleansing : 
'  Having  therefore  these  promises,  dearly  beloved,  let  us  cleanse  our- 
selves from  all  filthine-ss  of  the  flesh  and  spirit,  perfecting  holiness  ia 
the  fear  of  God,'  2  Cor.  vii.  1.    So  Mr  Bradford  was  a  man  that  had  at- 
tained to  so  great  and  eminent  a  height  of  holiness,  that  Doctor  Taylor, 
the  martyr,  calls  him  '  that  saint  of  God,  John  Bradford  ;'  and  yet,  oh 
how  sadly  does   he  bewail   his  secret   hypocrisy.     True  grace   makes 
opposition  as  well  against  the  being  of  sin  in  a  man's  nature,  as  against 
the  breakings  out  of  sin  in  a  man's  life.  Col.  iii.   5.     True  grace  will 
make  head  against  the  corruptions  of  the  heart,  as  well  as  against  the 
excursions  of  the  feet ;  it  is  as  willing  and  desirous  to  be  rid  of  a  pol- 
luted heart,  as  it  is  willing  and  desirous  to  be  rid  of  a  polluted  hand. 
It  would  fain  have,   not  only  sinful  acts,  but  also  sinful  dispositions, 
and  not  only  irregular  actions,  but  also  inordinate  affections,  mortified 
and  subdued.     0  friends  !  heart  sins  are  root  sins  ;  they  are  the  springs 
that  set  all  the  wheels  a-2foinof,  the  fountain  that  sets  all  the  streams 
a-running,  the  fire  that  sets  the  furnace  a-smoking,  the  bellows  that 
sets  the  fire  a-burning.     Certainly  a  proud  heart  hath  more  of  Satan  in 
it  than  a  proud  look,  and  a  wanton  heart  is   more  vile  than  a  wanton 
eye,  and  a  murderous  or  adulterous  heart  is  worse  than  a  murderous 
or  adulterous  act,  &c.     And  therefore  true  grace  makes  head   against 
heart  sins,  against  spiritual  sins,  against  the  most  inward  secret  sins, 
against  those  very  sins  that  lie  not  within  the  reach  of  reason,  or  the 
sword  of  the  magistrate,  or  the  piercing  eye  of  the  most  knowing  or 
observing  man  in  the  world,  but  are  only  obvious  to  an  omniscient  eye. 
But  now  carnal  men,  as  they  make  little  of  outward  sins,  so  they  make 
nothing  of  heart  sins,  of  spiritual  sins.     If  they  are  not  drunkards,  nor 
swearers,  nor  extortioners,  nor  whoremasters,  nor  cursers,  nor  cheaters, 
nor  oppressors,  nor  liars,  nor  persecutors.  Mat.  xix.  16-27  ;  if  they  are 
good  negative  Christians,  then  they  think  themselves  very  good  saints, 
and  in  a  very  fair  way  for  heaven,  and  that  no  man  can  say  black  is 
their  eye,  when  their  hearts  are  as  full  of  evil  thoughts  and  secret  lusts, 
as  ignorance,  atheism,  unbelief,  pride,  envy,  discontent,  anger,  formality, 
hypocrisy,  indifterency,  lukewarmness,  deadness,  and  hardness,  &c.,  as 
the  sun  is  full  of  light,  or  as  hell  is  full  of  darkness.     Restraining  grace, 
common  grace,  only  makes  head  against  gross  enormities,  against  pal- 
pable vanities,  as  you  may  see  in  the  scribes  and  pharisees  ;  but  saving 
grace  makes  head  against  heart  sins,  against  spiritual  sins.     Common 
grace  is  all  for  washintj  the  oiitside,  but  savinGf  <rrace  is  for  washing  the 
inside  as  well  as  the  outside.     Common  grace  is  only  for  washing  the 


Chap.  II.'J  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  SI  5 

feet  and  the  head,  but  saviug  grace  is  for  washing  both  feet,  head,  and 
heart.  Mat.  xxiii.,  John  xiii.  9,  10.  Look,  as  in  a  dark  night  we  can 
only  see  those  stars  that  are  of  the  greatest  magnitude  ;  so  by  the  star- 
light of  natural  conscience,  the  natural  man  can  only  see  those  sins  that 
ai'e  more  great  and  gross.  Natural  convictions  can  reach  no  further 
than  natural  light,  but  spiritual  convictions  can  reach  to  the  most  inward, 
secret,  spiritual,  and  undiscernible  sins.  Certainly  that  is  a  sincere 
heart,  a  heart  more  worth  than  gold,  that  smites  a  man  for  inward  sins 
as  well  as  for  outward  sins  ;  for  sins  done  in  a  corner,  as  well  as  for  sins 
acted  upon  the  house-top  ;  for  spiritual  sins,  as  well  as  for  fleshly  sins  ; 
for  sins  against  the  soul,  as  well  as  for  sins  against  the  body;  for  sins 
committed  in  a  closet,  as  well  as  for  sins  committed  on  the  most  public 
stage.  Certainly  that  trouble  and  grief  that  springs  from  heart  sins, 
from  spiritual  sins,  from  secret  sins,  bears  a  more  immediate  relation  to 
the  holiness  of  God,  who  only  observes  them,  and  is  offended  by  them, 
and  so  is  a  most  sure  and  infallible  evidence  of  saving  grace,  and  of  the 
work  of  the  Spirit  in  power  upon  the  soul.  When  open  commissions  do 
hvmible  and  abase  the  heart,  and  secret  inclinations  to  sin  do  even  break 
and  burst  the  heart  asunder,  then  the  heart  is  certainly  sincere  with 
God.  A  Christian  will  readily  grant  that  his  God  is  a  good  God,  and 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  chiefest  of  ten  thousand,  and  that  the  gospel 
is  a  glorious  gospel,  and  that  the  promises  are  precious  promises,  and 
that  the  ordinances  are  blessed  ordinances,  and  that  the  lively  com- 
munion of  saints  is  the  sweetest  communion  in  all  the  world.  But  yet 
he  will  say,  I  have  such  a  proud  heart,  such  a  hard  heart,  such  a  slight 
heart,  such  a  carnal  heart,  &c.,  and  I  am  so  vexed  and  molested  with 
sinful  notions,  and  with  sinful  imaginations,  and  with  sinful  inclinations, 
and  with  atheistical  risings,  and  with  private  murmurings,  and  with 
secret  unbelievings,  and  that  in  despite  of  all  my  conflictings,  and  striv- 
ings, and  prayings,  and  mournings,  and  sighings,  and  groanings,  and 
complainings,  that  I  am  oftentimes  even  weary  of  my  life.  And  if  this 
does  not  speak  out  Christ  within,  and  grace  within,  and  the  Spirit 
within  such  a  soul,  I  know  nothing.  O  friends  !  remember  this  once  for 
all,  viz.,  that  the  main  battle,  the  main  warfare  of  a  Christian  lies  not 
in  the  open  field,  it  lies  not  in  visible  skirmishes  ;  but  his  main  quarrels 
and  conflicts  are  most  within,  and  his  worst  and  greatest  enemies  are 
them  of  his  own  house,  they  are  them  of  his  own  heart.  A  little  grace 
at  first  conversion  may  reform  an  ill  life,  but  it  must  be  a  great  deal 
of  grace  that  must  reform  an  ill  heart.  A  little  grace  may  make  a  man 
victorious  over  outward  gross  sins,  but  it  must  be  a  great  deal  of  grace 
that  must  make  a  man  victorious  over  inward  sins,  secret  sins,  spiritual 
sins,  heart  sins,  yea,  a  thorough  conquest  of  these  sins  will  hold  a  man 
in  play  all  his  days.     But, 

[6.]  Sixthly,  He  that  abstains  from  sin,  he  ivhose  heart  rises  against 
sin,  he  that  sets  himself  against  sin,  because  of  the  evil  nature  of  sin, 
because  of  that  vileness  and  filthiness  that  is  in  sin,  he  certainly  has 
a  principle  of  grace,  a  seed  of  God  in  him.  He  who  refrains  from 
sin,  and  whose  heart  rises  more  against  sin,  because  of  the  purity  of  the 
law  which  forbids  sin,  than  because  of  the  severity  of  the  law  which  con- 
demns sin,  is  certainly  under  the  power  of  renewing  grace,  of  saving 
grace  :  Ps.  cxix.  140,  '  Thy  word   is  very  pure,   therefore  thy   servant 


316  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [CuAP.  IT. 

lovcth  it.'  It  is  only  pure  grace  that  can  enable  a  man  to  love  the 
word  for  its  purity.'  The  apostle,  to  set  forth  the  formidable  evil  that 
is  in  sin,  expresses  it  tlni.s,  Rom.  vii.  1 3,  '  That  sin  might  appear  to  be 
sin.'  He  coidd  find  nothing  more  evil  and  odious  to  express  it  by  than 
itself  Sin  is  so  great  an  evil,  that  it  cannot  have  a  worse  epithet 
given  it.  Paul  can  call  it  no  worse  than  by  its  own  name,  sinful  sin.  Had 
the  apostle  said  that  sin  might  appear  to  be  a  snare,  a  serpent,  a  viper,  a 
toad,  a  plague,  a  devil,  a  hell,  &c.,  he  had  said  much,  but  yet  not  enough 
to  set  forth  the  transcendent  evil  that  is  in  sin,  and  therefore  he  calls 
it  sinful  sin.  All  other  evils  are  but  outward,  they  only  reach  the 
name,  the  body,  the  estate,  the  life,  but  sin  is  an  inward  evil,  a  spiritual 
evil,  an  evil  that  reaches  the  precious  and  immortal  soul,  and  therefore 
is  the  greatest  evil.  Death  puts  an  end  to  all  other  troubles,  viz., 
poverty,  sickness,  disgrace,  scorn,  contempt,  crosses,  losses,  &c.  ;  but 
sin  is  so  great  an  evil,  that  death  itself  cannot  put  an  end  to  it ;  eter- 
nity itself  shall  never  put  a  stop,  a  period,  to  this  evil  of  evils.  All  out- 
ward evils  can  never  make  a  man  the  subject  of  God's  wrath  and  hatred. 
A  man  may  be  poor,  and  yet  precious  in  the  eyes  of  God ;  he  may  be 
greatly  abhorred  by  the  world,  and  yet  highly  honoured  by  Goil  ;  he 
may  be  debased  by  men,  and  yet  exalted  by  God.  But  now  sin  is  so 
great  an  evil,  that  it  subjects  the  sinner's  soul  to  the  wrath  and  hatred 
of  God.  All  other  evils  do  but  strike  at  a  man's  present  well-being, 
but  sin  stiikes  at  a  man's  eternal  well-being  ;  all  other  evils  can  never 
hinder  a  man's  communion  with  God.  A  man  may  have  communion 
with  God  in  poverty,  in  sickness,  in  prison,  in  banishment  ;  but  sin  is 
so  great  an  evil,  that  it  interrupts  communion  with  God,  it  cuts  off 
communion  with  God.  All  outward  evils  are  God's  creatures  :  '  Is  there 
any  evil  in  the  city  tliat  the  Lord  hath  not  done  V  But  sin  is  the 
devil's  creature,!  it  is  a  brat  of  his  own  begetting  ;  yea,  it  is  worse 
than  the  devil,  it  is  that  which  has  turned  glorious  angels  into  infernal 
devils.  All  other  evils  do  not  fight  against  the  greatest  good,  but  sin 
is  that  grand  evil  that  fights  against  the  greatest  good  ;  it  fights  against 
the  being  of  God,  the  essence  of  God,  the  glory  of  God.  Peccatnm  est 
Delcidiuni,  sin  is  a  killing  of  God,  it  is  a  murdering  of  God.  Sin  is  a 
universal  evil,  it  is  all  evil,  it  is  nothing  but  evil ;  there  is  not  one 
drop,  one  spark  of  good  to  be  found  in  any  sin,  but  now  in  all  outward 
evils  there  is  some  good  ;  there  is  some  good  in  poverty,  in  sicknes.s, 
in  war,  in  death,  but  there  is  not  the  least  good  in  sin.  Sin  is  the  sole 
object  of  God's  hatred  ;  he  hates  nothing  but  sin  ;  he  is  angry  with 
nothing  but  sin  ;  he  has  forbid  nothing  but  sin  ;  he  has  revealed  his 
wrath  from  heaven  against  nothing  but  sin  ;  so  great  an  evil  is  sin.  Sin 
is  that  grand  evil  that  has  midwived  all  other  evils  into  the  world.  It 
was  sin  that  drowned  the  old  world  with  water  ;  it  was  sin  that 
destroyed  Sodom  with  fire  and  brimstone  ;  it  was  sin  that  laid  Jeru- 
salem in  heaps ;  it  was  sin  that  has  midwived  sword,  famine,  and 
pestilence  into  the  world  ;  it  was  sin  that  laid  the  foundation  of  hell, 

*  2  Cor.  vii.  1.  I  have  read  of  the  ermine,  that  she  will  rather  die  than  be  got  into 
the  dirt  to  defile  her  beautiful  sldn.  And  rather  than  Joseph  will  defile  his  beautiful 
soul  by  defiling  his  master's  bed,  he  will  to  a  dirty  dungeon,  lie  liad  ratlier  that  the 
irons  should  enter  into  his  soul,  Ps.  cv.  18.  than  tliat  sin  should  enter  into  his  con- 
science. He  had  rather  tliat  his  chains  should  eat  into  his  flesh,  than  that  sin  should 
pollute  his  soul.     Isa.  lix.  1,  2  ;  Amos  iii.  6  ;  Acts  v.  39. 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  317 

that  laid  tlie  corner-stone  in  that  land  of  darkness,  for  before  sin  there 
was  no  hell,  Judges  v.  8  ;  Ps.  cvii.  34 ;  Deut.  xxviii.  21.     It  was  sin 
that   crucified  the  Lord  of  glory,  Kom.  viii.  7.     Now,  oh  how  great 
must  that  evil  be  that  has  ushered  in  all  these  great  evils  into  the 
world  !     Sin  is  enmity  against  God  ;  God  hath  no  enemy  in  the  world 
but   sin,   and  those  whom  sin  hath  made  him.     Sin  hath  set  all  the 
world  against  the  Lord   of  glory.      It  is  sin    that  has  turned  men 
into  incarnate  devils,  and  that  has  drawn   them  out  to  fight  against 
God,  and  Christ,  and  their  own  souls,  and  the  things  of  their  everlast- 
ing peace.     Now,  when  a  man  looks  upon  sin  as  the  greatest  evil  in  the 
world,  and  his  heart  rises  and  is  enraged  against  it,  because  of  the  vile, 
filthy,  odious,  and  heinous  nature  of  it,  it  is  a  clear  evidence  that  such 
a  man  has  the  divine  nature  in  him.     Take  that  one  instance  for  all : 
Ps.  xix.  12,  13,  '  Keep  back  thy  servant  from  presumptuous  sins.'     But 
why  does  David  pray  thus?  '  So,'  says  he,  '  shall  I  be  innocent  from  the 
great  transgression."    Mark,  he  does  not  pray  thus  :  Lord,  keep  me  from 
presumptuous  sin,  that  so   I  may  be   free  from  troubles  without,  and 
from  terrors  within,  or  from  hell  beneath  ;  but.  Lord,  keep  me  from 
presumptuous  sins,  that  so  I  may  be  innocent  from  the  great  transgi'es- 
sion.    He  does  not  say.  So  shall  I  be  free  from  the  great  correction,  but, 
So  shall  I  be  free  from  the  great  transgression.     That  is  a  heart  worth 
gold,  that  is  more  sensible  and  more  affected  with  the  evil  that  is  in  sin 
^  than  with  the  evil  that  comes  by  sin.     It  was  a  weighty  saying  of 
Austin  :  '  That  man,'  says  he,  '  which  fears  hell,  he  doth  not  fear  to  sin, 
but  fears  to  burn  ;  but  that  man  fears  to  sin,  that  fears  sin  as  he  would 
fear  hell.'^     Common  grace  never  works  a  man  thus  to  fear  sin,  but 
renewing  grace  doth.     Common  convictions  carry  the  soul  out  to  look 
more  on  the  evil  that  comes  by  sin,  than  on  the  evil  that  is  in  sin  ; 
and  hence  it  comes  to  pass,  that  souls  under  common  convictions  are 
more  affected  and  afllicted  at  the  fear  of  hell  and  dread  of  wrath  and 
damnation,  than  they  are  affected  or  afflicted  at  the  vileness,  odious- 
ness,  and  heinous  nature  of  sin.     When  an  unsanctified  person  is  angry 
with  sin,  and  chides  sin,  and  falls  out  with  sin,  and  makes  some  head 
against  sin,  it  is  either  because  it  hath  cracked  his  credit,  or  clouded  his 
honour,  or  hindered  his  profit,  or  embittered  his  pleasure,  or  provoked 
his  friends,  or  incensed  the  magistrate,  or  enraged  his  conscience,  or 
exposed  him  to  shame,  disgrace,  or  contempt  here  and  hell  hereafter; 
but  never  because  a  holy  God  is  dishonoured,  a  righteous  law  trans- 
gressed, a  blessed  Saviour  frequently  crucified,  or  the  blessed  Spirit 
greatly  grieved.     The  child  will  not  touch  the  coal  because  it  will  burn 
him,  and  the  prudent  man  will  not  touch  the  coal  because  it  will  smut 
him.     A  gracious  heart  rises  against  sin  because  of  its  defiling  and  pol- 
luting nature,  but  an  unsanctified  heart  rises  against  sin  because  of  its 
burning  and  damning  nature.     A  sanctified  person  hates  sin,  because 
it  pollutes  his  soul,  but  an  unsanctified  person  hates  it  because  it 
destroys  his  soul.    A  sanctified  person  loathes  sin,  and  abhors  sin,  because 
it  fights  against  God's  holiness  ;  but  an  unsanctified  person  loathes  it, 
and  abhors  it,  because  it  provokes  and  stirs  up  God's  justice.     A  sanc- 
tified person  detests  sin,  because  of  the  hell  that  is  in  sin  ;  but  an 

^  Augustine,  Epist.  144. 


SI 8  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

un&auctified  person  detests  sin,  because  of  the  hell  that  follows  sin,  &c. 
But, 

[7.]  Seventhly,  Where  there  is  an  irreconcileahle  opjjosition  in  the 
soul  against  sin,  there  is  a  saving  work  of  God  upon  that  man's 
heaH}  Where  there  is  such  a  detestation  of  sin,  and  such  an  enmity 
raised  in  the  soul  against  sin,  as  that  the  soul  cannot,  nor  will  not,  upon 
no  terms  in  the  world,  admit  of  any  truce  or  reconciliation  with  sin, 
there  is  Clirist  and  grace  formed  in  the  heart.  The  war  between  a 
gracious  lieart  and  sin,  is  like  the  war  between  Rehoboam  and  Jero- 
boam :  1  Kings  xiv.  30,  '  There  was  war  between  Rehoboam  and  Jero- 
boam all  their  days.'  The  oracle  said  to  the  Cirrheans,  nodes  diesque 
helligerandiLVi,  they  could  not  be  happy  unless  they  waged  war  night 
and  day  ;  no  more  can  we,  except  we  perpetually  fight  against  our  lusts. 
O  friends  !  a  gracious  heart  that  is  weary  of  sin,  will  certainly  and  ha- 
bitually fall  a-striving  against  it :  Gal.  v.  17,  '  The  flesh  lusteth  against 
the  Spirit,  and  the  Spirit  against  the  flesh  :  for  these  two  are  contrary 
the  one  to  the  other.'  Now  contraries  are  naturally  expulsive  each  of 
other.  Such  a  pair  as  a  Jacob  and  an  Esau  ;  such  tw-ins  as  an  Isaac 
and  an  Ishmael,  cannot  lie  quietly  together  in  the  same  womb  ;  no, 
nor  live  quietly  together  in  the  same  house,  but  there  will  be  a  mutual 
prosecuting  and  persecuting  each  of  other.  Fire  and  water  may  as  well 
ao-ree  in  the  same  vessel,  as  grace  and  sin  in  the  same  heart.  True 
grace  hath  a  real  repugnancy  and  contrariety  to  all  sin  ;  and  remem- 
ber this  once  for  all,  that  saving  grace  is  not  contrary  to  sin  because 
it  is  open  and  manifest,  nor  to  sin  because  it  is  private  and  secret, 
nor  to  sin  because  it  is  of  this  or  that  consequence,  but  to  sin  as  sin, 
whether  public  or  private,  because  both  the  one  and  the  other  are 
contrary  to  the  law  of  God,  the  will  of  God,  the  glory  of  God,  the 
nature  of  God,  tbe  designs  of  God,  &c.  As  it  is  with  true  light,  though 
it  be  but  a  beam,  yet  it  is  universally  opposite  to  all  darkness  ;  or  as 
it  is  with  heat,  though  there  be  but  one  degree  of  it,  yet  it  is  opposite 
to  all  cold  ;  so  true  grace,  it  is  opposite  to  all  sin,  it  cannot  comply  with 
any  known  sin.  Look,  as  sin  and  grace  were  never  born  together,  and 
as  sin  and  grace  shall  never  die  together,  so  sin  and  grace  can  never  be 
reconciled  together.  There  is  a  natural  contrariety  between  sin  and 
gi'ace,  and  therefore  you  can  never  reconcile  them  in  the  heart.  The 
opposition  that  grace  makes  against  sin  is  inward  as  well  as  outward ; 
it  is  against  sin  wheresoever  it  is.  Nothing  will  satisfy  a  gracious  soul 
but  the  destruction  of  sin  :  Rom.  vi.  6,  '  Knowing  this,  that  our  old 
man  is  crucified  with  him,  that  the  body  of  sin  might  be  destroyed, 
that  henceforth  we  should  not  serve  sin.'  The  Greek  word  xarapyrj^p, 
that  is  here  rendered  destroyed,  signifies  weakened,  and  the  strength  of 
it  broken,  and  made  idle,  fruitless,  and  ineffectual.  So  Ps.  li.  2,  '  Wash 
me  throughly'  (or  multiply  to  wash  me,  or  play  the  fuller  upon  me), 
'from  mine  iniquity;' — David  looked  upon  his  sin,  his  stain,  to  be  so 
inveterate,  so  iugramed,  that  it  would  hardly  be  ever  gotten  out  till  the 
cloth  were  almost  rubbed  to  pieces, — '  and  cleanse  me  from  my  sin.' 

'  The  contrariety  to  sin,  which  is  in  a  real  Christian,  arises  from  an  inward  gracious 
nature,  which  isojiposite  to  tlie  whole  species  or  kindof  sin,  as  contrarieties  of  nature  are 
to  the  whole  kind  ;  as  light  is  contrary  to  all  darkness,  and  fire  to  all  water.  So  that  this 
contrariety  to  sin  arising  from  the  inward  uiau  is  universal  to  all  sin,  &c. 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  319 

David  was  as  desirous  to  be  cleansed  of  the  leprosy  of  sin,  as  ever  any  poor 
leper  was  willing  to  be  cleansed  of  his  leprosy  under  the  law.  And  so 
ver.  7,  '  Purge  me  with  hyssop,  and  I  shall  be  clean  ;  wash  me,  and  I 
shall  be  v/hiter  than  snow.'  All  the  sacrifices  of  expiation  of  sin  in  the 
old  law,  were  done  by  blood,  and  that  blood  was  sprinkled  upon  the 
people  by  a  bunch  of  hyssop,  so  called  from  the  Hebrew  word  ezob,  by 
reason  of  the  nearness  of  the  sound.  In  the  legal  sprinklings  made 
with  hyssop,  was  shadowed  out  the  washing  away  of  sin  through  the 
blood  of  Christ.  The  bride's  garments  are  made  white  in  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb,  and  not  by  any  washings  in  snow  water,  Rev.  i.  14,  Job  ix.  30. 
When  a  gracious  soul  looks  upon  sin,  he  cries  out,  Lord,  raze  it,  raze 
it  down  to  the  ground ;  Lord,  let  not  one  stone  be  left  upon  another. 
In  every  gracious  soul  there  is  such  a  detestation  and  such  an  indigna- 
tion agamst  sin,  that  neither  mountains  of  gold,  nor  rocks  of  pearl,  nor 
honour,  nor  applause,  nor  favour  on  the  one  hand,  nor  frowns,  nor 
threats,  nor  neglects,  nor  scorns,  nor  contempt  on  the  other  hand,  can 
win  the  soul  over  to  sin,  or  make  the  soul  one  with  sin.  Look  how  it 
was  between  the  Lord  and  Amalek,  so  it  is  between  a  gracious  soul  and 
his  sins.  Now  if  you  turn  to  that  Exod.  xvii.  16,  you  shall  find  how  it 
was  between  the  Lord  and  Amalek.  '  Because  the  Lord  hath  sworn, 
that  the  Lord  will  have  war  with  Amalek  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion ;'  or,  as  the  Hebrew  has  it,  '  The  hand  upon  the  throne  of  the 
Lord':  God's  hand  is  laid  upon  his  own  throne,  as  swearing  to  root 
out  Amalek  ;'  or  because  Amalek's  hand  is  lifted  up  against  God's 
throne,  that  is  the  church  (so  called  in  Jer.  xvii.  12,  and  crown  of  glory, 
Isa.  Ixii.  3),  therefore  God  will  have  perpetual  wars  with  Amalek.  God 
could  as  soon  be  reconciled  to  Amalek,  as  a  gracious  Christian  can  be 
reconciled  to  his  sins.  Others  sense  the  words  thus,  that  Moses  had  a 
solemn  oath,  as  it  were,  laying  his  hand  upon  God's  throne,  for  asseve- 
ration and  assurance,  that  he  and  the  people  will  have  an  irreconcileable 
war  with  the  posterity  of  Amalek.  And  so  every  gracious  soul  is  re- 
solved to  make  an  irreconcileable  war  with  sin.  But  now,  where  there 
is  only  common  grace,  there  a  man  deals  by  his  sins  as  David  did  by 
his  son  Absalom,  banish  him  his  court  for  a  time,  and  afterwards  receive 
him  into  full  favour,  and  court  him  as  much  or  more  than  before.  An 
unsound  heart  may  fall  out  with  his  sin,  and  be  very  angry  with  its 
sin,  for  the  consequence  of  it,  for  the  shame  it  brings  upon  his  person, 
for  the  blot  it  leaves  upon  his  name,  and  for  the  stinging  guilt  and  con- 
vulsion fits  which  it  causeth  in  his  conscience,  and  yet  this  very  person 
be  in  a  very  close  and  strict  league  with  sin,  and  his  heart  inwardly 
and  strongly  adhering  unto  sin.  But  a  gracious  heart  will  be  still  a-re- 
straining  of  sin,  a-curbing  of  sin,  a-crossing  of  sin,  a-making  head  against 
sin,  and  a-withstanding  it  in  all  its  workings.  Anger  may  be  recon- 
ciled, but  hatred  cannot. 

[8.]  Elgldldy,  Where  the  very  prevailings  of  sin  are  ordinarily 
made  serviceable  to  high  and  holy,  to  gracious  and  spiritual  ends, 
there  certainly  is  a  saving  tvork  of  God  ujwn  that  man's  soul,  Ezek. 
xvi.  61,  63  ;  Eph.  ii.  5-7.  As  when  they  produce  more  soul-loathing, 
soul-humiliation,  self-judging,  self-abasement,  self-abhorring  ;  or  when 
they  fill  the  soul  with  a  greater  admiration  of  the  freeness  and  riches  of 
grace ;  or  when  they  keep  down  pride,  and  prevent  the  despismg  of 


320  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II, 

Others,  or  produce  holy  shame  ;  or  when  they  make  the  blood  of  Christ 
more  precious  and  dear  to  the  soul ;  or  when  they  engage  a  Christian 
so  much  the  more  to  watch  and  pray,  and  pray  and  watch,  that  he  may 
either  be  kept  from  the  hour  of  teuiptation,  or  in  the  hour  of  tempta- 
tion ;  or  when  every  fall  makes  sin  more  bitter  to  the  soul  than  ever, 
and  Christ  more  sweet  to  the  soul  than  ever,  and  all  the  means  of  grace 
more  deliofhtful  to  the  soul  than  ever,  and  heaven  more  desirable  to  the 
soul  than  ever ;  or  when  sin  is  made  the  prevention  of  sin;  or  when  sin, 
through  the  over-ruling  hand  of  grace,  is  made  an  occasion  of  more 
grace,  as  that  good  man  said,  '  As  I  get  hurt  by  my  graces,  so  I  get  good 
by  my  sins.'  You  know  all  the  falls,  and  knocks,  and  blows,  that  chil- 
dren get  that  are  learning  to  go,  do  but  make  them  cleave  the  closer 
and  hang  tiie  faster  upon  the  nurse's  skirts,  or  about  the  mother's  neck. 
So  when  all  a  Christian's  falls  do  but  work  him  to  cleave  the  closer  and 
hang  the  faster  upon  the  strength  of  Christ,  and  to  be  still  a-drawing 
more  and  more  virtue  and  power  from  Christ,  then  is  the  prevaleucy  of 
sin  made  serviceable  to  holy  and  gracious  ends  ;  and  where  God  ordi- 
narily thus  works,  there  is  certainly  a  work  of  God  in  power  upon  that 
soul :  2  Cor.  vii.  11,  '  For,  behold,  this  self-same  thing  that  ye  sorrowed 
after  a  godly  sort,  what  carefulness  it  wrought  in  you,  yea,  what  clearing 
of  yourselves,  yea,  what  indignation,  yea,  what  fear,  yea,  what  vehement 
desire,  yea,  what  zeal,  yea,  wdiat  revenge  !  In  all  things  you  have  ap 
proved  youi'selves  to  be  clear  in  this  matter.'  This  scripture  I  have 
fully  opened  in  my  eighth  sign  of  godly  sorroAV  in  this  book,  and  to 
that  I  refer  you.  The  mother,  by  suffering  the  child  to  get  one  fall, 
keeps  the  child  from  many  a  fall  ;  and  so  it  was  with  these  Corinthians. 
Adam's  fall  was  an  inlet  to  abundance  of  grace,  and  his  unrighteousness 
did  usher  into  the  world  the  most  glorious  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Hezekiah  falls,  and  by  his  fall  God  gives  him  a  clearer  and  fuller  sight 
of  his  own  heart  than  ever  he  had  before  in  all  his  days,  2  Chron.  xxxii. 
25,  26,  31.  Sin  is  no  gainer,  but  a  loser,  by  every  fall  of  the  saints. 
God  does  and  will,  by  the  over-ruling  hand  of  his  grace,  make  the  very 
miscarriages  of  his  people  to  be  glorious  inlets  to  more  eminent  degrees 
of  grace  and  holiness.  God  hath  a  great  revenue  of  glory  from  the  very 
infirmities  of  the  saints ;  and  the  saints  have  a  great  revenue  of  comfort 
from  their  very  miscarriages,  by  the  wise,  powerful,  over-ruling,  and 
sanctifying  hand  of  God.  God  is  that  powerful,  that  skilful  physician, 
that  can  make  an  antidote  and  sovereign  remedy  of  sin,  that  is  the  most 
deadly  poison  in  all  the  world.  God  docs  and  will  make  the  very  sins 
of  his  people  to  further  the  salvation  of  his  people,  according  to  that 
golden  promise,  Rom.  viii.  28.  God  never  suffers  his  people  to  fall  into 
any  sin,  but  out  of  a  design  to  break  the  neck  and  back  of  that  sin  they 
fall  into.  God  suffered  David  to  fall  into  those  two  great  sins  of  mur- 
der and  adultery,  but  by  these  very  falls  he  broke  the  very  back  of 
those  sins,  for  we  never  read  that  ever  he  fell  into  those  sins  the  second 
time.  And  so  God  suffered  Peter  to  deny  him  once,  but  by  tiiat  sore 
fall  God  broke  the  neck  of  that  very  sin  ;  for  we  never  read  that  ever 
he  denied  Christ  any  more  at  the  voice  of  a  damsel ;  yea,  it  is  very  ob- 
servable that  Peter's  courage  and  boldness  for  the  truth  received  a  very 
hi'di  advance  by  those  deep  wounds  that  he  had  formerly  given  thorn, 
when  he  denied  the  Lord  that  bought  him.      After  his  sore  falls,  for 


Chap.  II.J  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  321 

courage  and  boldness  he  carries  the  bell  from  all  the  apostles,  as  you 
may  see  in  Acts  iv.  12.  It  is  the  nature  of  true  grace  to  gather  strength 
by  every  wound.  Grace  gathers  strength  by  contraries,  as  fire  doth 
when  it  is  compassed  about  with  coldness,  by  an  antiperistasis.'  By  all 
a  Christian's  falls,  his  graces  grow  brighter  and  stronger.  At  the  long 
run,  a  Christian  by  all  his  falls  loses  nothing  but  his  dross,  his  chaff,  his 
scum,  his  filth.  Now,  he  that  finds  his  sins  thus  over-ruled  for  the  good 
of  his  soul,  he  is  certainly  a  gracious  soul.  O  sirs  !  remember  this  for 
ever,  viz.,  that  the  oftener  an  hypocrite  or  a  formalist  falls,  the  more 
ground  and  strength  his  sins  get  upon  him,  and  so  will  continue  to  do 
till  all  that  grace  and  goodness  which  he  seemed  to  have  had  be  quite 
extinguished.     But, 

[9.]  Ninthly,  Where  a  hare  iiaked  con/imand  of  God  is  commonly, 
ordinarily  of  that  ^jower,  force,  and  authority  with  the  soul,  as  to 
curb  sin,  and  resti^ain  the  soul  from  sin,  and  to  arm  and  fence  the 
soul  against  the  encroachments  and  commands  of  sin,  tliere  is  certainly 
a  saving  tvork,  a  'powerful  luork  of  God  upon  that  soul.     When  a  man 
can  say  to  heaven  and  hell,  Stand  you  by  for  the  present,  and  to  precious 
promises,  Stand  you  by  for  the  present,  and  to  divine  threatenings, 
Stand  you  by  for  the  present,  here  is  a  command  of  God  that  forbids 
such  and  such  actions,  and  therefore  I  cannot,  I  dare  not  do  this  or  that 
wickedness,  and  sin  against  the  Lord  ;  there  is  certainly  a  principle  of 
.grace  in  that  man's  heart,  Gen.  xxxix.  9.     That  is  a  great  word  of  David, 
Ps.  cxix.  161,  '  My  heart  standeth  in  awe  of  thy  word.'     When  a  naked 
command  from  God  does  so  overawe  the  heart,  as  that  it  dares  not  sin 
against  God,  then  doubtless  the  heart  is  sincere  Avith  God.     A  child 
does  not  stand  in  more  awe  of  the  rod,  nor  a  servant  of  a  beating,  nor 
a  favourite  of  his  prince's  frowns,  than  a  real  Christian,  when  he  is  him- 
self, stands  in  awe  of  the  word.     So  Ps.  cxix.  11,  '  Thy  word  have  I  hid 
within  my  heart,  that  I  might  not  sin  against  thee.'     When  a  man 
hides  the  word  in  his  heart  as  a  treasure,  that  he  may  not  lose  it,  and 
as  a  rale  that  he  may  not  transgress  it,  then  his  heart  is  indeed  right 
with  God.     When  the  law  of  God  in  a  man's  heart  arras  him  against 
the  lusts  of  his  heart  and  life,  then  doubtless  his  heart  is  sound  with 
God.     So  Ps.  xvii.  4,  '  By  the  words  of  thy  lips  I  have  kept  me  from 
the  paths  of  the  destroyer  ;'  or  as  some  read  the  words,  '  according  to 
the  command  and  charge  of  thy  words,  I  have  kept  me  from  the  sinful 
ways,  manners,  behaviours,  &c.,  of  the  destroyer,  or  the  cruel  man.' 
Christ  commanded  his  apostles  to  make  him  known  to  the  world,  and 
to  preach  the  everlasting  gospel,  and  to  make  known  those  mysteries 
and  riches  of  grace  that  were  hid  in  former  ages.  Mat.  xxviii.   18-20  ; 
Acts  X.  36,  seq.    The  Jewish  authority  threatens  them,  and  commandsthern 
not  to  speak  at  all,  nor  teach  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  Acts  iv.  17,  18  ;  but 
the  command  of  Christ  carries   it  with  the  apostles  against  all  their 
threatenings  and  commands  :  verses  19,  20,  '  But  Peter  and  John  an- 
swered and  said  unto  thein.  Whether  it  be  right  in  the  sight  of  God,  to 
hearken  unto  you  more  than  unto  God,  judge  ye.     For  we  cannot  but 
speak  the  things  which  we  have  heard  and  seen.'     When  the  commands 
of  authority  run  counter-cross  to  the  commands  of  God,  the  commands 

'  a.vrfjnpi(Tra.ffi;,  opposition  or  couuteractiou. — Aristotle,  Aunal.,  Post.  2,  15, 1,  Probl,  '6'6, 
5,  1.— G. 

VOL.  IIL  X 


322  A  CABINET  OF  JEWKLS.  [ChAP.  II. 

of  God  must  be  obeyed,  though  the  greatest  authority  under  heaven 
sliould  be  displeased  and  enraged.  God  never  gave  the  greatest 
authority  in  the  world  any  authority  to  act  contrary  to  his  commands. 
Disobedience  to  unlawful  commands  is  no  disobedience.  Woe  to  him 
that  obeys  the  commands  of  men  in  opposition  to  tlie  commands  of  God 
1  Cor.  ix.  10,  '  For  though  I  preach  the  gospel,  I  have  nothing  to  glory 
of:  for  necessity  is  laid  upon  me ;  yea,  woe  is  unto  me,  if  I  preach  not 
the  gospel !'  Now  it  is  infinitely  better  to  fall  under  tlie  displeasure  of 
men,  than  to  fall  under  the  woes  of  God.  The  Jews,  under  a  pretence 
of  their  authority,  command  the  apostles  not  to  preach  Jesus  to  the 
people  ;  but  the  commands  of  Christ  carry  it  with  the  apostles  against 
all  tlioir  contrary  commands.  The  apostles,  wlio  were  like  to  bottles  of 
new  wine,  that  must  either  vent  or  burst,  knew  very  well  that  it  was 
not  obedience  to  men's  commands  that  could  excuse  their  disobedience 
to  God's  commands.  So  in  that  third  of  Daniel,  the  commands  of 
the  great  God  carried  it  with  the  three  children  against  all  the  dread- 
ful thrcatenings,  proud  boastings,  and  idolatrous  commands  of  king 
Nebuchadnezzar.  Certainly  the  commands  of  sin  are  of  all  commands 
the  vilest  commands  ;  they  are  all  illegal  ;  sin  hath  no  ground,  no 
reason  to  command  our  souls.  Sin  is  but  a  usurper,  a  traitor,  and 
therefore  has  no  authority  over  us.  All  sin's  commands  are  purely  sin- 
ful ;  they  are  plain  and  notorious  rebellions  against  the  laws  of  Christ, 
the  life  of  Christ,  and  against  the  crown,  honour,  and  dignity  of  Jesus. 
All  sin's  commands  are  grievous,  burdensome,  and  painful  commands  ; 
of  all  yokes,  none  so  heavy  as  that  which  sin  lays  upon  the  sinner  ;  hence 
sin  is  compared  to  a  talent  of  lead,  Zech.  v.  7,  to  shew  the  weightiness 
and  burdensomeness  of  it  ;  and  hence  it  is  that  sinners  are  said  to  weary 
themselves  in  committing  iniquity,  Jer.  ix.  5  ;  and  hence  it  is  that 
wicked  men  are  said  to  travail  with  iniquity,  Ps.  vii.  14,  to  shew  w^hat 
anxious  pain  and  trovible  they  have  in  bringing  about  their  wickedness  : 
'  Behold  he  travaileth  with  iniquity  ;'  or  as  the  Hebrew  hath  it,  he  shall 
travail,  or  he  continually  travaileth,  he  takes  as  great  pains  to  go  to  hell 
as  a  travailing  woman  doth  to  be  delivered.  Wicked  men  are  as  labori- 
ous, and  as  restless  and  unquiet  in  the  practice  of  wickedness,  as  a 
woman  in  labour  is  when  the  pangs  of  travail  are  upon  her,  Prov.  iv. 
14-1 6.  Sugared  poisons  go  down  pleasantly ;  oh  but  when  they  are  down 
they  gall,  and  gnaw,  and  gripe  the  very  heart-strings  asunder  ;  it  is  so 
with  sin.  Lastly,  the  commands  of  sin  are  extremely  unreasonable. 
What  an  unreasonable  thing  it  is  to  command  a  man  to  run  into  tlie  fire, 
or  to  drown  himself  in  the  water,  or  to  strangle  himself,  &c.  Now  all 
the  commands  of  sin  tend  directly  and  intentionally  to  the  burning, 
drowning,  stranghng,  and  destroying  of  the  sinner.  All  sin's  commands 
tend  to  the  dishonour  cf  God,  the  breach  of  his  righteous  laws,  and  the 
damnation  of  the  precious  and  immortal  soul.  Now  where  the  com- 
mands of  God  do  commonly  carry  it,  against  all  the  commands  of  sin, 
there  the  soul  is  ccitainly  sincere  with  God.  That  we  owe  perfect 
obedience  to  God's  will,  to  God's  commands,  is  evident  enough  several  ways, 
and  in  particular  from  the  universal  obedience  of  all  creatures  ;  I  mean 
those  which  arc  without  reason,  sense,  or  life,  for  they  inviolably  ob- 
serve his  commands:  Isa.  xlviii.  13,  '  Mine  hand  hath  laid  the  founda- 
tions of  the  earth,  and  my  right  hand  hath  spanned  the  heavens  :  when 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  323 

I  call  to  them,  they  stand  up  together,'  as  prepared  to  execute  his  com- 
mands. The  insensible  parts  of  the  world  are  so  compliant  with  his 
will,  as  to  contradict  their  proper  natures  to  serve  his  glory.  Fire 
descends  from  heaven  at  his  command,  Gen.  xix.  24  ;  2  Kings  i.  10-12. 
And  the  fluid  sea  stands  up  at  his  command,  Exod.  xiv.  22.  Now  what 
a  sad  thing  is  it  that  Christians  should  at  any  time  prove  disloyal  and 
rebellious,  when  all  inferior  creatures  do  with  one  consent  serve  and 
glorify  the  great  God  !     But,  &c. 

[10.]  Tenthly,  Constant  desires,  and  earnest  and  constant  endea- 
vours to  avoid  and  shun  all  known  appearances  of  sin,  evidences  the 
truth  and  reality  of  grace  in  the  soul}  Certainly  that  man  is  a  true 
Nathanael,  that  makes  it  his  business,  his  work,  to  abstain  from  all 
appearances  of  evil.  An  hypocrite  loves  the  appearance  of  good  more 
than  goodness  itself,  and  a  sincere  Christian  hates  the  very  appearance 
of  evil,  as  well  as  the  evil  itself  He  who  hates  a  person  loathes  his  very 
picture.  A  wicked  man  may  abstain  from  broad-faced  evils,  but  com- 
monly he  is  very  bold  and  venturous  upon  appearing  evils.  Oh  what 
vain  apologies  do  many  make  in  these  days  for  long  hair,  gaudy  apparel, 
antique  fashions,  spotted  faces,  naked  breasts,  wanton  behaviours,  effe- 
minated alliances,  and  a  thousand  other  suspicious  practices  and  vanities  ! 
But  now  a  man  that  is  truly  gracious,  he  makes  conscience,  not  only  of 
shunning  real,  gross,  known  evils,  but  also  of  shunning  the  very  likeness 
of  evil.  His  heart  does  not  only  rise  against  real  sins,  but  he  is  very 
shy  of  that  which  looks  like  sin.  When  Joseph's  mistress  took  hold  of 
him  and  said,  '  Lie  with  me,  he  left  his  garment  in  her  hand  and  fled, 
and  gat  him  out/  Gen.  xxxix.  12.  Joseph  would  not  be  found  in  the 
company  of  his  impudent,  brazen-faced  mistress,  that  could  so  barely 
and  basely,  so  boldly  and  frequently,  solicit  him  to  defile  his  master's 
bed,  and  to  damn  two  souls  at  once,  her  own  and  his,  that  so  he  might 
avoid  the  very  appearance  of  evil,  the  very  suspicion  of  sin.  By 
wanton  touches  and  dalliance,  mental  adultery  is  often  committed  ; 
and  therefore  Joseph  flies,  as  being  unwilling  to  touch  her,  or  to  be 
touched  by  her.  And  so  Paul  refused  the  using  his  liberty  in  taking 
a  lawful  maintenance  for  his  labours,  lest  a  sinister  interpretation  of 
covetous  and  mercenary  affection  should  have  been  put  upon  it  by  his 
adversaries,  1  Cor.  ix.  11-15.  And  so  the  same  apostle  would  needs 
have  Titus  and  two  others  chosen  by  the  church,  to  join  Avith  him  in 
carrying  the  benevolence  of  the  church  of  Macedonia  to  Jerusalem, 
because  he  was  very  careful  to  avoid  all  suspicion  of  dealing  ill  in  that 
business.  2  Cor.  viii.  20,  21,  '  Avoiding  this,  that  no  man  should  blame 
us,  in  this  abundance  that  is  ministered  by  us ;  providing  for  honest 
things,  not  only  before  the  Lord,  but  also  before  men.'  So  Daniel  would 
not  defile  himself  with  the  portion  of  the  king's  meat,  Dan.  i.  3,  that  is, 
say  some,  he  would  not  defile  his  conscience  by  eating  such  unclean 
meats  as  were  forbidden  under  the  law,  for  the  Babylonians  did  eat  of 
divers  meats,  as  of  swine,  hares,  &c.,  and  of  sundry  sorts  of  fishes  and 
fowls,  which  were  forbidden  by  God  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  Levit. 
xi.,  Deut.  xiv. ;  nor  with  the  wine  which  he  drank  ;  but  in  the  Hebrew 
the  plural  number  is  used,  of  his  drinks,  whence  some  gather  that  the 

1  Where  do  you  read  in  all  the  Scriptures,  of  any  one  hypocrite  that  ever  made  cou- 
science  of  shunning  and  avoiding  the  appearances  ot  sin  ? 


324?  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

king  drank  divers  sorts  of  wines,  which  were  also  set  before  Daniel  and 
las  companions  ;  therefore  he  requested  of  the  prince  of  the  eunuchs 
that  he  might  not  defile  himself.  Daniel's  living  at  a  full  table,  and 
his  feeding  upon  kingly  dainties,  might  have  been,  not  only  a  means  to 
ensnare  him,  and  drown  him  in  the  sensualities  of  the  court,  but  it 
would  have  carried  with  it  also  too  great  a  show  of  Daniel's  conformity 
to  the  court's  manners  and  customs,  and  have  been  too  great  an  appear- 
ance of  Daniel's  forgetfuluess  of  the  sore  and  miserable  calamities  and 
matchless  miseries  of  the  captive  church,  who  sat  sighing  and  groaning 
and  mourning  in  her  cruel  bondage,  and  had  none  to  comfort  her,  or 
spciik  peace  unto  her ;  and  therefore  Daniel  purposed  in  his  heart,  or 
set  it  upon  his  heart,  or  laid  it  upon  his  heart,  as  the  Hebrew  may  be 
read,  that  he  would  not  defile  himself  with  the  portion  of  the  king's 
meat,  &c.,  that  so  he  might  avoid  all  shows  or  suspicions  of  evil.  It  is 
very  observable,  that  in  the  law  of  the  Nazarite,  who  did  for  a  time 
special  consecrate  himself  to  God,  that  besides  his  not  coming  to  the 
dead,  and  sutfering  his  hair  to  grow,  it  was  ordained  of  God  that  he 
should  abstain  from  these  six  things  :  (1.)  From  wine  and  strong  drink  ; 
(2.)  from  the  vinegar  of  wine  or  strong  drink  ;  (3.)  from  any  liquor  of 
grapes,  though  it  were  but  the  water  wherein  they  were  steeped;  (4.)  from 
the  green  or  moist  grape  ;  (5.)  from  the  dried  grape  or  raisin  ;  (6.)  from 
the  husk  or  kernel  of  them.  Num.  vi.  3,  4.  Had  the  Nazarite  eaten 
but  the  skin  of  the  grape  or  raisin,  he  had  broken  the  law.  Now  hereby 
the  Lord  would  teach  us,  that  those  that  separate  themselves  from  the 
world,  to  be  in  a  special  manner  serviceable  to  the  Lord,  they  must 
avoid  not  only  that  which  is  plain  sin,  downright  sin,  or  such  sins  that 
men  may  run  and  read,  but  also  that  they  must  shun  and  be  shy  of  the 
very  appearances  of  sin.  It  was  good  counsel  that  Livia  gave  her  hus- 
band Augustus,  '  It  behoveth  thee,'  saith  she,  '  not  only  not  to  do  wrong, 
but  not  to  seem  to  do  so,'  &c.^  We  must  shun  and  be  shy  of  the  very 
show  and  shadow  of  sin,  if  either  we  tender  our  credit  abroad,  or  our 
comfort  at  home.  Walking  in  the  power  of  holiness  lies  much  in 
shunning  the  very  appearance  of  sin.  The  primitive  Christians  would 
not  endure  that  any  Christian  should  look  towards  Jerusalem  praying, 
because  they  would  avoid  the  least  show  of  Judaism.  And  indeed 
there  are  great  reasons  why  every  Christian  should  avoid  whatever  may 
have  the  suspicion  of  sin ;  and  this  will  be  evident,  if  you  please  but 
seriously  to  consider  of  these  eight  following  particulars  : 

(1.)  First,  Consider  tJiose  clear  and  ■plaiti  commands  of  God  which 
makes  tJtis  duty  to  be  a  duty,  as  that  1  Thes.  v.  22,  '  Abstain  from  all 
appearance  of  evil.'  God  requires  us  not  only  to  abstain  from  all  appa- 
rent sins,  but  also  from  all  appearance  of  sin.  We  must  do  nothing  wliich 
hath  a  show  or  shadow  of  sm.  It  is  duty  to  abstain  from  whatever  is 
of  an  ill  show,  or  an  ill  report.  And  so  God  conunands  us  to  hate  the 
garment  spotted  with  the  flesh,  Jude  23.  Saints  must  abhor  everything 
that  carries  with  it  but  a  favour  or  suspicion  of  uncleanness.  The  apostle 
alludes  to  legal  uncleanness,  which  was  contracted  by  touching  the 
liouses,  the  vessels,  or  the   garments  of  unclean  persons,  Levit.  xv.' 

•  Dio.  [Laertius]  in  vita. 

-  Hence  that  saying  of  the  Jews,  Eemove  thyself  from  filthiuess,  anil  from  all  that  which 
Jiuth  a  show  of  it.     Soe  Druaius  prasturit.  in  1  Thes.  v.  22. 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  325 

Christians  must  not  only  hate  uncleanness,  but  they  must  hate  every- 
thing that  looks  like  it,  or  that  has  the  least  communion  with  it.  So  in 
that  Deut.  xii.  80,  '  Take  heed  to  thyself  that  thou  be  not  snared,  by 
following  of  them,  after  that  they  be  destroyed  from  before  thee,  and  that 
thou  inquire  not  after  their  gods,  saying,  How  did  these  nations  serve 
their  gods  ?  eveu  so  will  I  do  likewise.'  God  does  not  only  command 
his  people  to  abstain  from  gross  idolatry,  but  he  also  commands  them  to 
take  heed  of  all  those  ways  and  means  and  inquiries  that  might  tend 
to  draw  them  to  idolatry,  or  that  might  carry  with  them  the  least  show 
or  appearance  of  idolatry.  It  is  observable  in  the  law,  that  God  com- 
manded his  people  not  only  that  they  should  worship  no  idol,  but  that 
they  should  demolish  all  the  monuments  of  them,  and  that  they  should 
make  no  covenant,  nor  have  any  affinity  with  those  who  worshipped 
them  ;  and  all  to  avoid  the  very  shows  of  idolatry,  and  to  prevent  his 
people  from  being  drawn  by  those  means  to  commit  idolatry  with  them. 
And  so  Exod.  xxiii.  7,  '  Keep  thee  far  from  a  false  matter.'  Every  good 
man  must  stand  aloof  off,  he  must  keep  at  a  distance,  both  from  the 
occasions  of  sin,  and  from  the  appearances  of  sin.  So  Prov.  v.  8, 
'  Remove  thy  way  far  from  her,  and  come  not  nigh  the  door  of  her 
house.'  He  that  is  farthest  from  fire,  is  safest  from  burning,  and  he 
that  is  most  remote  from  the  water,  is  in  least  danger  of  drowning.  It 
is  no  small  wickedness  to  approach  near  the  door  of  wickedness  ;  he  who 
-  approaches  near  the  door  of  a  whore's  house,  is  already  in  the  door  of 
whoredom,  Prov.  xxii.  M,  xxiii.  27.  It  argues  too  much  mind  to  be  in 
the  house,  for  any  one  knowingly,  willingly,  to  come  near  the  door  of  it. 
Oh  how  should  a  man  dread  the  coming  into  that  house,  where  he  must 
needs  either  perish  or  else  overcome  !  Certainly  it  is  infinite  better 
not  to  be  in  danger  of  perishing,  than  being  in  danger  not  to  perish. 
So  Hosea  iv.  15, '  Though  thou  Israel  play  the  harlot,  yet  let  not  Judah 
offend,  and  come  not  ye  unto  Gilgal,  neither  go  ye  up  to  Bethaven,  nor 
swear,  the  Lord  liveth.'  Gilgal  was  once  the  key  of  Canaan,  situate 
between  Jordan  and  Jericho,  famous  for  sundry  services  there  performed 
to  God,  as  might  be  easily  shewed  by  many  instances  ;  but  now  Gilgal 
was  basely  abused  to  idol  worship  ;  and  hence  it  is  that  God  charges 
them  not  to  come  near  it,  that  so  they  might  avoid  both  the  show  and 
danger  of  idolatry  ;  and  it  is  upon  the  same  account  that  God  charges 
them  not  to  go  up  to  Bethaven.  By  these  scriptures  it  is  evident  that 
God  would  have  his  people  to  abstain  from  all  shows  and  appearances 
of  sin.     But,  &c. 

(2.)  Secondly,  The  JioUness  of  God,  and  the  honour  of  God,  cadis 
aloud  upon  all  Christians  to  avoid  the  suspicion  of  sin.  God  is  so 
essentially  holy,  so  unmixedly  holy,  so  universally  holy,  so  eminently, 
so  transcendently  holy,  so  superlatively  holy,  so  originally,  radically, 
and  fundamentally  holy  ;  he  is  so  independently  holy,  so  unchangeably, 
so  constantly,  and  so  exemplarily  holy,  that  he  cannot  but  hate  and 
abhor  the  very  appearance  of  evil.  Look,  as  apparent  sins  stir  up  the 
judicial  anger  of  God  against  sinners,  so  the  appearance  of  sin  stirs  up 
the  fatherly  anger  of  God  against  saints.  A  gracious  heart  knows 
that  '  God  is  of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold  iniquity,'  Hab.  i.  13,  and 
therefore  he  keeps  at  a  distance  from  the  appearance  of  iniquity.  Of 
all  men  in  the  world,  none  honour  God  at  so  high  a  rate  as  those  that 


320  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

keep  most  aloof  off  from  the  appearance  of  evil.  Many,  by  their  ap 
parent  evils,  have  lived  God,  and  Christ,  and  the  gospel,  and  their  pro 
fession,  and  precious  ordinances,  into  disgrace,  scorn,  and  contempt ; 
and  oh  that  we  woidd  all  make  it  our  great  business,  by  abstaining 
from  all  appearance  of  evil,  to  live  God,  and  Christ,  and  the  gospel,  and 
our  profession,  and  precious  ordinances,  into  a  greater  credit,  praise, 
and  honour  than  ever  !  He  keeps  farthest  off  from  dishonouring  God 
that  keeps  farthest  off  from  the  appearance  of  sin.     But,  &c., 

(3.)  'Jliirdly,  This  is  the  way  of  ways  for  a  man  to  keep  himself 
clear  from  other  Tnen's  sins.  That  man  that  abstains  from  the  ap- 
pearance of  sin  is  very  rarely  guilty  of  other  men's  sins.  Men  many 
times,  by  venturing  upon  the  appearances  of  sin,  come  to  wrap  them- 
selves up  in  the  guilt  of  other  men's  sins.  Effeminate  dalliance  is  an 
appearance  of  evil  ;  and  had  Joseph  been  toying,  and  playing,  and 
sporting  with  his  mistress  in  a  wanton  manner,  how  soon  might  he 
have  wrapt  himself  up  in  the  guilt  of  his  mistress's  burning  lusts  !  He 
that  would  not  tempt  nor  entice  others  to  sin,  must  keep  off  from  the 
very  appearance  of  sin.  Certainly  there  is  not  the  holiest  man  in  the 
world  but  has  sins  enough  of  his  own  to  sad  him,  though  not  to  sink 
him  ;  to  humble  him,  though  not  to  damn  iiim  ;  to  abase  him,  though 
not  to  deject  him  ;  and  therefore  how  much  does  it  concern  the  best 
men  in  the  world  to  abstain  from  the  very  appearance  of  sin,  that  so 
they  may  not  bring  upon  themselves  the  guilt  and  burden  of  other 
men's  sins.  It  is  very  well  observed  by  some,  that  a  more  grievous 
punishment  is  reserved  for  them  which  cause  others  to  sin  than  for 
them  which  sin  by  their  occasion  ;  thus  the  serpent  was  punished  more 
than  Eve,  and  Eve  more  than  Adam.  And  so  Jezebel,  who  tempted 
and  provoked  Ahab  to  sin,  was  punished  with  a  far  greater  and  sorer 
punishment  or  judgment  than  Ahab  himself  was.'  To  sin,  saith  one, 
hath  not  so  much  perdition  in  it  as  to  make  others  to  sin  ;  and  there- 
fore, as  you  would  never  draw  others  to  sin,  keep  off  from  all  appear- 
ance of  sin.  Oh  that  all  superiors,  inferiors,  and  equals,  would  lay  this 
counsel  to  heart  !     But, 

(4.)  Fourthly,  The  keeping  off  from  all  appearances  of  evil  is  the 
best  and  noblest  way  under  heaven  to  keep  a  good  name  and  to  keep 
a  good  conscience.  Now,  a  good  name  and  a  good  conscience  are 
jewels  more  worth  than  all  the  sceptres  and  mitres  in  the  world,  and 
tliere  is  no  wisdom  in  the  world  to  that  which  leads  a  man  by  the 
hand  to  secure  his  name  and  his  conscience  :  Prov.  xxii.  1,  *  A  good 
name  is  rather  to  be  chosen  than  great  riches,  and  loving-favour  rather 
than  silver  and  gold.'  So  Eccles.  vii.  1,  'A  good  name  is  better  than 
precious  ointment ;'  the  one  being  but  a  perfume  of  the  nostrils,  the 
other  a  perfume  of  the  heart.  It  is  observable,  the  princely  preacher 
does  not  say,  '  a  great  name  is  better  than  precious  omtments,'  but  '  a 
good  name  is  better  than  precious  ointments.'  Ointments  are  here 
named,  because  in  tliose  eastern  parts  they  were  laid  up  in  the  king's 
treasury,  even  among  his  most  precious  things  :  Isa.  xxxix.  2,  '  And 
Hezekiah  was  glad  of  them,  and  shewed  him  the  house  of  his  precious 
things,  the  silver,  and  the  gold,  and  the  spices,  and  the  precious  oint- 

'  2  Kings  ix.  30,  aeq.,  compared  with  1  Kings  xxii.  34-39. 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  327 

ments/  &c.  Precious  aromatical  ointments  were  things  greatly  in  use 
and  esteem  amongst  the  Israelites,  and  a  special  part  of  their  treasures, 
as  is  evident  by  the  Scriptures  in  the  margin.^  And  yet  a  good  name, 
which  hath  its  foundation  in  virtue,  and  in  a  holy,  innocent,  blameless, 
harmless,  and  exemplary  Kfe,  is  better  than  those  most  precious  oint- 
ments. And  it  is  observable  that  the  initial  letter  of  the  Hebrew 
word  ^1t2,  Toh,  that  is  here  rendered  good,  is  bigger  than  ordinary,  to 
shew  the  more  than  ordinary  excellency  of  a  good  name  and  fame 
amongst  men.  It  was  good  counsel  the  moralist  gave  when  he  said. 
Whatsoever  commodity  you  lose,  be  sure  yet  to  preserve  that  jewel  of 
a  good  name.  A  good  renown  is  better  than  a  golden  girdle,  say  some. 
And  a  man's  eye  and  his  good  name  can  bear  no  jests,  say  others. 
And  if  I  may  but  keep  a  good  name,  I  have  wealth  enough,  said  the 
naturalist.  O  friends  !  as  ever  you  would  keep  a  good  name,  keep  off 
from  the  very  appearance  of  evil  ;  for  the  very  appearance  of  evil  will 
both  echpse  and  wound  a  man's  name  and  his  conscience  at  once. 
Certainly  a  man  were  better  not  to  live,  than  to  outlive  his  good  name. 
A  man's  good  name  is  like  a  piece  of  white  paper,  which,  if  once 
blotted,  will  very  hardly  be  got  out  again,  so  as  to  leave  no  print  of  it 
behind.  It  is  like  a  fair  structure,  long  time  a-rearing,  but  quickly 
ruined  ;  or  like  a  merchant's  estate,  long  a-getting,  bat  lost  in  a  moment. 
And  therefore  how  much  does  it  concern  every  Christian  to  keep  his 
name  as  he  would  keep  his  life  !  and  this  he  can  never  do,  except  he 
keeps  off  from  the  appearance  of  evil.  It  is  his  name  only  that  shall 
be  kept  green  and  flourishing,  like  the  rod  of  Aaron,  that  was  laid  up 
in  the  tabernacle,  who  keeps  off  from  the  appearance  of  evil.  He  takes 
the  best  and  the  wisest  course  under  heaven  to  preserve  his  good  name 
in  the  world,  and  to  maintain  the  peace  of  his  conscience,  who  is  most 
studious  and  industrious  to  abstain  from  all  appearances  of  evil.  But, 
&c. 

(5.)  Fifthly,  The  appearance  of  evil  may  very  much  offend,  scan- 
dalise, stumble,  and  tempt  vjeak  Christians  ;  and  therefore  it  highly 
concerns  us  to  keep  off'  from  the  very  appearance  of  evil.  The  more 
grace  any  man  hath  in  his  own  heart,  the  more  fearful  he  will  be  of 
stumbling  or  offending  those  that  have  less.  Venturing  upon  the 
appearance  of  evil  may  not  only  defile  my  own  conscience,  but  also 
wound  my  weak  brother's  conscience  ;  and  tlierefore  it  concerns  me  to 
be  very  shy  of  the  appearance  of  evil.  If  in  things  of  an  indifferent 
nature  I  must  deny  my  own  liberty,  as  I  must,  rather  than  grieve,  or 
offend,  or  wound  the  conscience  of  a  weak  brother  for  whom  Christ 
hath  died,  1  Cor.  viii.  11-13,  x.  25,  28,  oh  how  much  more,  then,  must 
I  shun  the  very  resemblance  of  sin,  considering  how  wonderful  apt  weak 
Christians  are  to  be  offended  and  stumbled  when  they  see  others  so 
bold  as  to  venture  upon  the  appearance  of  evil  !  Alexander's  Mace- 
donians having  offended  him,  laid  by  their  arms,  put  on  mourning 
apparel,  and  came  running  in  troops  to  his  tent,  where,  for  almost  three 
days  together,  they  remained  with  loud  cries  and  tears,  to  testify  their 
remorse  for  offending  him  ;  and  shall  we  make  nothing  of  offending 

'  Exod.  XXX.  22,  23  ;  xxviii.  41  ;  1  Sam.  xvi.  13 ;  Ps.  Ixxxix.  20  ;  Heb.  i.  9 ;  Isa.  Ixi. 
3;  Amos  vi.  6;  Esther  ii.  12;  Ps.  xxiii.  5;  Luke  vii.  4tt  ;  Ps.  xcii.  10;  Deut.  xxsiii. 
24  ;  Prov.  xxi.  20. 


328  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  IT. 

those  weak  Christians  that  are  tlie  price  of  Christ's  blood,  and  the 
travail  of  his  soul  ?     The  Lord  forbid  ! 

Besides,  our  venturing  upon  the  appearance  of  evil  may  prove  a 
great  temptation  to  weak  Christians,  not  only  to  venture  upon  seeming 
evils,  but  also  to  venture  upon  real  evils.  Doubtless  many  weak  Chris- 
tians have  been  drawn  to  apparent  evils  by  observing  others  to  venture 
npon  the  appearance  of  evil.  It  is  commonly  seen,  that  when  strong 
Ciiristians  will  adventure  upon  appearing  evils,  weak  Christians  will  be 
emboldened  thereby  to  commit  real  evils  :  1  Cor.  viii,  8-10,  'But  meat 
commendeth  us  not  to  God  :  for  neither,  if  we  eat,  are  we  the  better ; 
neither,  if  we  eat  not,  are  we  the  worse.  But  take  heed,  lest  by  any 
means  this  liberty  of  yours  become  a  stumbling-block  to  them  that  are 
weak.  For  if  any  man  see  thee  which  hast  knowledge  sit  at  meat  in 
the  idol's  temple,  sliall  not  the  conscience  of  him  which  is  weak  be 
emboldened  to  eat  those  things  which  are  offered  to  idols  ?'  When  the 
weak  shall  see  men  of  knowledge  communicating  with  idolaters  in  then- 
feasts,  their  consciences  will  be  emboldened  and  confirmed  in  their  old 
superstition  about  those  idols  which  they  were  beginning  to  leave,  re- 
turning now  afresh  to  a  more  reverent  esteem  and  service  of  them  than 
ever,  &c.  O  friends  !  as  j^ou  would  not  offend  the  weak,  as  you  would 
not  tempt  the  weak,  keep  off  from  all  shows  and  appearances  of  evil, 
&c.     But, 

[6.]  Sixthly,  Christians  venturing  upon  appearing  evils,  %vill  ex- 
ceedingly harden  and  encoiLvage  wicked  men  to  commit  real  evils. 
It  is  very  natural  and  customary  with  wicked  men  to  make  use  of  the 
appearing  infirmities  of  the  saints,  as  excuses  and  apologies  to  bear  them 
out  in  tlieir  greatest  enormities  and  wickednesses.  Why,  did  not  such 
and  such  knowing  eminent  Christians  do  thus  and  thus  ?  and  we  have 
gone  but  one  step  beyond  them,  and  is  that  so  great  and  heinous  a 
crime  ?  they  have  been  playing  and  sporting  themselves  about  tiie  pit, 
and  we  are  but  slipped  or  stepped  into  the  pit.  They  have  been  sitting 
and  bibbing  with  such  and  such  company,  and  we  have  but  taken  two  or 
three  merry  cups  more  than  ordinary  in  the  same  company,  and  is  that 
so  great  a  sin  ?  &c.  0  sirs  !  as  we  should  walk  wisely  towards  those  that 
are  without,  so  we  should  walk  compassionately  towards  those  that  are 
without,  1  Thes.  iv.  12.  'Of  some  have  compassion,  making  a  differ- 
ence,' Jude  22.  Did  not  Jeremiah  wish  that  his  head  were  waters,  and 
his  eyes  a  fountain  of  tears,  that  he  might  weep  day  and  night  for  the 
slain  of  the  daughter  of  his  people  ?  Jer.  ix.  1.  Did  not  Samuel  mourn 
for  Saul  ?  Did  not  Christ  weep  over  Jerusalem  1  Did  not  the  com- 
passionate Samaritan  bind  up  his  wounds,  pouring  in  oil  and  wine,  who 
fell  among  thieves  in  his  going  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho  ?  Did  not 
Paul  weep  over  those  that  were  enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ  ?  Yea, 
shall  we  shew  pity  and  compassion  to  an  ox  or  an  ass  that  is  fallen  into 
a  ditch  ?  Nay,  shall  David  rather  venture  upon  a  lion  than  lose  a  lamb  ? 
Shall  Jacob  rather  endure  heat  by  day,  and  cold  by  night,  than  neglect 
his  flock  ?  Shall  Moses  fight  with  odds,  rather  than  the  cattle  shall 
perish  with  thirst  V  Nay,  shall  Xenocrates,  a  heathen,  shew  compas- 
sion to  a  poor  sparrow,  that  being  scared  and  pursued  by  a  hawk,  flew 

'  1  Sam.  XV.  2r) ;  Luko  xix.  10 ;  x.  30-35  ;  Philip,  iii.  20  ;  Lev.  xix.  17  ;  1  Sam.  xvii. 
34  ;  Gen.  .xxxi.  40, 


I 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  329 

into  his  bosom  for  succour  ?  &c.  And  shall  not  we  have  that  compas- 
sion on  poor  sinners'  precious  and  immortal  souls,  as  to  abstain  from 
the  appearance  of  sin,  which  may  more  ways  than  one  prove  so  exceed- 
ing prejudicial  to  them  ?  &c. 

Wicked  men  are  wonderful  prone  to  watch  for  the  saints'  baitings, 
Jer.  XX.  10.  Christians  are  lights  upon  a  high  hill ;  yea,  they  are  stars 
in  the  firmament  of  the  church,  and  therefore  every  man's  eye  is  upon 
them,  and  if  wicked  men  can  but  discern  the  least  indecency,  the  least 
appearance  of  any  eccentric  or  irregular  motion,  oh  how  readily  will  they 
let  fly  against  God  and  the  gospel,  against  religion,  and  against  all  that 
have  a  profession  of  religion  upon  them  !  Now  the  honour  of  God,  and 
the  credit  of  the  gospel,  should  be  so  dear  and  precious  in  the  eyes  of 
every  Christian,  that  he  should  rather  choose  to  die  than  to  venture  upon 
the  least  apparition  of  sin,  whereby  the  honour  of  God  may  be  clouded, 
or  the  credit  of  the  gospel  impeached  or  eclipsed,  or  the  soul  of  a  poor 
sinner  endangered  or  worsted.  Both  the  least  sin,  and  the  least  appear- 
ance of  sin,  must  be  avoided  and  prevented ;  the  cockatrice  must  be 
crushed  in  the  egg,  else  it  will  soon  become  a  serpent ;  the  very  thought 
of  sin,  if  not  thought  on,  will  break  out  into  action,  action  into  custom, 
custom  into  habit,  and  then  both  body  and  soul  are  in  the  ready  way  of 
being  irrecoverably  lost.  Camerarius  tells  us  a  sad  story  of  two  brothers, 
who,  walking  out  in  the  evening  and  seeing  the  element  full  of  bright 
spangling  stars,  one  of  them  being  a  grazier,  wished  that  he  had  as  many 
oxen  as  there  were  stars  in  the  firmament;  then  said  the  other  brother. 
If  I  had  a  pasture  as  big  as  all  the  world,  where  would  you  keep  the 
oxen  ?  He  answered.  In  your  pasture.  What,  said  the  other,  whether  I 
would  or  no  ?  Yes,  said  his  brother.  The  matter  was  very  light ;  it  was 
but  a  little  evil,  or  an  appearing  evil,  but  it  fell  out  very  heavily  ;  for 
presently  they  fell  to  words,  and  then  drew  one  upon  another,  and  in 
the  close  killed  one  another.  O  friends  !  as  you  love  the  lives  of  sinners, 
and  as  you  love  the  souls  of  sinners,  keep  off  from  all  appearance  of 
evil.     But, 

[7.]  Seventhly,  Other  precious  saints  have  abstained  from  all  ap- 
pearances of  evil ;  witness  Joseph,  Paul,  Daniel,  &c.,  but  lately  cited. 
And  to  these  let  me  add  that  great  instance  of  Augustine,  who  retracted 
even  ironies  because  they  had  the  appearance  of  evil.  And  so  the  pri- 
mitive Christians  would  not  set  up  lights  and  bays  at  their  doors, 
though  for  this  they  were  persecuted  as  enemies  to  the  emperor,  because 
the  temple  and  the  doors  of  idolaters  were  wont  to  be  thus  garnished.' 
And  so  David  refused  to  take  the  threshing-floor,  and  threshing  instru- 
ments, and  oxen,  &c.,  of  Araunah  as  a  gift,  but  would  needs  buy  them 
at  a  price,  and  this  he  did,  partly  out  of  a  divine  nobleness,  and  partly 
to  avoid  the  very  show  of  covetousness,  2  Sam.  xxiv.  21-24.  Now  why 
has  God  left  all  these  famous  precedents  upon  record,  but  on  purpose 
to  encourage  his  saints  in  all  ages  to  abstain  from  all  appearing  evils, 
as  well  as  from  all  apparent  evils.  Certainly  God  looks  that  we  should 
so  eye  the  best,  the  highest,  the  worthiest,  and  the  exactest  examples, 
as  that  we  should  make  it  our  great  business  and  work  to  come  up  to 
them,  and  to  imitate  them  to  the  life.  O  friends  !  the  examples  last 
cited  should  be  very  awakening,  very  persuading,  very  convincing,  and 

'  Tertullian,  Apolog.—  G. 


330  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

very  encouraging;  because  iu  them  you  may  see  that  though  abstinence 
from  the  appearance  of  evil  be  a  difficult  thing,  yet  it  is  a  possible  thing. 
Shall  we  love  to  look  upon  the  pictures  of  our  friends,  and  shall  we  not 
much  more  love  to  look  upon  the  holy  examples  of  those  eminent  saints 
that  had  the  lively  picture  of  grace,  and  the  lovely  image  of  Christ  fairly 
stamped  upon  tiieir  hearts  and  lives  ?  It  is  both  our  mercy  and  our  duty 
to  eye  the  examples,  and  to  follow  the  footsteps  of  those  Christians  that 
have  been  most  eminent  in  grace,  as  you  may  plainly  see  by  comparing 
of  these  scriptures  together,  Prov.  li.  20;  Heb.  vi,  12;  1  Thes.  i.  6  ; 
Philip,  iv.  9  ;  2  Tim.  iii.  10-12  ;  Heb.  xii.  1 ;  Philip,  iii.  17  ;  1  Cor.  xi. 
1  ;  Titus  ii.  7.  He  that  would  fain  write  a  fair  hand,  had  need  have  his 
eye  often  upon  his  copy ;  and  he  that  would  fain  abstain  from  all  ap- 
pearance of  evil,  he  had  need  often  to  eye  the  gracious  examples  of  such 
Avho  have  made  conscience  of  abstaining  from  appearing  evils,  as  well  as 
from  apparent  evils.     But, 

[8.]  Eighthly  and  lastly.  Consider  what  some  refined  heathens  and 
civilised  pagans  have  done  in  this  very  case.  There  are  stories  of 
heathens  that  would  not  look  upon  excellent  beauties,  lest  they  should 
be  ensnared.  Democritus  plucked  out  iiis  own  eyes  to  avoid  the  danger 
of  uncleanness.  Socrates'  speaketh  of  two  young  men  that  Hang  away 
their  belts,  when,  being  in  an  idol  temple,  the  lustrating  water  fell  upon 
them,  detesting,  saith  the  historian,  the  garment  spotted  by  the  flesh. 
Alexander  would  not  see  the  woman  after  whom  he  might  have  lusted. 
Scipio  Africanus,  warring  in  Spain,  took  New  Carthage  by  storm,  aure 
victor,  at  which  time  a  beautiful  and  noble  virgin  fled  to  him  for  succour 
to  preserve  her  chastity;  he  being  four-and-twenty  years  old,  and  so  in 
the  heat  of  youth,  hearing  of  it,  would  not  suffer  her  to  come  into  his 
sight  for  fear  of  temptation,  but  caused  her  to  be  restored  in  safety  to 
her  father.  So  when  Demosthenes  the  orator  was  asked  an  excessive 
sum  of  money  to  behold  the  beautiful  Lais,  he  answered.  He  would  not 
buy  repentance  so  dear,  neither  was  he  so  ill  a  merchant  as  to  sell  eter- 
nals for  temporals.  Nor  Caesar  would  not  search  Pompey's  cabinet,  lest 
he  should  And  new  matters  of  revenge.  Memorable  is  the  story  of  the 
children  of  Samoseta,  that  would  not  touch  their  ball,  but  burnt  it,  be- 
cause it  had  touched  the  toe  of  a  wicked  heretical  bishop  as  they  were 
tossing  and  playing  with  it.  Now  shall  some  refined  heathens,  shall 
civilised  pagans  abstain  from  the  appearance  of  evil,  from  occasions  and 
temptations  to  sin  ?  and  shall  real  Christians  fall  short  of  them  ?  Shall 
blind  nature  do  more  than  grace  ?  Shall  men  fallen  in  the  flrst  Adam 
do  more  than  those  that  are  raised  and  enlivened  by  the  second  Adam? 
But  to  prevent  all  mistakes,  let  me  add,  though  many  heathens  have 
abstained  from  the  appearance  of  some  evil,  yet  they  have  not  abstained 
from  the  appearance  of  all  evil ;  neither  have  they  abstained  from  the 
appearance  of  any  evil  out  of  a  hatred  of  evil ;  nor  from  any  principles 
of  saving  light,  or  life,  or  love  ;  nor  out  of  any  regard  to  any  royal  law 
of  God  ;  nor  out  of  any  regard  to  the  honour  or  glory  of  Goil,  but  either 
out  of  vain-glory  and  popular  applause,  the  pole-stars  by  which  they 
steered  all  their  actions,  or  out  of  hypocrisy,  which  set  a  tincture  and 
dye  upon  all  their  actions.  What  writer  hath  more  golden  sentences 
than  Seneca  against  the  contempt  of  gold  ;  yet  if  Tacitus  and  others  of 
*  The  Ecclesiastical  Historian. — Q. 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  831 

his  contemporaries  may  be  credited,  none  more  rich,  none  more  covet- 
ous than  he,  as  if  out  of  design  he  had  persuaded  others  to  cast  away 
their  money,  that  he  himself  might  come  and  gather  it  up  again,  &c. 
And  thus  you  see  that  there  are  very  great  reasons  why  every  Christian 
should  avoid  the  very  show,  suspicion,  or  appearance  of  evil,  &c. 
But, 

[11.]  Eleventhly  and  lastly,  He  that  sets  himself  resolutely,  mostly, 
habitually,  against  his  bosom,  sins,  his  constitution  sins,  his  most 
prevalent  sins,  <&g.,  he  has  certainly  a  saving  work,  a  poiverful  work 
of  God  upon  his  soul,  Ps.  xviii.  26.  True  grace  will  make  a  man  stand 
stoutly  and  stedfastly  on  God's  side,  and  work  the  heart  to  take  part 
with  him,  against  the  most  darling  sins,  though  they  be  as  right  hands 
or  as  right  eyes.  True  grace  will  lay  hands  upon  a  man's  most  beloved 
lusts,  and  cry  out  to  heaven,  Lord,  crucify  them,  crucify  them,  down 
with  them,  down  with  them  even  to  the  ground.  Lord,  do  justice,  do 
signal  justice,  do  speedy  justice,  do  exemplary  justice  upon  this  head 
lust,  this  master  sin  !  Lord,  hew  down  root  and  branch  !  let  the  very 
stumps  of  this  Dagon  be  broken  all  in  pieces  !  Lord,  curse  this  wild  fig- 
tree,  that  never  more  fruit  may  grow  thereon  !  Certainly  God  and 
Christ  is  set  up  highest  in  that  man's  heart,  who  bends  most  of  his 
thoughts,  strength,  and  endeavours  against  his  constitution  sins,  against 
the  sins  of  his  place,  calling,  condition  and  complexion.  It  is  very  ob- 
servable that  the  Jews,  after  they  had  been  in  the  Babylonish  furnace 
for  idolatry,  they  ever  hated  and  feared  that  sin,  as  much  as  the 
burned  child  dreads  the  fire ;  yea,  they  would  die  any  death  rather 
than  admit  an  idol.  Josephus  tells  us  how  stoutly  they  opposed  Pilate 
and  Petronius,  that  would  have  set  up  Caesar's  statue  in  their  temples, 
offering  their  throats  to  the  swords  of  the  soldiers,  rather  than  they 
would  endure  that  idol  in  God's  house.^  Oh  when  once  the  heart  of  a 
Christian  comes  thus  to  be  set  against  all  his  golden  and  silver  idols, 
then  we  may  safely  say,  '  Behold  a  true  Israelite,  in  whom  there  is  no 
guile.'  He  that  finds  his  lusts,  his  bosom,  his  darling  lusts,  begin  to 
fall  before  him,  as  Haman  once  begun  to  fall  before  Mordecai,  Esther 
vi.  13,  he  may  safely  and  confidently  conclude  that  he  is  of  the  seed 
of  the  Jews,  and  that  the  seed  of  God  abideth  in  him,  1  John  iii.  9. 
But  having  discoursed  so  largely  as  I  have  concerning  bosom  sins, 
darling  lusts,  head  corruptions,  in  my  other  writings,  I  need  say  no  more 
at  this  time.  And  thus  you  see  that  there  are  eleven  particulars  in  re- 
gard of  sin  and  a  Christian's  actings  about  it,  that  speaks  out  a  true 
saving  work  of  grace  to  be  in  the  souls  of  the  saints.     But,  &c. 

II.  Secondly,  TF/iere  the  constant,  ordinary,  standing,  and  abiding 
purpose,  disposition,  frame,  and  general  bent  of  a  man's  heart,  soul, 
spirit,  desires,  and  endeavours  are  fixed  and  set  for  God,  for  grace, 
for  holiness  in  heart  and  life,  there  is  a  most  sure  and  infallible 
work  of  God  passed  upon  that  mans  soul.^  The  constant  bent  and  the 
settled  purpose  of  a  true  child  of  God,  is  for  God,  for  grace,  for  holiness 
in  heart  and  life :  Ps.  cxix.  112,  'I  have  inclined  my  heart  to  keep  thy 
statutes  always,  even  to  the  end.'     Verse  38,  '  Stablish  thy  word  unto 

1  The  Jewish  War,  B.  ii.  c.  x — G. 

2  Ps.  xl.  8,  xxxix.  1,  ci.  3  ;  2  Cor.  i.  12 ;  Ps.  cxix.  4,  5,  20;  2  Chron.  xix.  3,  xxx.  18, 19 ; 
Neh.  i.  11 ;  Isa.  xxvi.  8,  9. 


332  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ClIAP.  II. 

thy  servant,  who  i.s  devoted  to  thy  fear.'  Verse  44,  '  So  shall  I  keep 
thy  law  continually  for  ever  and  ever.'  Verse  45,  '  And  I  will  walk  at 
liberty :  for  I  seek  tliy  precepts,'  Acts  xxiv.  1 6,  *  And  herein  do  I 
exercise  myself,  to  have  always  a  conscience  void  of  offence  toward  God, 
and  toward  men.'  Heb.  xiii.  18,  '  Pray  for  ns  :  for  we  trust  we  have  a 
good  conscience,  in  all  things  willing  to  live  honestly.'  Gracious  souls 
do  strongly  affect  that  which  they  cannot  easily  effect :  Ps.  cxix.  57, 
*  Thou  art  my  portion,  O  Lord  :  I  have  said  that  I  would  keep  thy 
words.'  Some  read  this  verse  thus,  '  Lord,  I  have  said,  my  portion  shall 
be  to  keep  thy  words.'  Holy  David  was  fully  determined  and  resolved 
in  himself,  to  keep  God's  royal  law,  in  spite  of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and 
the  devil.  And  so  Barnabas  exhorted  the  disciples,  that  with  purpose 
of  heart  they  would  cleave  imto  the  Lord,  Acts  xi.  23  ;  as  if  all  piety 
and  truth  of  grace  consisted  in  gracious  purposes  of  heart".  Certainly 
when  the  bent  of  a  man's  mind,  and  the  settled  purpose  of  a  man's  soul, 
and  the  unfeigned  desires  of  his  heart,  are  for  God,  for  grace,  for  holi- 
ness in  heart,  in  life,  then  the  estate  and  condition  of  that  man  is  safe 
and  happy.  It  is  very  observable  that  that  great  apostle  Paul,  in  his 
spiritual  conflict,  lays  a  very  great  stress  upon  these  things  ;  witness 
Rom.  vii.  16,  '  If  then  I  do  that  which  I  would  not,  I  consent  unto  the  law 
that  it  is  good.'  So  verse  18,  '  For  to  will  is  present  with  me.'  So  verso 
19,  '  For  the  good  that  I  would  I  do  not :  but  the  evil  which  I  would 
not,  that  I  do.'  So  verses  21,  22,  '  I  find  then  a  law,  that,  when  I  would 
do  good,  evil  is  present  with  me.  For  I  delight  in  the  law  of  God  after 
the  inward  man.'  So  verse  25,  '  So  then  with  the  mind  I  myself  serve 
the  law  of  God.'  Certainly,  the  tnith,  the  life,  and  power  of  grace,  of 
holiness,  of  regeneration,  is  not  so  much  seen  in  our  actions,  as  in  the 
renewing  and  sanctifying  of  our  minds  and  wills,  according  to  that  Rom. 
xii.  2,  '  Be  ye  transformed,'  or  metamorphosed,  as  the  Greek  has  it,  '  by 
the  renewing  of  your  mind.'  No  man  is  to  judge  of  the  soundness  or 
sincerity  of  his  spirit  by  some  particular  acts,  but  by  the  constant  framt^ 
and  bent  of  his  spirit,  and  by  his  general  conversation  in  this  world.  If 
particular  actions  might  determine  whether  a  man  had  grace  or  no 
grace,  whether  he  were  in  Christ  or  not  in  Christ,  whether  he  were  a 
saint  or  not  a  saint,  whether  he  were  sincere  or  unsound,  we  should 
many  times  conclude,  that  those  had  no  grace  who  indeed  have,  and 
that  they  were  not  in  Christ  who  indeed  are,  and  that  they  are  no 
saints  who  indeed  are,  and  that  they  are  not  sincere,  who  certainly  are 
true  Nathanaels.'  The  best  saints  have  had  their  extravagant  motions, 
and  have  very  foully  and  sadly  miscarried  as  to  particular  actions,  even 
then  when  the  constant  course  and  bent  of  their  spirits  have  been  God- 
wards  and  Christ-wards,  and  holiness-wai^ds  and  heaven-wards,  &c. 
Witness  David's  murder  and  adulter}^  Noah's  drunkenness,  Lot's  incest, 
Joseph's  swearing.  Job's  cursing,  Jonah's  vexing,  Peter's  denying,  and 
Thomas  his  not  believing.  Such  twinklings  do  and  will  accompany  the 
highest  and  fairest  stars.  As  he  who  foots  it  best  may  be  found  some- 
times all  along,  and  the  neatest  person  may  sometimes  slip  into  a  slough. 

'  Tlioiigli  the  needle  of  the  seaman's  compass  may  jog  this  way  and  that  way,  yet  the 
bent  of  the  needle  will  still  be  northward.  So  though  a  Christian  may  have  his  particular 
sinful  joggings,  this  way  or  that  way,  yet  the  bent  of  his  heart  will  still  be  God  wards. 
Una  actio  non  denominal. 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  333 

He  that  cannot  endure  to  see  a  spot  upon  his  clothes,  may  yet  sometimes 
fall  into  a  quagmire.  So  the  holiest  and  exactest  Christians  may  some- 
times be  surprised  with  many  infirmities  andunevennesses,and  sad  miscar- 
riages. Certainly  particular  sinnings  are  compatible  with  a  gracious 
frame,  though  none  are  with  a  glorious  condition.  Though  no  darkness, 
no  clouds  can  be  mixed  with  the  sun  in  heaven,  yet  both  may  be  in  the  air 
which  is  enlightened  below.  Our  best  estate  on  earth  is  mixed,  and  not 
absolute.  Glory  annihilates  all  sinful  practices,  but  grace  only  weakens 
them.  The  most  sincere  Christian  is  but  an  imperfect  Christian,  and 
hath  daily  cause  to  mourn  over  his  infirmities,  as  well  as  he  has  cause- 
to  bless  God  for  his  graces  and  mercies.  Well,  sirs  !  look,  as  every  par- 
ticular stain  doth  not  blemish  the  universal  fineness  of  the  cloth,  so 
neither  doth  this  or  that  particular  fact  disprove  and  deny  the  general 
bent  of  the  heart.  Particulars  may  not  decide  the  estate  either  way. 
It  is  true,  a  man  by  a  particular  sinning  is  denominated  guilt};^  but  by 
no  one  particular  can  a  man's  estate  be  challenged,  either  for  good  or 
bad.  He  that  shall  judge  of  a  Christian's  estate  by  particular  acts, 
though  notorious  bad,  will  certainly  '  condemn  the  generation  of  the 
righteous.'  We  must  always  distinguish  betwixt  some  single  good 
actions,  and  a  series  of  good  actions.  It  is  not  this  or  that  particular 
good  action,  but  a  continued  course  of  holy  actions,  that  denominates 
us  holy.  Certainly,  as  there  is  no  man  so  holy,  but  sometimes  he  falls 
into  this  or  that  particular  sin  ;  so  there  is  no  man  so  wicked,  but 
sometimes  he  falls  in  with  this  or  that  particular  duty.  Witness 
Pharaoh,  who  in  a  fit  desires  Moses  and  Aaron  to  pray  for  him  ;  and 
witness  Balaam,  who  in  a  good  mood  desires  to  die  the  death  of  the  right- 
eous ;  and  witness  Saul,  who  under  a  pang  condemns  himself,  and 
justifies  David ;  and  so  witness  Ahab's  humbling  of  himself,  and 
Nineveh's  repenting,  and  Felix  his  trembling,  and  Herod's  hearing  of 
John  Baptist  gladly.^  Now  look,  as  every  sin  which  a  godly  man  falls 
into,  through  infirmity,  doth  not  presently  denominate  him  ungodly,  so 
neither  will  a  few  good  actions  done  by  a  wicked  man  prove  him  godly. 
It  is  what  the  course  and  tenor  of  the  life  is,  that  must  be  most  dili- 
gently and  wisely  observed,  for  every  man  is  as  his  course  is  ;  if  his 
course  be  holy,  the  man  is  so  ;  if  his  course  be  wicked,  the  man  is 
wicked.  There  is  a  maxim  in  logic,  viz.,  that  no  general  rule  can  be 
established  upon  a  particular  instance  ;  and  there  is  another  maxim  in 
logic,  viz.,  that  no  particular  instance  can  overthrow  a  general  rule.  So 
here,  as  no  man  can  safely  and  groundedly  conclude  from  no  better  pro- 
mises^ than  from  some  few  particular  actions,  though  in  themselves 
materially  and  substantially  good,  that  his  heart  is  therefore  sincere  ;  so 
on  the  contrary,  no  man  ought  to  conclude,  because  of  some  gross  par- 
ticular sinful  actions,  and  extravagant  motions,  that  his  heart  is  unsound. 
O  sirs  1  we  are  not  to  make  a  judgment  of  our  states  and  con- 
ditions, by  some  particular  actions,  whether  they  are  good  or  evil, 
but  we  are  to  make  a  judgment  of  our  estates  and  conditions  by 
the  general  frame,  bent,  and  disposition  of  our  hearts,  and  by  the  con- 

'  Mere  particular  actions  do  not  conclude,  either  way,  the  estate  of  the  soul.  An 
hypocrite  may  do  some  good  act,  and  an  upright  person  may  do  some  sinful  act.  A  man 
must  give  in  judgment  for  or  against  himself,  according  as  the  habitual  purpose  and 
temper  of  his  heart  stands,  &c.  ^  Qu.  '  premises  "? — Ed. 


334<  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

Rtant  tenor  of  our  lives.*  It  is  certain,  that  God  accounts  every  wicked 
man  guilty  of  all  those  sins,  wickednesses,  and  vanities,  which  the  settled 
purpose,  desire,  b^'Ut,  bias,  and  frame  of  his  soul  inclined  him  to,  though 
he  doth  not  actually  commit  them  :  Mat.  v.  28,  '  He  that  looketh  on  a 
woman  to  lust  after  her,  hath  committed  adultery  already  with  her  in 
his  heart.'  A  man  may  commit  adultery,  and  yet  not  touch  a  woman. 
There  are  many  thousands  that  die  of  the  wound  in  the  eye.  So  1  John 
iii.  15,  'Whosoever  hateth  his  brother  is  a  murderer.'  A  man  mny 
commit  murder,  and  yet  not  kill  a  man,  yea,  he  may  commit  murder, 
and  yet  not  touch  a  man  :  Prov.  xxiii.  7,  '  For  as  he  thinketh  in  his 
heart,  so  is  he.'  The  man  is  as  the  mind  is.  God  esteems  of  wicked 
men  according  to  their  hearts,  and  not  according  to  their  words.  So  it 
is  as  certain  that  the  Lord  accounts  every  godly  man  to  do  all  that  good, 
that  the  settled  purpose,  frame,  bent,  bias,  and  unfeigned  desires  of  the 
soul  inclines  him  to  :  2  Cor.  viii.  12,  '  If  there  be  first  a  willing  mind,  it 
is  accepted.'  So  Heb.  xi.  17,  '  By  faith  Abraham,  when  he  was  tried, 
offered  up  Isaac :  and  he  that  had  received  the  promises  offered  up  his  only 
son ;'  that  is,  in  disposition  and  full  purpose  of  heart,  and  willingness 
of  mind,  which  God  accepted  for  the  deed.  A  true  intent  is  in  God's 
account  as  a  real  act.  So  David  had  a  purpose,  a  mind,  a  will  to  build 
God  a  house,  and  for  this  God  commends  him  :  1  Kings  viii.  18,  '  And 
the  Lord  said  unto  David  my  father.  Whereas  it  was  in  thy  heart  to 
build  an  house  unto  my  name,  thou  didst  well  that  it  was  in  thy  heart  ;' 
yea,  God  rewards  him  for  it,  as  if  he  had  actually  done  it,  and  tells  him 
in  his  ear  that  he  would  build  him  an  house,  2  Sam.  vii.  27.  So  when 
that  servant  that  owed  his  Lord  ten  thousand  talents  had  shewed  his 
readiness,  and  willingness,  and  resolvedness  to  pay  all :  '  Lord,  have 
patience  Avith  me,  and  I  will  pay  thee  all !'  Mat  xviii.  26,  a  thing  as  im- 
possible for  him  to  do,  as  it  is  for  us  to  keep  the  whole  law,  and  not  to 
fail  in  one  point ;  but  his  desires,  his  mind,  his  will,  his  purposes  was  to 
do  it ;  well,  and  what  does  his  Lord  do  ?  Why,  his  Lord  has  compassion 
on  him,  and  loosed  him,  and  forgave  him  the  debt,  ver.  27  ;  his  Lord 
took  this  for  full  and  current  payment,  he  accepted  of  the  will  for  the 
deed.  So  when  Zaccheus  had  unfeignedly  professed  his  purpose  and 
willinoness  to  make  restitution,  Christ  presently  replies,  *  This  day  is 
salvation  come  to  thy  house,'  Luke  xix.  9.  Certainly  the  Lord  accounts 
that  soul  a  true  believer,  and  a  blessed  soul,  that  unfeignedly  desires  to 
believe  ;  witness  that  Mat.  v.  6,  '  Blessed  are  they  which  do  hunger  and 
thirst  after  righteousness  :  for  they  shall  be  filled.'  And  it  is  as  certain 
that  the  Lord  accounts  that  sinner  a  true  penitent,  that  doth  unfeignedly 
desire,  purpose,  and  resolve  to  repent,  to  break  off  his  sins,  and  to  turn  to 
the  Lord,  as  you  may  see  in  that  great  instance  of  the  prodigal :  Luke 
XV.  18-20,  '  1  Avill  arise,  and  go  to  my  father,  and  will  say  unto  him, 
Father,  I  have  sinned  against  heaven,  and  before  thee,  and  am  no  more 
worthy  to  be  called  thy  son  :  make  me  as  one  of  thy  hired  servants. 

^  It  is  not  a  pang  of  the  soul,  nor  a  mood,  nor  a  fit  of  an  ague,  nor  a  flash  of  lightning, 
nor  a  man's  being  as  the  morning  clew,  but  his  habitual  purpose,  resolution,  and  incli- 
nation to  gooel,  tliat  evidences  the  man  to  be  really  good  :  Ps.  cxix.  lO,  '  My  soul  brt-aketh 
for  the  longing  that  it  hath  unto  thy  judgments  at  all  times,'  &:c.  A  sheep  may  slip  into  a 
6lou"h  as  soon  as  a  swine ;  and  an  apple  tree  may  have  a  fit  of  barrenness,  as  well  as  a 
crab  tree.  But  the  sheep  loves  not  to  wallow  in  the  mire,  as  the  swine  does.  And  though 
the  apple  tree  he  barren  one  year,  yet  it  brings  forth  fruit  tho  next. 


I 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  335 

And  he  arose,  and  came  to  liis  father.  But  when  he  was  yet  a  great 
way  off,  his  father  saw  him,  and  had  compassion,  and  ran,  and  fell  on 
his  neck,  and  kissed  him.'  As  soon  as  ever  the  prodigal  did  but  purpose 
and  resolve  to  repent,  and  return  .to  his  father,  the  compassions  of  his 
father  are  kindled  and  turned  towards  him,  and  he  does  not  go,  but  runs 
and  falls  on  his  neck,  and  instead  of  kicking  and  killing,  there  is  no- 
thing but  kissing  and  embracing  a  returning  prodigal.  God  always 
sets  a  higher  value  upon  our  dispositions  than  upon  our  actions,  and  in 
our  best  services  he  esteems  more  of  our  wills  than  he  does  of  our  deeds, 
as  is  evident  by  the  scriptures  in  the  margin.^  Every  good  man  is  as 
good  in  the  eye  and  account  of  God,  as  the  ordinary  frame  and  bent  of 
his  spirit  speaks  him  to  be.  Every  man  is  as  holy,  as  humble,  as 
heavenly,  as  spiritual,  as  gracious,  as  serious,  as  sincere,  as  fruitful,  as 
faithful,  as  watchful,  &c.,  as  the  settled  purposes,  desires,  resolutions, 
and  endeavours  of  his  soul  speaks  him  to  be.  Hence  "Noah  is  said 
to  be  a  just  man,  and  perfect  or  upright  in  his  generation.  Gen. 
vi.  9.  And  hence  Job  is  said  to  be  a  perfect  and  an  upright  man,  one 
that  feared  God  and  eschewed  evil.  Job  i.  1-8.  And  hence  David  is 
said  to  be  a  man  after  God's  own  heart,  1  Sam.  xiii.  ]  4  ;  and  to  fulfil 
all  his  wills.  Acts  xiii.  22.  Here  the  Greek  word  '^sXrijUbara  is  wills,  to 
note  the  universality  and  sincerity  of  his  obedience.  And  hence 
Zacharias  and  Elizabeth  are  said  to  be  both  righteous  before  God,  walk- 
ing in  all  the  commandments  and  ordinances  of  God  blameless,  Luke  i. 
5,  6.  Hence  the  church  is  said  to  be  all  fair  :  Cant.  iv.  7,  '  Thou  art  all 
fair,  my  love,  and  there  is  no  spot  in  thee.'  And  hence  those  hundred 
forty  and  four  thousand  saints  that  had  their  Father's  name  written  in 
'  their  foreheads,  Rev.  xiv.  1,  are  said  to  be  without  fault:  ver.  5,  'And  in 
their  mouth  was  found  no  guile  :  for  they  were  without  fault  before  the 
throne  of  God.'  God  in  the  covenant  of  grace,  and  upon  the  credit  of 
his  Son's  blood,  and  for  the  glory  of  his  free  grace  and  favour,  is  graciously 
pleased  to  accept  of  his  people,  and  to  approve  of  his  people,  and  to  de- 
light in  his  people,  and  to  interpret  his  people,  according  to  the  common 
bent,  frame,  disposition,  resolution,  unfeigned  desires,  and  constant  en- 
deavours of  their  souls.     But,  &c. 

III.  Thirdly,  If  your  obedience  be  the  obedience  of  faith,  then  your 
\  estate  is  good,  then  you  have  assuredly  an  infallible  work  of  God 
I  upon  your  souls. 

I  Quest.  But  how  shall  ive  know  ivhether  our  obedience  he  the  obe- 
\  dAence  of  faith  or  no  ?  How  may  a  man  discern  when  his  obedience 
i  springs  from  faith  ? 

;  Ans.  You  may  certainly  know  whether  your  obedience  be  the  obe- 
li dience  of  faith  or  no,  by  these  following  particulars  : 

[1.]  First,  That  obedience  that  springs  from  faith  is  a  full  obe- 
dience, a  imiversal  obedience.  David  did  look  upon  his  universal  obe- 
dience as  a  special  testimony  of  his  uprightness  :  Ps.  cxix.  6,  '  Then 
shall  I  not  be  ashamed,  when  I  have  respect  unto  all  thy  command- 
ments.' Mark  !  the  psalmist  doth  not  say,  When  I  obey  all  thy  com- 
mandments, then  shall  I  not  be  ashamed  ;  but,  '  When  I  have  a  respect 
to  all  thy  commandments,  then  shall  I  not  be  ashamed.'  Now  a  respect 
to  all  God's  commandments  notes  an  inward  awe  and  reverential  eye 
1  2  Cor.  viii.  10  ;  1  Cor.  ix.  17  ;  1  Peter  v.  2  ;  Exod.  xxv.  2  ;  Philem.  14. 


336  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ClIAP.  II. 

towards  every  duty  that  God  requires.  The  words,  according  to  the 
Hebrew,  may  be  read  thus :  '  Then  shall  I  not  blush  when  my  eye  is 
to  all  thy  commandments.''  Now  you  know  the  traveller  hath  his  eye 
towards  the  place  whither  he  is  going,  and  though  he  be  short  of  it,  yet 
he  is  still  a-putting  on  and  pressing  forwards  all  he  can  to  reach  it.  So 
when  the  eye  of  a  saint  is  to  all  the  commands  of  God,  and  he  is  still 
a-pressing  forwards  towards  full  obedience,  such  a  soul  shall  never  be 
put  to  the  blush  ;  such  a  soul  shall  never  be  ashamed  in  the  great  day 
of  our  Lord  Jesus.  So  Acts  xiii.  22,  '  I  have  found  David  the  son  of 
Jesse,  a  man  after  mine  own  heart,  which  shall  fulfil  all  my  will ;'  rrdvra 
TO,  '-M7.rtiJ.ara  jj^o-j,  all  my  wills,  to  notc  the  sincerity  and  universality  of 
his  obedience.  So  Acts  xxiv.  16,  '  And  herein  do  I  exercise  myself,  to 
have  always  a  conscience  void  of  offence  toward  God,  and  toward  men.' 
So  Heb.  xiii.  18,  '  We  trust  we  have  a  good  conscience,  in  all  things 
■willing  to  live  honestly.'  That  obedience  that  springs  from  faith  doth 
neither  dispute  divine  commands,  nor  divide  divine  commands  one  from 
anotlier.  Zacharias  and  Elizabeth  were  both  righteous  before  God, 
walking  in  all  the  commandments  and  ordinances  of  the  Lord  blame- 
less, Luke  i.  5,  6.  That  obedience  that  springs  from  faith  is  a  full  obe- 
dience, a  universal  obedience.  It  is  universal  in  respect  of  the  subject, 
the  whole  man,  and  it  is  universal  in  respect  of  the  object,  the  whole 
law.  Mark  !  he  who  obeys  sincerely  obeys  universally,  though  not  in 
regard  of  practice,  which  is  impossible  ;  yet  (1.)  In  regard  of  his  will 
and  desires  ;  his  will  and  desire  is  to  obey  all :  Rom.  viii.  18,  '  For  to 
will  is  present  with  me.'  Ps.  cxix.  5,  '  Oh  tliat  my  ways  were  directed 
to  keep  thy  statutes'!  (2.)  In  respect  of  election  or  choice  ;  he  chooses 
to  obey  all :  Ps.  cxix.  1 73,  '  Let  thine  hand  help  me  :  for  I  have  chosen 
thy  precepts.'  The  word  here  rendered  chosen  signifies  to  choose  upon 
trial  and  examination  :  I  have  chosen  thy  precepts  before  all,  and  above 
all  other  things.^  I  have  chosen  thy  precepts  for  my  chiefest  good, 
and  for  my  only  treasure.  I  have  chosen  thy  precepts  to  own  them,  to 
follow  them,  and  to  obey  them.  (3.)  In  respect  of  approbation  ;  he 
approves  of  all  the  commands  of  God,  as  holy,  just,  and  good  ;  he  highly 
approves  of  those  royal  commands  that  he  cannot  perfectly  obey  :  Rom. 
vii.  12,  '  Wherefore  the  law  is  holy,  and  the  commandment  holy,  just, 
and  good.'  And  ver.  IG, .'  I  consent  unto  the  law  that  it  is  good.'  He 
assents  to  the  commands  of  God  as  holy,  and  he  consents  to  them  as 
good,  (-i.)  In  respect  of  affection  ;  he  loves  all  the  commands  of  God, 
he  dearly  loves  those  very  commands  that  he  cannot  obey:  Ps.  cxix.  97, 
'  0  how  I  love  thy  law !'  Such  a  pang  of  love  he  felt,  as  could  not 
otherwise  be  vented,  but  by  this  pathetical  exclamation,  '  Oh  how  love  I 
thy  law !'  Ver.  113,  'I  hate  vain  thoughts,  but  thy  law  do  I  love.' 
Ver.  163,  'I  hate  and  abhor  lying,  but  thy  law  do  I  love.'  Ver.  119, 
'  Thou  puttest  away  all  the  wicked  of  the  earth  like  dross  :  therefore 
I  love  thy  testimonies.'    Ver.  127,  '  Therefore  I  love  thy  commandments 

1  The  rule  i3  good  and  true,  quicquid  propter  Deum  fit,  eqnaliter  fit.  he  who  doth  serve 
and  obey  Gk)d  for  Gods  sake,  will  equally  obey  all  that  God  coniniands  him.     No  one 
comraaud  is  unjust  or  unreasonable  to  him  whose  lieart  is  uprij^lit  in  obedience,  &c. 
Seneca,  describing  a  virtuous  man  (Epist.  120),  saith  of  him,  that  he  is  idem  semper,  et  in ' 
omni  acta  par  sibi.  | 

^  Bacliarli,  from  Bachar.  The  word  notes  a  careful  and  diligent  choice,  upon  good  trial 
and  proof. 


Chap.  II]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  337 

above  gold,  yea,  above  fine  gold.'  Ver.  159,  '  Consider  how  I  love  thy 
precepts.'  Ver.  167,  '  My  soul  hath  kept  thy  testimonies  ;  and  I  love 
them  exceedingly.'  (5.)  In  respect  of  valuation  or  esteem,  he  highly 
values  all  the  commands  of  God,  he  highly  prizes  all  the  commands  of 
God,  as  you  may  see  by  comparing  these  scriptures  together :  Ps.  cxix. 
72,  127,  128,  Ps.  xix.  8-11,  Job  xxiii.  12.  (6.)  In  respect  of  his  pur- 
pose and  resolution  ;  he  purposes  and  resolves,  by  divine  assistance,  to 
obey  all,  to  keep  all  :  Ps.  cxix,  1 06,  '  I  have  sworn,  and  will  perform  it, 
that  I  will  keep  thy  righteous  judgments.'  Ps.  xvii.  3,  '  I  am  purposed 
that  my  mouth  shall  not  transgress.'  (7.)  In  respect  of  his  inclination  ; 
he  has  an  habitual  inclination  in  him  to  keep  all  the  commands  of  God: 
1  Kings  viii.  57,  58,  2  Chron.  xxx.  17-20  ;  Ps.  cxix.  112,  '  I  have  inclined 
my  heart  to  perform  thy  statutes  always,  even  to  the  end.'  (8.)  In  respect 
of  endeavours  ;  they  endeavour  to  keep  all  :  Ps.  cxix.  59,  '  I  turned  my 
feet  unto  thy  testimonies.'  There  is  no  man  that  obeys  God  truly,  who 
doth  not  endeavour  to  obey  God  fully.  And  thus  you  see  in  what  re- 
spect that  obedience  that  flovvs  from  faith  is  a  full  obedience,  a  univer- 
sal obedience.  A  child  of  God  obeys  all  the  commands  of  God  in  respect 
of  his  sincere  desires,  purposes,  resolutions,  and  endeavours  ;  and  this 
God  accepts  in  Christ  for  perfect  and  complete  obedience.  This  is  the 
glory  of  the  covenant  of  grace,  that  God  accepts  and  esteems  of  sincere 
obedience  as  perfect  obedience.  Such  who  sincerely  endeavour  to  keep 
the  whole  law  of  God,  they  do  keep  the  whole  law  of  God  in  an  evan- 
gelical sense,  though  not  in  a  legal  sense.  In  the  work  of  conversion, 
God  infuseth  all  grace  together,  and  writes  not  one  particular  law  in 
the  hearts  of  his  children,  but  the  whole  law,  which  is  a  universal  prin- 
ciple, inclining  the  soul  impartially  to  all,  Ezek.  xi.  19,  20.  The  gra- 
cious soul  sincerely  falls  in  with  every  command  of  God,  so  far  as  he 
knows  it,  without  prejudice  or  partiality  ;  he  dares  not  pick  and  choose 
what  commands  to  obey,  and  what  to  reject,  as  hypocrites  do  ;  he  hath 
an  eye  to  see,  an  ear  to  hear,  and  a  heart  to  obey  the  first  table  as  well 
as  the  second,  and  the  second  as  well  as  the  first.  He  doth  not  adhere 
to  the  first,  and  neglect  the  second,  as  hypocrites  do  ;  neither  doth  he 
adhere  to  the  second,  and  contemn  the  first,  as  profane  men  do.  All 
Sauls,  Jehus,  Judases  ,Demases,  scribes,  pharisees,  and  temporaries,'  they 
are  still  partial  in  their  obedience  ;  for  while  they  yield  obedience  to 
some  commands,  they  live  in  the  habitual  breach  of  other  commands. 
Mat.  xxiii.  23.  Jehu  boastingly  calls  out, '  Come,  see  my  zeal  for  the  Lord 
of  hosts,'  2  Kings  x.  29,  30.  But  if  Jehoshaphat  had  gone  a  little  fur- 
ther, he  might  have  seen  his  calves  too,  contrary  to  God's  commands. 
Herod  heard  John  Baptist  gladly,  and  did  many  things  ;  but  if  John 
will  be  close  and  plaiu  with  him,  he  shall  then  first  lose  his  liberty,  and 
then  his  head  for  his  labour,  Mark  vi.  16, 17.  A  sincere  Christian  loves  all 
the  known  commands  of  God,  and  prizes  all  the  commands  of  God,  and 
sees  a  divine  image,  majesty,  and  authority  stamped  upon  all  the  com- 
mands of  God.  And  therefore  the  main  bent  and  disposition  of  his 
soul  is  to  obey  all,  and  to  be  subject  to  all  the  commands  of  God.  Let 
me  in  a  few  particulars  open  this  great  truth  a  little  more  fully  to  you. 
And  therefore  take  me  thus. 

'  See  Glossary,  s.  v. — G. 
VOL.  III.  Y 


338  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

First,  A  sincere  ChHstian  loill  endeavour  to  obey  God  in  suffeHng 
commands  as  well  as  in  doing  commands,  in  losing  as  well  as  gaining 
commands.  An  unsound  Christian,  he  loves  cheap  obedience  ;  he  is 
willing  to  fall  in  with  those  commands  that  are  not  chargeable  or  costly; 
ho  loves  a  cheap  gospel,  and  a  cheap  ministry,  and  a  cheap  membership, 
and  a  cheap  connuunion  of  saints,  &c.  But  when  his  obedience  comes  to 
be  cliargeable,  when  his  obedience  to  divine  commands  may  cost  him  his 
health,  his  strength,  his  liberty,  his  riches,  his  estate,  his  friends,  his 
credit,  his  name,  &c.,  then  he  retires,  then  he  cries  out,  Durus  sermo, 
it  is  a  hard  saying,  who  can  bear  it  ?  John  vi.  60.  This  is  a  hard  com- 
mandment, who  can  obey  it  ?  When  religion  is  attended  with  freedom, 
lionour,  and  safety,  when  religion  is  attended  with  riches,  pleasures,  and 
applause,  then  unsound  hearts  will  put  forwards  ;  but  when  these  part, 
then  they  bid  religion  farewell.  As  you  see  in  the  young  man  in  the 
Gospel,  who  w^as  willing  to  follow  Christ  so  long  as  he  might  be  no 
loser  in  following  of  him,  Mat.  xix.  20-25  ;  but  when  it  came  to  this, 
that  he  must  part  with  his  riches  or  with  Christ,  then  he  falls  off,  and 
went  away  sorrowftd,  because  he  had  great  possessions.  But  now  a 
sincere  Christian  will  obey  even  the  most  chargeable  and  costly  com- 
mands of  God,  as  you  may  see  in  that  little  book  of  martyrs,  tenth  and 
eleventh  chapters  of  the  Hebrews  ;  and  as  you  may  see  in  the  three 
children  in  Daniel,  in  the  disciples,  in  the  primitive  Christians,  and  in 
the  mart^^rs  in  the  Marian  days  :  Mat.  xix.  27.     But, 

Secondly,  If  your  obedience  springs  from  faith,  then  you  will  en- 
deavour to  obey  God  in  relative  commands  as  well  as  in  absolute  com- 
mands. You  will  not  only  hear,  and  pray,  and  read,  and  meditate,  and 
fast,  and  mourn,  but  you  will  labour  to  be  good  in  your  relations,  both 
as  a  husband,  a  father,  a  master,  a  magistrate,  a  minister.  Remember 
this  for  ever,  every  one  is  that  really  that  he  is  relatively.  Many  make 
a  great  pi-afession,  and  are  under  a  great  name,  and  have  great  parts 
and  gifts,  and  can  discourse  rarely  w'ell  on  any  subject,  whose  houses 
are  not  Bethels,  but  Bethavens ;  not  little  temples,  but  little  hells.  One, 
Avriting  of  the  Italian  women,  saith  that  they  were  angels  in  the  streets, 
saints  in  the  church,  and  devils  in  their  houses.  This  is  very  applicable 
to  many  high  professors  this  day,  who  are  very  forward  in  the  general 
duties  of  religion,and  yet  make  little  conscience  of  relative  duties ;  but  he 
whose  obedience  springs  from  faith,  he  will  make  conscience  of  relative 
commands  as  well  as  of  absolute  commands.  Whatever  command  hath 
the  stamp  of  God,  the  authority  of  heaven,  upon  it,  though  it  seem  never  so 
small,  he  dares  not  disobey  it.  If  he  sees  a  beam  of  divine  majesty  sitting 
upon  the  face  of  any  command,  he  Aviil  submit  to  it.  You  know  men  wiH 
not  refuse  a  penny  if  the  king's  stamp  be  upon  it ;  so  if  the  authority  of' 
God  be  stamped  upon  the  least  command,  a  sound  Christian  will  yield  sub- 
jection to  it  as  well  as  the  greatest.  Mark,  if  a  man  make  no  conscience  of 
relative  conmiands,  thougb  his  general  conversation  as  a  Christian  be 
never  so  admirable,  yet  he  hath  great  cause  to  suspect  himself  and  his 
estate,  and  that  his  heart  is  not  right  in  the  sight  of  God,  Acts  viii.  21. 
Oh  that  you  would  seriously  consider  that  relative  and  domestical 
graces  and  duties  do  more  demonstrate  true  piety  and  godliness  than 
public  duties,  than  general  duties,  do  ;  for  pride,  vain-glory,  self-ends, 
and  a  hundred  other  outward  carnal  considerations,  may  put  a  man 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  339" 

upon  the  general  duties  of  religion,  as  you  may  see  by  the  scriptures  in. 
the  margin/  and  as  you  may  see  in  the  scribes  and  pharisees  through- 
out the  New  Testament ;  but  it  argues  both  truth  and  strength  of  grace 
to  be  diligent  and  conscientious  in  the  discharge  of  relative  duties  ;  and 
this  is  the  true  reason  why  the  apostles  in  their  epistles  do  so  frequently, 
so  earnestly,  and  so  strongly,  by  variety  of  motives,  press  Christians  to 
the  performance  of  those  relative  duties  that  lie  upon  their  hands.     But, 
Thirdly,  If  your  ohedience  springs  frowj  faith,  then  you  luill  endea- 
vour to  obey  God  in  ajffirmative  commands,  ojs  well  as  in  negative 
commands.     You  will  not  only  look  upon  what  God  would  not  have 
you  to  do,  but  you  will  also  look  to  see  what  God  would  have  you  to 
do.     Dives  was  not  cast  into  hell  for  oppressing  Lazarus,  but  for  not 
shewing  mercy  to  Lazarus  ;  he  was  not  damned  because  he  took  any- 
thing from  him,  but  because  he  gave  nothing  to  him,  Luke  xvi.  19-29. 
The  evil  servant  did  not  riot  out  his  talent,  but  omitted  the  improve- 
ment of  it,  for  which  he  was  cast  into  outer  darkness,  Mat.  xxv.  24-31. 
Nor  those  reprobates  in  the  same  chapter  did  not  rob  the  poor  saints, 
but  omitted  the  relieving  of  them,  which  was  their  ruin.     Moab  and 
Ammon  were  banished  the  sanctuary  to  the  tenth  generation  for  a  mere 
omission,  because  they  met  not  God's  Israel  in   the  wilderness  with 
bread  and  vvater,  Deut.  xxiii.  3^  4.     Look,  as  the  omission  of  good  diet 
breeds  diseases,  so  the  omission  of  religious  duties  will  either  make 
work  for  repentance,  or  for  hell,  or  for  the  Physician  of  souls.     Mark, 
there   is  many  a  man's   religion  lies  merely   in  negatives  ;  he  is  no 
swearer,  no  drunkard,  no   adulterer,  no  oppressor,   no  defrauder,  &c., 
Luke  xviii.  11,     A  formal  professor's  obedience  to  divine  commands  does 
principally  lie  in  negatives ;  he  considers  not  so  much  what  the  com- 
mand requires  as  what  it.  prohibits,  and  he  pleases  himself  rather  in 
abstaining  from  evil  than  in  doing  of  good,  in  being  outwardly  reformed 
than  in  being  inwardly  renewed.     He  thinks  it  enough  that  he  turns 
from  sin,  though  he  makes  no  conscience  of  turning  to  God.     If  you 
:  ask   him  concerning  affirmative  commands^   there  you  will  find  him 
1  speechless.      Ask  him,  Art  thou  holy?    Art  thou  humble  ?     Art  thou 
)  heavenly  ?  Art  thou  sincere  ?  Art  thou  a  believer  ?  Dost  thou  set  up  God 
.  as  the  great  object  of  thy  fear  ?    Dost  thou  love  God  with  a  superlative 
love  ?    Is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  a  delight  unto  thee  ?  &c.     Now  here 
you  strike  him  dumb  ;  he  looks  upon  the  neglect  of  these  things  as  no 
]  sins,  because  they  are  not  such  scandalous  sins  as  the  others  are,  Isa, 
I  viii.  13,  Ps.  xviii.  1,  Isa.  Iviii,  13.     Remember,  sirs,  sinful  omissions 
many  times  lead  to  sinful  commissions,  as  you  may  see  in  the  angels 
that  fell  from  heaven  to  hell;  and  as  you  may  see  in  Adam,  who  fell 
from  his  highest  glory  into  a  woful  gulf  of  sin  and  misery.     But, 

Fourthly,  If  your  obedience  spring  from  faith,  then  you  will  endea- 
vour to  obey  God  in  the  spirit  of  the  command,  as  well  as  in  the  letter 
of  the  coniTnand.  In  every  command  of  God  there  is  an  i^itiu  and  au 
extra;  one  part  of  Christ's  la.w  binds  the  flesh,  and  another  part  binds 
the  spirit :  'Thou  shalt  do  no  murder;'  there  is  the  letter  of  the  com- 
mand. '  Thou  shalt  not  be  angry  with  thy  brother  without  a  cause  ;' 
there  is  the  spirit  of  the  command,  '  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery;' 
there  is  the  letter  of  the  command.  '  Thou  shalt  not  look  upon  a  woman 
^  Isa,  Iviii.  1-5  ;  Hosea  v,  14  ;  Zech.  vii  4-7. 


34'0  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

to  lust  after  hor ;'  tlicre  is  the  spirit  of  the  command,  Mat.  v.  21,  22, 
27,  28.  The  pharisees  of  old  did  not  look  to  the  spirituality  of  the  law, 
but  only  to  the  letter  of  the  law  ;  they  rested  wholly  upon  an  outward 
conformity  to  the  law.  When  their  hearts  were  full  of  hellish  lusts, 
they  were  all  for  the  outside  of  the  law,  they  regarded  not  the  inside  of 
the  law  ;  they  were  all  for  washing  of  platters  and  cups,  and  for  beauti- 
fying of  tombs,  like  an  adulteres.s,  whose  care  is  to  paint  and  set  a  fair 
face  upon  a  foul  matter ;  they  were  all  for  paying  tithe  of  mint  and 
anise  and  cummin  ;  but  they  regarded  not  the  inside  of  the  law,  they 
omitted  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law,  viz.,  judgment,  mercy,  and  faith, 
Mat.  xxiii.  23.  While  Paul  walked  by  the  letter  of  the  command,  he  was 
blameless  in  his  own  account ;  but  when  he  came  to  walk  by  the  spirit  of 
the  command,  then  sin  revived,  and  he  died,  Philip,  iii.  6,  Rom.  vii.  9. 
Friends,  there  are  the  more  general  duties  of  religion,  as  hearing,  pray- 
ing, reading,  receiving,  fasting,  repeating,  discoursing,  &c.  Now  these 
all  lie  in  the  very  letter  of  the  command.  And  there  are  the  more  inward 
and  spiritual  duties  of  religion,  as  the  exercise  of  faith,  fear,  love,  hope, 
joy,  patience,  contentation,  humble  submission,  and  choosing  of  God, 
and  cleaving  to  God,  and  delighting  in  God,  and  admiring  of  God,  and 
exalting  of  God,  and  following  hard  after  God,  and  holy  meditation,  and 
self-examination,  &c.  Now  all  these  lie  in  the  very  spirit  of  the  com- 
mand.' Now  in  the  exercise  of  these  more  spiritual  duties  our  fellow- 
ship and  communion  with  God  mainly  lies.  In  the  more  general  duties 
of  religion,  an  hypocrite  may  manifest  the  excellency  of  his  gifts  ;  but 
in  the  more  spiritual  duties  of  religion,  a  sincere  Christian  doth  mani- 
fest both  the  excellency  and  efficacy  of  grace.  Mark,  an  unsound  heart 
looks  no  further  than  to  the  bare  letter  of  the  command,  to  bare  hear- 
ing, and  bare  praying,  and  bare  preaching,  and  bare  fasting,  and  bare 
giving,  and  bare  receiving,  and  bare  suffering ;  he  looks  no  further  than 
to  that  part  of  the  command  which  only  binds  the  flesh,  or  outward 
man  ;  and  if  he  does  but  ob.serve  that  in  the  gross,  he  thinks  he  hath 
done  marvellous  well ;  like  a  melancholy  man,  that  matters  not  what 
melody  and  harmony  he  makes,  so  he  does  but  touch  the  strings  of  the 
instrument.  But  now,  a  sound,  a  sincere  Christian,  he  looks  to  the  spirit 
of  the  command  ;  and  if  he  does  not  come  up  to  that  in  sincere  desires, 
in  gracious  purposes,  in  fixed  resolutions,  and  in  cordial  endeavours,  he 
can  have  no  peace,  no  rest,  no  quiet,  no  comfort.  O  sirs  !  as  ever  you 
would  see  God,  and  enjoy  God  another  day,  you  must  labour,  not  only 
to  obey  the  letter  of  the  command,  but  also  to  bring  your  hearts  to  the 
sincere  obedience  of  the  spirit  of  the  command.  This  is  a  very  close, 
piercing,  distinguishing,  and  discovering  sign.     But, 

Fifthly,  If  your  ohodience  springs  frorti  faith,  then  you  willlabour, 
not  only  to  obey  God  in  the  matter,  but  also  in  the  manner  of  the  covi- 
maiid,  not  only  in  the  substance  of  the  command,  but  also  in  the  cir- 
cumstance of  the  coivmand.  God  requires  the  manner  as  well  as  the 
matter ;  and  God  looks  upon  that  work  as  not  done,  that  is  not  done  in 
a  rijiht  manner.     '  Did  not  the  Lord  command  sacrifice  ?  and  did  not 

'  Could  a  man  como  up  to  all  nflirmativo  and  negative  precepts  in  his  outward  conver- 
sation ;  yet,  if  lie  were  not  spiritual  in  all  these,  his  obedience  would  be  but  as  a  body 
without  a  soul.  1'he  pharisees  rise  higher  in  tiieir  outward  obedience,  and  yet  Christ  clearly 
and  fully  convinces  tliem  tliat  they  were  wretched  adulterers  and  murderers,  though  they 
were  not  guilty  of  any  sucii  outward  crimes,  &c. 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  oil 

Cain  offer  sacrifice?  and  yet  God  had  no  respect  to  him,  nor  to  his  offer- 
ing, because  his  sacrifice  was  not  offered  up  in  a  right  manner,  his  offering 
was  not  offered  up  by  a  hand  of  faith;  he  offered  his  offering,  but  because 
he  did  not  offer  himseff  as  an  offering  to  God,  his  offering  was  rejected  by 
God,'  Gen.  iv.  8.'     A  work  may  be  materially  good  that  is  not  formally 
and  eventually  good  ;  and  this  was  Cain's  curse.     How  frequently  did 
God  command  the  Jews  to  pray  ?  and  yet  he  plainly  tells  them,  *  When 
you  spread  forth  your  hands,  I  will  hide  mine  eyes  from  you;  yea,  when 
you  make  many  prayers,  I  will  not  hear,'  Isa.  i.  15.     He  commanded 
them  to  sacrifice,  and  yet  he  saith,  '  To  what  purpose  is  the  multitude 
of  your  sacrifices?'  ver.  11,  and  all  because  they  did  not  manage  their 
prayers  nor  sacrifices  in  a  right  manner.    Their  hands  were  full  of  blood, 
and  their  hearts  were  full  of  sins,  and  their  lives  were  full  of  lewdness  ; 
and  therefore  all  their  services  were  vain  oblations,  yea,  an  abomination 
to  God.     An  unsound  heart  looks  no  further  than  to  the  substance  of 
the  command.     If  he  has  heard,  and  prayed,  and  fasted,  and  read,  and 
repeated,  and  given  alms,  and  received  the  Lord's  supper,  he  strokes 
himself,  and  blesses  himself,  and  hugs  himself,  and  thinks  all  is  well, 
and  so  he  looks  no  further.     But  now  a  sound  sincere  Christian,  he 
looks  to  the  circumstance  as  well  as  the  substance,  to  the  manner  as 
well  as  to  the  matter  of  the  command.     When  he  prays,  he  labours  to 
pray  fervently,  earnestly ;  he  labours  to  get  his  heart  into  his  prayers  ; 
when  he  hears,  he  will  hear  with  attention  and  intention  of  spirit ;  when 
he  walks,  he  endeavours  to  walk  wisely,  humbly,  faithfully,  fruitfully, 
circumspectly,  exemplarily,  winningly,  convincingly,  blamelessly;  when 
he  obeys,  he  desires  and  endeavours  to  obey  freely,  willingly,  cheerfully.^ 
O  sirs  !  if  we  pray,  and  pray  not  fervently ;  if  we  hear,   and  hear  not 
fruitfully;  if  we  obey,  and  obey  not  willingly;  if  we  shew  mercy,  and 
do  it  not  cheerfully  ;  if  we  sanctify  the  Sabbath,  and  not  with  delight, 
all  is  worth  nothing,  all  will  come  to  nothing,  Isa.  Iviii.  1 3.    Mark,  there 
are  some  circumstances  accessory,  some  necessary,  some  wherein  the 
being,  and  some  wherein  the  well-being  of  a  duty  doth  consist ;  and  if 
you  abstract  these  from  them,  the  duty  is  worth  nothing.     Take  away 
fervency  and  humility  from  prayer,  take  away  faithfulness  and  fruitful- 
ness  from  hearing,  and  take  away  willingness  and  delight  from  obedience, 
and  all  will  be  worth  nothing.     God  regards  not  only  the  matter,  but 
the  manner.     Criton  the  papist  could  say.  That  God  loved  better  ad- 
verbs than  nouns,  not  to  pray  only,  but  to  pray  well.     Non  bonum  sed 
bene  agere,  Not  to  do  good,  but  to  do  it  well,  is  the  great  wisdom  of  a  Chris- 
tian.    What  is  the  sun  without  light,  or  the  fountain  without  water,  or 
the  body  without  the  soul,  or  wood  without  fire,  or  a  bullet  without  a 
gun,  or  a  ship  without  a  rudder?  No  more  are  words  in  prayer,  without  the 
spirit  of  prayer.    God  looks  more  at  the  manner  than  at  the  matter  of  your 
prayers.     And  let  thus  much  suffice  to  confirm  the  first  pai'ticular.     But, 
[2.]  Secondly,  That  obedience  that  springs  from  faith,  is  an  obedi- 
ence that  is  only  grounded  upon  the  word  of  God,  the  commands  of 
God.     Ps.  cxix.  4,  5,  'Thou  hast  commanded  us  to  keep  thy  precepts  dili- 
gently ;  Oh  that  my  ways  were  directed  to  keep  thy  statutes !'     Isa.  viii. 

^  Luther  on  Genesis. — G. 

2  James  v.  17,  18;  Micah  vi.  8 ;  I  Pet.  ii.  12,  and  iii.  1-3  ;  1  Thess.  ii.  10;  2  Cor.  i.  12; 
Pe.  ex.  3. 


•342 


A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS. 


[Chap.  II. 


20,  'To  the  law  and  to  the  testimony  ;  if  they  speak  not  according  to  this 
word,  it  is  because  there  is  no  light  in  them.'      Mat.  v.  18,  '  For  verily  I 
say  unto  you.  Till  heaven  and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no 
wise  pass  from  the  law,  till  all  be  fulfilled.'     John  x.  35,  '  If  he  called 
them  gods,  unto  whom  the  word  of  God  came,  and  the  Scripture  cannot 
be  broken.'     Chap.  xii.  48,  '  He  that  rejecteth  me,  and  receiveth  not 
my  words,  hath  one  that  judgeth  him  ;  the  word  that  I  have  spoken,  the 
same  shall  judge  him  in  the  last  day.'     2  Tim.  iii.  1  (i,  17,  'All  Scripture 
is  given  by  inspiration  of  God,  and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof, 
for  correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness,  that  the  man  of  God  may 
be  perfect,  throughly  furnished  unto  all  good  works.'    Now  the  reasons 
why  that  obedience  that  springs  from  faith  is  an  obedience  that  is  only 
grounded  upon  the  word  of  God,  the  commands  of  God,  are  these  five  : 
(1.)  And  the  first  is  drawn  fivm  the  siq^remacy  and  sovereignty  of 
God,  v'ho  alone  is  to  ijrescribe  to  man  his  duty.     He  is  our  great  Lord 
and  Master,  he  is  our  only  Lord  and  Lawgiver.     Isa.  xxxiii.  22,  '  For  the 
Lord  is  our  Judge,  the  Lord  is  our  Lawgiver,  the  Lord  is  our  King.' 
James  iv.  12,  '  There  is  one  Lawgiver,  who  is  able  to  save  and  to  destroy  ; 
wlio  art  thou  that  judgest  another  ?'     Now  by  the  laws  of  this  Lord  and 
Lawgiver,  we  must  square  all  our  actions.     Look,  as  it  would  be  very 
absurd  in  a  servant  to  do  that  work  which  he  thinks  meet,  and  not  what 
his  master  commands  ;  so  it  is  as  absurd  for  men  to  think,  that  God 
will  accept  of  this  or  that  at  their  hands,  when  they  cannot  plead  his 
superscription  and  authority  for  what  they  do.     God  will  one  day  say  to 
such,  '  Who  hath  required  this  at  your  hands  ?'  Isa.  i.  12.     O  sirs!  you 
must  lay  the  command  of  God  as  a  foundation  for  what  you  do,  or  else 
all  your  buildings,  though   never  so  glorious,  will  certainly  totter  and 
fall;  in  all  you  do,  you  must  be  able  to  say,  'Thus  saith  the  Lord,'  or 
else  after  you  have  done  your  best,  you  may  be  undone  for  ever.     But, 
(2.)  Secondly,  God's  promise  and  blessing  is  only  annexed  to  God's 
command.     He  that  will  have  the  sweet  of  the  promise,  and  the  bless- 
ings of  heaven,  he  must  look  that  his  obedience  be  bottomed  upon 
divine  commands.     In  holy  actions  it  is  not  thy  performance,  nor  thy 
grace,  nor  thy  warmth,  nor  thy  zeal,  but  the  command  and  the  promise 
that  is  annexed  to  it,  that  will  bear  thee  out.     Therefore  we  are  called 
children  of  the  promise,  and  heirs  of  the  promise.  Gal.  iv.  28  ;  Heb.  vi. 
17.     The  children  of  God,  in  all  their  obedience,  should  still  keep  an 
eye  upon  the  command  of  God,  and  the  promise  of  God,  as  ever  they 
would  run  the  race  that  is  set  before  them,  Heb.  xii.  1.     But, 

(3.)  Thirdly,  Our  obedience  must  be  grounded  and  bottomed  upon  a 
divine  command,  because  of  that  great  corruption,  j)ollut  ion,  blindness, 
and  darkness  which  is  upon  our  minds  and  understandings,  wliich 
would  carr'y  us  to  what  not,  if  we  were  not  to  steer  our  Christian  course 
by  divine  commands,  Col.  ii.  20-22.  The  apostle  condemns  those  things 
which  had  a  show  of  humility  and  great  mortification,  because  they 
were  not  bottomed  u])on  a  divine  command  ;  and  Christ  condemned 
many  practices  of  the  scribes  and  pharisees,  because  they  were  not 
bottomed  upon  a  divine  command,  as  you  may  see  by  comparing  the 
()th,  15th,  and  23d  chapters  of  Matthew  together.     But, 

(4.)  Fourthly,  Our  obedience  must  be  bottomed  upon  a  divine  com- 
mand, because  else  we  can  never  be  able  to  bear  up  our  hearts  comfort- 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  34:3 

ably,  courageoushj ,  confidently,  and  resolutely,  under  all  the  afflictions, 
oppositions,  temptations,  persecutions,  and  discouragements  that  we 
meet  luith  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord,  and  in  doing  the  work  of  the  Lord, 
Ps.  xliv.  9,  seq.  ;  Ezek.  xxviii.  1 2,  22.  All  the  messages  that  the  pro- 
phets delivered  were  still  grounded  upon  a  divine  command,  '  Thus  saith 
the  Lord ;'  and  this  steeled  their  spirits  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  this 
made  them  resolute  and  undaunted  in  the  midst  of  all  the  afflictions 
and  oppositions  that  they  met  with.  And  so  it  was  a  word  of  command 
that  raised  the  spirits  and  encouraged  the  hearts  of  the  apostles  in  the 
work  of  the  Lord,  in  the  face  of  all  the  oppositions,  threateniugs,  and 
buffetings  that  they  met  with  from  the  civil  powers.  Acts  iv.  19,  20, 
and  V.  29.  You  know  Absalom  lays  his  bloody  commands  upon  his 
servants,  as  their  highest  encouragement  to  that  bloody  work  of  killing 
his  brother  Amnon,  2  Sam.  xiii.  28.  '  Now  Absalom  had  commanded 
his  servants  [his  assassins],  saying,  Mark  ye  now  when  Amnon's  heart 
is  merry  with  wine,  and  when  I  say  unto  you,  Smite  Amnon,  then  kill 
him,  fear  not :  have  not  I  commanded  you  ?  Be  courageous,  and  be 
valiant ;  or  sons  of  valour,  as  the  Hebrew  runs.  And  so  a  Christian 
must  lay  the  command  of  God  before  him,  as  his  highest  encouragement 
to  do  what  GoJ  requires  of  him,  &c. 

(5.)  Fifthly  ai\d  lastly.  Our  obedience  must  be  bottomed  and  grounded 
upon  the  commands  of  God,  to  difference  and  distinguish  ourselves 
from  all  hypocrites,  formalists,  superstitious  and  profane  persons, 
tuhose  obedience  is  sometimes  bottomed  upon  the  traditions  of  men, 
and  sometimes  upon  the  commandments  of  men.  It  was  the  sin  of 
the  ten  tribes,  that  they  complied  with  the  command  of  Jeroboam  and 
his  princes,  to  worship  the  calves  at  Dan  and  Bethel ;  and  for  this  the 
wrath  of  the  Lord  fell  heavy  upon  them.  '  Ephraim  is  oppressed  and 
broken  in  judgment,  because  he  willingly  walked  after  the  command- 
ments.' And  sometimes  their  obedience  is  bottomed  upon  the  examples 
of  men,  sometimes  their  obedience  is  bottomed  upon  the  examples  of 
their  forefathers  and  ancestors, — Jer.  x.  3,  '  The  customs  of  the  people 
are  vain,'  &c., — and  sometimes  upon  the  examples  of  great  men.  This 
was  that  which  the  pharisees  objected  against  believing  on  Christ.' 
'  Have  any  of  the  rulers  or  of  the  pharisees  believed  on  him  ?  but  this 
people  who  knoweth  not  the  law  are  cursed.'  And  sometimes  they 
bottom  their  obedience  upon  the  example  of  the  multitude.  This  was 
Demetrius  his  argument  against  Paul,  on  the  behalf  of  Diana,  '  that  all 
Asia  and  the  world  did  worship  her,'  Acts  xix.  26,  27 ;  and  therefore 
the  doctrine  of  Paul,  that  they  be  no  gods  which  are  made  with  hands, 
was  false,  and  not  to  be  suffered.  This  hath  always  been,  and  is  still, 
the  common  plea  of  many.  We  do  but  as  the  most  do  ;  and  sure  a  great 
many  eyes  can  see  more  than  one  or  two.  And  hereupon  they  exclaim 
against  others  for  their  singularity,  because  they  won't  do  as  the  rest  of 
their  neighbours  do.     But, 

[3.]  Thirdly,  That  obedience  that  springs  from  faith  is  a  groiving 
obedience,  it  is  an  abounding  obedience.  Such  a  man's  desires,  will, 
study,  and  labour,  is  to  get  up  to  the  highest  pitch  of  obedience,  to  get 
up  to  the  highest  round  in  Jacob's  ladder  :  Bev.  ii.  19,  '  I  know  thy 

'  Isa.  xsix.  13,  14  ;  Mat.'xv.  1-10;  Mark  vii.  3-10;  Hosea  v.  11,  12 ;  Jer.  xliv.  17,  18, 
&c.  ;  John  vii.  48,  49. 


34-4.  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  IL 

•work,  and  charity,  and  service,  and  faith,  and  thy  patience,  and  thy 
works ;  and  the  last  to  be  more  than  the  first.'  The  angel  of  the 
church  of  Thyatira  is  commended,  (1)  first,  for  his  love;  (2)  for  his 
charity  ;  (3)  for  his  faith  ;  and  (4')  for  his  patience.  And  in  the  general 
course  of  liis  life,  he  daily  became  more  excellent ;  for  his  '  latter  works 
were  more  than  the  first,'  that  is,  they  were  more  manifest  proofs  of  his 
constancy,  and  more  worthy  of  praise  than  the  first.  This  faithlul 
pastor  is  commended  for  his  holy  progress  in  grace  and  holines.s.  So 
Paul,  Philip,  iii,  12,  '  Not  as  though  I  had  already  attained,  either  were 
already  perfect ;  but  I  follow  after,  if  that  I  may  apprehend  that  for 
which  also  I  am  apprehended  of  Clirist  Jesus.'  Ver.  ]  3,  '  Brethren,  I 
count  not  myself  to  have  apprehended  :  but  this  one  thing  I  do,  for- 
getting those  things  which  are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto  those 
tilings  which  are  before.'  Ver.  14,  '  I  press  towards  the  mark,  for  the 
prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.'  The  Greek  Avord 
6/wy.w,  doth  emphatically  import  a  pressing  with  an  eager  pursuit  after 
the  mark.  It  is  the  same  word  that  signifies  to  persecute,  because  the 
earnestness  of  his  spirit  in  pressing  toward  the  mark  now  is  the  same 
that  it  was  in  the  persecution  of  those  that  pressed  toward  the  mark 
before.  Look,  as  good  runners,  when  they  come  near  unto  the  mark, 
stretch  out  their  heads,  and  hands,  and  whole  bodies,  to  take  hold  of 
them  that  run  with  them,  or  of  the  mark  that  is  before  them  ;  so  he  in 
his  whole  race  so  laboured  unto  that  which  was  before,  as  if  he  were 
still  stretching  out  his  arms  to  take  hold  of  it.  If  such  a  man  might 
have  his  choice,  he  would  be  the  most  humble,  the  most  holy,  the  most 
heavenly,  the  most  mortified,  the  most  patient,  the  most  contented,  the 
most  thankful,  the  most  fruitful,  the  most  active,  the  most  zealous,  and 
the  most  self-denying  Christian  in  the  world,  1  Peter  i.  15,  16.  If  he 
might  have  his  choice,  he  would  be  holy  as  God  is  holy,  and  perfect  as 
his  heavenly  father  is  perfect ;  he  would  do  the  will  of  God  on  earth,  as 
those  princes  of  glory,  the  angels,  do  it  now  in  heaven,  viz.,  freely, 
readily,  cheerfully,  delightfully,  universally,  reverentially,  and  un- 
weariedly,  &c.  If  he  might  have  his  choice,  he  would  exercise  every 
grace,  and  perform  every  duty,  with  all  his  might ;  he  sees  so  much 
excellency  and  beauty  in  God  and  Christ,  that  he  cannot  be  at  rest  till 
he  be  swallowed  up  in  the  enjoyment  of  them ;  he  sees  so  much  ex- 
cellency in  grace,  that  nothing  but  perfection  of  grace  will  satisfy  him  ; 
he  makes  perfection  not  only  his  utmost  end,  but  he  also  labours  after 
perfection  with  his  utmost  strength  and  endeavours.  When  God  is  made 
the  one  of  a  man's  desires,  the  one  of  a  man's  affections,  the  one  of  a 
man's  life  and  comfort,  then  will  he  be  the  one  of  a  man's  endeavours 
too.  That  obedience  that  springs  from  faith,  when  it  is  not  winter- 
time with  a  Christian,  is  a  fruitful  obedience,  it  is  an  abounding  obe- 
dience, it  is  a  progressive  obedience.  Look,  as  the  mercy  and  favour  of 
God  to  a  believer  is  not  stinted  nor  limited,  so  the  obedience  of  a  be- 
liever to  God  is  not  stinted  or  limited ;  but  now  the  obedience  of  hypo- 
crites is  always  stinted  and  limited.     This  command  they  will  obey,  but 


'  It  is  not  every  believer's  happiness  always  to  make  a  progress  in  grace.  Solomon 
and  Asa,  and  others,  run  retrograde.  Saints  have  tlicir  winter  seasons  ;  tliey  have  their 
decaying  times,  and  withering  times,  as  well  as  their  thriving  times,  their  tlourishing 
times,  Kev.  ii.  4. 


I 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  345 

not  that ;  this  duty  they  will  do,  but  not  that ;  this  work  they  will 
attend,  but  not  that,  &c. 

[4.]  Fourthly,  That  obedience  that  springs  from  faith  is  the  obedi- 
ence of  a  son,  not  of  a  slave  ;  it  is  a  free,  voluntary,  evangelical  obedi- 
ence, and  not  a  legal,  servile,  and  forced  obedience :  Ps.  ex.  3,  '  Thy 
people  shall  be  williug  in  the  day  of  thy  power,  in  the  beauties  of  holi- 
ness ;'  in  the  Hebrew,  it  is  willingnesses,  in  the  plural  number,  to  shew 
their  exceeding  great  willingness  :  Ps.  xxvii.  8,  '  When  thou  saidst.  Seek 
ye  my  face,  my  heart  said  unto  thee,  Thy  face,  Lord,  will  I  seek.'  By 
face  is  meant,  (1.)  God  himself:  Exod.  xx.  3,  'Before  my  face,*  that  is, 
before  me.  (2.)  His  favour,  Jer.  xviii.  17,  '  I  will  shew  them  the  back, 
and  not  the  face,  in  the  day  of  their  calamity."  Now,  no  sooner  had 
God  given  forth  a  word  of  command  for  the  psalmist  to  seek  him,  and 
to  seek  his  favour,  but  presently  his  heart  did  echo  to  that  command  : 
'  Thy  face.  Lord,  will  I  seek.'  So  Jer.  iii.  22,  '  Return,  ye  backsliding 
children,  and  I  will  heal  your  backslidings  ;  behold,  we  come  unto  thee, 
for  thou  art  the  Lord  our  God.'  Every  gracious  soul  hath  the  duplicate 
of  God's  law  in  his  heart,  and  is  willingly  cast  into  the  mould  of  his 
word  :  Rom.  vi.  17,  'Ye  have  obeyed  from  the  heart  the  form  of  doctrine 
that  hath  been  delivered  to  you,'  or  whereto  you  were  delivered,  as  the 
words  may  be  read.  They  did  not  only  obey,  but  they  obeyed  from  the 
heart,  their  hearts  were  in  their  obedience  :  Ps.  xl.  8,  '  I  delight  to  do 
thy  will,  0  my  God  !  yea,  thy  law  is  within  my  heart,'  or  in  the  midst 
of  my  bowels,  as  the  Hebrew  runs  ;  these  note  the  tenderest  affections. 
There  is  the  counterpane^  of  the  law  written,  yea,  printed  upon  every 
gracious  heart ;  a  godly  man  will  live  and  die  with  the  law  of  God 
stamped  upon  his  heart.  Col.  i.  12  ;  Philip,  i.  8  ;  Jer.  xxxi.  33.  0  beata 
Apocalypsis !  said  the  martyr,  catching  up  the  Revelation,  that  was  cast 
into  the  same  fire  with  him  to  be  burned.  O  blessed  revelation  !  how 
happy  am  I  to  be  burned  with  thee  in  my  hands  ?  It  was  Christ's 
meat  and  drink  to  do  his  Father's  w-ill ;  and  the  same  mind  is  in  all  the 
saints  as  was  in  Christ  Jesus.  '  They  delight  in  the  law  of  God  after 
the  inward  man,'  John  iv.  ;  Philip,  ii.  5  ;  Rom.  vii.  22.  True  obedience 
flows  from  principles  of  heartiness  and  love  within,  and  not  from  bye  and 
base  respects  and  ends,  that  are  carnal  and  worldly.  It  is  observable, 
that  Jehu's  obedience  was  as  ample  and  as  large  as  God's  command  : 
2  Kings  X.  30,  '  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Jehu,  because  thou  hast  done 
well  in  executing  that  which  is  right  in  mine  eyes,  and  hast  done  unto 
the  house  of  Ahab  according  to  all  that  was  in  mine  heart,  thy  children 
of  the  fourth  generation  shall  sit  on  the  throne  of  Israel.'  And  yet 
because  his  heart  was  not  in  his  obedience,  and  because  he  did  not 
purely  act  for  God,  but  for  himself,  that  he  might  bring  about  his  own 
designs,  he  met  with  a  revenge  instead  of  a  reward  ;  as  you  may  see 
in  that :  Hosea  i.  4,  '  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him.  Call  his  name  Jez- 
reel,  for  yet  a  little  while,  and  I  will  avenge  the  blood  of  Jezreel 
upon  the  house  of  Jehu.'  Jehu's  heart  was  not  in  his  obedience,  he 
had  a  dispensatory  conscience  ;  for  though  he  rooted  out  Baal's  wor- 
ship, yet  the  golden  calves  must  still  continue.  He  destroyed  idola- 
ters, but  not  idolatry ;  and  this  carnal  policy  brought  down  vengeance 
and  misery  upon  him  and  his  posterity.     Artaxerxes  goes  far :  Ezra 

'  See  Glossary,  s.  v. — G. 


346  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

vii.  23,  '  Whatsoever  is  commanded  by  the  God  of  heaven,  let  it  be 
diligently  done.'  To  what  a  height  doth  this  heathen  prince  rise  ! 
He  will  do  anything  for  God,  he  will  do  everything  for  God  that  he 
reqnires.  But  mark,  what  is  that  which  moves  him  to  it  ?  Is  it  love 
to  God  ?  is  it  delight  in  God  ?  Oh  no  !  all  his  obedience  proceeded 
from  nothing  but  fear  of  wrath  and  vengeance,  as  is  evident  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  verse  :  '  For  why  should  there  be  wrath  upon  the 
realm  of  the  king,  and  of  his  sons?'  or,  as  the  Hebrew  runs,  Why 
should  there  be  boiling  or  foaming  anger,  great  indignation  ?  as  it  is 
rendered  and  made  the  utmost  degree  of  divine  di.spleasure  in  that 
Deut.  xxix.  28.  Some  read  these  words,  'Against  the  realm  of  the 
king  and  his  sons,'  as  distinct  one  from  another,  and  not  depending 
one  upon  another ;  thus :  Against  the  realm,  the  king  and  his  sons  ; 
and  this  reading  the  original  will  bear.  And  this  reading  shews,  that 
as  the  king  feared  God's  wrath  against  liimself,  so  also  against  his 
realm  and  children  ;  and  accordingly  he  was  the  more  studious  and 
careful  to  escape  it.  Blind  nature  was  afraid  of  divine  wrath,  aud 
therefore  was  the  more  sedulous  to  prevent  it.  Oh  1  but  now  a  true 
child  of  God,  he  has  the  law  of  God  written,  not  only  in  his  under- 
standing, but  also  in  his  heart  and  affections,  Ezek.  xxxvi.  25-27 ; 
and  this  is  that  which  makes  his  obedience  to  be  pleasing  and  de- 
lightful to  him  ;  so  that  if  he  might  be  free  from  the  injunctions  and 
directions  of  the  word,  with  the  servant  in  the  law,  he  would  not  value 
such  a  libert}^  Exod.  xxi.  4-6,  &c.  ;  he  would  not  swear,  nor  lie,  nor  be 
drunk,  nor  whore,  nor  dissemble,  nor  cheat,  nor  run  into  all  excess  of 
riot  if  he  might,  because  in  his  soul  he  has  a  principle  of  gi'ace,  and  an 
inward  contrariety  and  antipathy  against  it ;  he  would  not  cease  to 
hear,  to  read,  to  pray,  to  meditate  if  he  might,  because  his  soul  takes 
a  delight  and  sweet  complacency  in  these  things.  There  is  a  pi'inciple 
within  him  agreeable  to  the  precept  without  him,  which  makes  all  reli- 
gious performances  to  be  easy  and  pleasurable  to  him.  Look,  as  the 
eye  delights  in  seeing,  and  the  ear  in  hearing,  so  a  gracious  heart  (ex- 
cept when  it  is  under  a  cloud  of  desertion,  or  in  the  school  of  tempta- 
tion, or  under  some  grievous  tormenting  afflictions,  or  sadly  worsted  l)y 
some  prevalent  corruption)  delights  in  obeying.  Actions  of  nature,  you 
know,  ai-e  actions  of  delight ;  and  so  are  all  those  actions  that  spring 
from  a  new  nature,  a  divine  nature,  &c. 

[5.]  Fifthly,  That  obedience  that  springs  from  faith  is  a  transform- 
ing obedience.  It  mightily  alters  and  changes  a  man  ;  from  impurity 
to  purity,  from  sin  to  sanctity,  from  unrighteousness  to  righteousness, 
from  earthly-mindedness  to  heavenly  mindedness,  from  pride  to  humi- 
lity, from  hypocrisy  to  sincerity,  &c.,  2  Cor.  iii.  18,  Rom.  xii.  1,  2.  Such 
as  please  themselves  with  this,  that  they  are  no  changelings,  and  that 
they  are  whatever  they  were,  these  are  still  in  the  gall  of  bitterness,  and 
bond  of  iniquity.  Acts  viii.  23.  That  obedience  of  the  Romans,  which 
was  said  to  have  come  abroad  unto  all  men,  was  an  exemplary  obe- 
dience, and  a  transforming  obedience,  Rom.  xvi.  19.  Certainly,  gospel- 
obedience  is  a  grace  of  much  worth,  and  of  great  force  upon  the  Avhole 
man  ;  for  when  it  is  once  wrought  in  the  heart,  it  worketli  a  confor- 
mity to  all  God's  holy  will.  But  having  spoken  more  largely  of  this  in 
my  other  writings,  let  this  touch  here  suffice,  &c. 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  847 

[6.]  Sixthly,  Tliat  obedience  that  springs  fror)i  faith  is  a  constant  obe- 
dience ;  it  is  a  fixed  and  resolved  obedience.    Not  in  respect  of  practice 
and  continued  acts,   'for  in  many  things  we  offend  all.'      '  There  is 
not  a  just  man  upon  the  earth,  that  doth  good  and  sinneth  not.'    '  Who 
can  say,  I  have  made  my  heart  clean,  I  am  pure  from  my  sin  t    '  There 
is  no  man  that  sinneth  not.'     '  If  we  say  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive 
ourselves,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  us,'  &c.^     But  in  respect  of  a  Chris- 
tian's sincere  desires,  bent  of  will,  purpose  of  heart,  resolution  of  soul, 
and  faithful  endeavours  :  Ps.  cxix.  20,  '  My  soul  breaketh  for  the  long- 
ing that  it  hath  unto  thy  judgments  at  all  times.'     Ver.  112,  'I  have 
inclined  ray  heart  to  keep  thy  statutes  alway,  even  to  the  end.'    Ver.  83, 
'  Teach  me,  0  Lord,  the  way  of  thy  statutes,  and  I  shall  keep  it  unto 
the  end.'     Job  xvii.  9,  '  The  righteous  shall  hold  on  his  way  ;  and  he 
that  hath  clean  hands  shall  be  strono'er  and  stronger.'    So  Isa.  xl.  29-81, 
Job  li.  8.     Mark,  the  renewed  man  hath  at  all  times  a  desire  to  fear 
the  name  of  the  Lord,  Neh.  i.  11  ;  a  will  to  live  honestly  at  all  times, 
Heb.  xiii.  18.     And  it  hath  some  endeavours  and  exercise  of  spirit,  to 
keep  always  a  conscience  void  of  offence  towards  God  and  men.  Acts 
xxiv.  16.     The  Israelites,  in  their  marches  toward  the  holy  land,  were 
many  times  interrupted  by  divers  enemies,  but  yet  they  advanced  in 
their  course,  as  soon  as  they  could  get  rid  of  their  enemies.    So,  though 
the  believer  be  m.any  times  interrupted,  in  the  course  of  his  obedience, 
by  many  fierce  temptations,  and  'strange  working  of  corruj^tions  ;  yet 
after  tlie  temptation  is  over,  the  believer  returns  to  the  course  of  obe- 
dience with    greater  forwardness,   and   with  redoubled  strength    and 
courage,  and  in  the  end  perfects  his  course  of  holiness  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord,  2  Cor.  vii.  1.     Mark,  the  appearing  motion  and  walking  of  an 
unregenerate  man  in  a  way  of  righteousness  and  holiness,  is  but  artifi- 
cial, from  the  engine  of  hypocrisy  and  self-interest,  like  the  flj^ing  of 
Architus  his  artificial  dove,^  and  therefore  having  no  inward  principle 
of  life,  it  endureth  not ;  but  the  motion  and  walking  of  a  man,  renewed 
by  grace  in  ways  of  holiness  and  righteousness,   is  like  the  natural 
living  motion  of  birds,  it  continues  as  long  as  life  continues  ;  and  as 
everything  in  motion,  the  nearer  it  comes  to  the  centre,  the  more  swiftly 
it  moves,  so  the  nearer  the  believer,  through  time,  to  his  rest  in  heaven, 
the  more  prepense  he  is  in  all  his  motions  towards  God .;  '  he  forgets 
the  things  that  are  behind,  and  reacheth  forth  unto  those  things  that 
are  before,'  Philip,  iii.  13.     That  obedience  that  springs  from  faith  is  a 
fixed  and  resolved    obedience ;    like   David's  worthies,   it  will    break 
through  an  host  of  Philistines,  through  an  army  of  difficulties,  impedi- 
ments, and  discouragements,  that  it  may  be  found  doing  the  will  of 
God.    To  make  this  a  little  more  clearly  and  fully  out,  observe  witli  me 
these  few  things  : 

First,  No  contrary  commands  of  men  shall  take  this  man  off  from 
his  obedience  to  the  commands  of  God,  Acts  iv.  19,  and  v.  29,  &c. 

Secondly,  No  stream  of  evil  examples,  no  current  of  corrupt  times, 
shall  bear  them  down  in  ways  of  obedience  :  Joshua  xxiv.  15,  '  I  and 
my  household  will  serve  the  Lord,  though  all  Israel  should  serve  idols.' 
And  Noah  was  upright  with  God,  and  walked  with  God  in  his  geuera- 

'  James  iii.  2 ;  Eccles.  vii.  20 ;  Frov.  xx.  9  ;  1  Kings  viii.  46 ;  1  John  i.  8. ;  Ps.  xvii.  3. 
2  Archytas  :  About  the  '  dove,'  see  Gell,  x.  12.— (i. 


348  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

tion,  when  the  whole  world  was  overspread  with  violence,  and  all  flesh 
had  corrupted  their  ways,  Gen.  vi.  9,  and  vii.  1. 

Th'inlbj,  No  worldly  profit  or  advantage  sliall  bribe  this  man  from 
his  obedience,  Heb.  xi.  8.  Abraham  will  obey  and  follow  God,  though 
he  forsakes  all  the  benefits  and  contentments  of  his  native  country,  and 
of  his  fatiier's  house,  not  knowing  where  his  lot  should  fall,  &c. 

Foufthl/j,  No  carnal  disputes  or  reasonings  with  Hesh  and  blood  .shall 
dissuade  him  from  his  obedience,  Heb.  xi.  7.  Noah  might  have  rai.sed 
many  objections  against  that  strange  attempt  of  building  an  ark,  a  work 
of  an  hundred  and  twenty  years'  continuance  ;  but  Noah  waves  all  dis- 
putes, and  falls  upon  building  of  the  ark,  according  to  the  command  of 
God.  So  Paul,  as  soon  as  he  was  converted,  he  was  commanded  by 
God  to  preach  to  the  Gentiles ;  he  might  have  made  abundance  of 
objections  against  that  service,  but  instead  of  objecting,  he  falls  close 
to  his  Master's  work,  and  never  consults  with  flesh  and  blood.  Gal. 
i.  15-17. 

Fifthly,  No  flood  of  natural  affection  shall  hinder  them  in  the  way 
of  their  obedience.  When  God  commanded  Abraham  to  offer  up  Isaac 
as  a  burnt-offering,  he  goes  about  it  readily,  and  never  acquaints  Sarah 
with  it,  lest  she  should  have  hindered  him  in  his  obedience,  and  he  goes 
three  days  journey  to  effect  it.  Gen.  xxii.  compared  with  Heb.  xi.  17-1 9. 
When  God  commands,  Abraham  Avill  not  stick  at  it,  though  it  be  to 
offer  up  a  son,  a  natural  son,  and  not  an  adopted  son  ;  an  only  son,  and 
not  one  of  many  ;  a  son  of  the  free- woman,  and  not  of  the  bond-woman  ; 
a  son  of  his  old  age  ;  a  son  of  the  promise  ;  a  son  in  whom  all  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth  should  be  blessed  ;  a  son  of  his  love  and  delight ;  a 
son  that  made  the  good  old  man  laugh  and  be  merry, — Isaac  signifies 
laughter, — a  son  that  was  grown  up  to  some  years  ;  witness  the  wood 
of  the  burnt-offering  that  he  laid  upon  him.  Gen.  xxii.  6,  7.  And  this 
was  the  commendation  of  Levi:  Deut.  xxxiii.  8,  9,  '  And  of  Levi  he  said, 
Let  thy  Thummim  and  thy  Urim  be  with  thy  holy  one'  [Urim  and 
Thummim  signify  light  and  perfection,  according  to  their  best  derivar 
tion  in  the  Hebrew  tongue,  and  they  are  here  put  in  the  plural  number, 
lights  and  perfections,  to  note  the  plenty  as  well  as  the  excellency  of 
divine  graces,]  '  whom  thou  didst  prove  at  Ma,ssah,  and  with  whom  thou 
didst  strive  at  the  waters  of  Meribah ;  who  said  unto  his  father  and  to  his 
mother,  I  have  not  seen  him  ;  neither  did  he  acknowledge  his  brethren, 
nor  know  his  own  children.''  This  relates  to  that  heroical  fact  of  the 
Levites,  Exod.  xxxii.  26-29,  when,  at  the  commandment  of  Moses,  they 
slew  their  idolatrous  brethren  that  had  worshipped  the  golden  calf,  not 
sparing  those  that  were  most  nearly  allied  to  them,  but  did  execute 
God's  judgments  upon  parents,  brethren,  and  children,  as  if  they  had 
been  mere  strangers  to  them  ;  the  Levites  were  so  impartial  in  God's 
cause  as  not  to  acknowledge  either  father  or  mother,  brother  or  children, 
against  his  command.  Natural  affections  are  strong,  but  supernatural 
obedience  is  stronger.  Some  have  well  observed,  that  the  married  mar- 
tyrs, wlio  were  parents  of  many  children,  as  Rogers,  Watts,  Guest,  Raw- 
lins, &c.,  suffered  with  most  alacrity.^ 

*  By  Urim  and  Thummim,  some  understand  sincerity  of  life,  and  soundness  of  doc- 
trine. 

^  Interesting  notices  of  all  these  in  Clarke,  as  before,  sub  nominilus. — G. 


I 


CjIAP.  II.]  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  349 

Sixthly,  No  terrors,  no  threats,  no  reproaches,  no  afflictions,  no  op- 
positions, no  persecutions,  no  bonds,  no  banishments,  no  dangers,  no 
deaths,  shall  deter  them  or  affright  them  from  their  obedience,  as  will  evi- 
dently appear  by  comparing  of  these  scriptures  together,  Ps.  xliv.  1 6-21 ; 
Acts  XX.  23,  24,  xxi.  12,  13,  and  xxiv.  14  ;  Dan.  iii.  14-19  ;  Rev.  xii.  11. 
This  is  most  evident  in  the  histories  of  the  ten  persecutions,  and  in  all 
other  histories,  both  of  a  former  and  a  later  date,  &c. 

Physicians  observe  a  difference  betwixt  the  natural  and  preternatural 
heat  in  men's  bodies.  The  preternatural  heat,  which  ariseth  from  dis- 
temper, may  be  more  for  the  present;  but  as  it  exceeds  for  measure,  so 
it  abates  for  time,  because  the  natural  heat  is  a  more  equal,  and  mode- 
rate, and  durable  heat ;  every  part  hath  an  equal  share,  and  it  is  not 
extreme,  and  yet  it  continues.  Thus  it  is  with  hypocrites  and  upright 
persons  in  the  matter  of  obedience.  The  hypocrite  may,  in  a  kind  of 
preternatural  heat,  in  a  hot  fit,  in  a  present  heat,  fall  upon  hearing,  and 
reading,  and  praying,  and  reforming  of  his  family,  and  upon  leaving  of 
this  sin  and  that,  and  upon  casting  off  this  vain  company  and  that,  and 
upon  associating  of  himself  with  this  good  company  and  that.  But 
this  hot  fit  does  not  last ;  the  cold  fit  takes  him  again,  and  then  he 
shakes  hands  with  all  his  duties,  and  loses  all  his  good  inclinations,  and 
lays  aside  all  his  warm  resolutions.  Will  the  hypocrite  pray  always  ? 
Job  xxvii.  8,  9.  Ephraim's  goodness  was  as  a  morning  cloud,  which 
soon  vanisheth,  and  as  the  early  dew,  which  is  soon  dried  up  by  the 
sunbeams,  Hosea  vi.  4.  They  were  both  false  and  fickle,  unsteady  and 
unstable,  constant  only  in  inconstancy ;  their  hearts  were  never  right 
with  God,  for  they  were  not  stedfast  in  his  covenant,  Ps.  Ixxviii.  36,  37. 
There  are  four  times  wherein  an  hypocrite  may  express  a  great  readi- 
ness and  forwardness  to  religious  duties  : 

(1.)  First,  When  he  is  undey^  terrors  and  distress  of  conscience. 
Oh,  now  for  a  little  ease,  a  little  rest,  a  little  quiet,  a  little  comfort, 
what  won't  the  hypocrite  do  !  &c. 

(2.)  Secondly,  When  he  is  under  sore  and  heavy  affi,ictions.  Hosea 
V.  15,  '  In  their  affliction  they  will  seek  me  early  ;'  Isa.  xxvi.  16,  'Lord, 
in  trouble  have  they  visited  thee  ;  they  poured  out  a  prayer  when  thy 
chastening  was  upon  them  ;'  Ps.  Ixxviii.  34,  '  When  he  slew  them,  then 
they  sought  him.'  It  is  a  reproach  to  some  :  No  penny,  no  paternoster. 
And  it  is  a  shame  to  others  :  No  plague,  no  paternoster ;  no  punish- 
ment, no  prayer,  &c.     So  Pharaoh  and  Ahab,  &c. 

(3.)  Thirdly,  When  religion  is  in  fashion,  when  it  is  a  credit  to  he 
a  professor,  and  when  profession  is  the  higliiuay  to  profit  and  prefer- 
ment. In  the  warm  summer  of  prosperity,  when  there  is  no  hazard,  no 
danger,  no  loss  to  be  a  Christian,  who  then  so  forward  in  religious  duties 
as  the  hypocrite  ?  but  when  the  sun  of  persecution  is  up,  tiien  he  falls 
away.  Mat.  xiii.  5,  6. 

(4.)  Fourthly,  When  others'  presence,  counsel,  and  examples  have 
an  influence  tipon  them.  Oh,  now  they  keep  close  duties  !  Joash  did 
that  which  was  right  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  all  the  days  of  Jehoiada 
the  priest ;  but  when  Jehoiada  was  dead,  Joash  serves  groves  and  idols, 
and  turns  a  deaf  ear  to  those  prophets  that  testified  against  him,  and 
gives  Zechariah  the  son  of  Jehoiada  his  passport  out  of  the  world  for 
inveighing  against  his  evil  manners,  and  the  wicked  courses  of  his 


350  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

princes  and  people,  2  Chron.  xxiv.  2,  17-23.  Whilst  the  good  judges 
lived,  the  Israelites  kept  close  to  the  service  of  God  :  Judges  ii.  7,  'And 
the  people  served  the  Lord  all  the  days  of  Joshua,  and  all  the  days  of 
the  elders  that  outlived  Josliua,  who  had  seen  all  the  great  works  of 
the  Lord  that  he  diil  for  Israel.'  But  when  the  good  judges  were  dead, 
the  Israelites  did  what  was  right  in  their  own  eyes  :  every  man's  lust 
was  his  law,  Judges  xvii.  C,  and  chap.  xxi.  25.  Whilst  Moses  was  pre- 
sent, there  was  no  talking  of  a  golden  calf,  but  no  sooner  was  his  back 
turned  but  the  Israelites  make  a  golden  calf,  and  v/orship  it  when  they 
had  done,  Exod.  xxxii.  1-9,  &c. 

But  now  mark,  that  obedience  that  springs  from  faith,  that  is  a  con- 
stant obedience,  that  is  constant  in  opposition  to  tits  and  starts,  and 
imports  tlie  course  and  bent  of  a  Christian's  life,  which  is  always  to 
walk  with  God,  to  cleave  to  God,  to  follow  God,  and  to  obey  God.     But, 

[7.]  Seventhly  and  lastly,  That  obedience  that  springs  from  faith, 
is  directed  to  Q^ir/ht  ends.  Gospel  obedience  has  always  gospel  ends 
attending  of  it.     Quest.  What  are  they  f    A71S.  They  are  these  nine. 

(1.)  First,  To  testify  our  thankfulness  to  the  Lord  for  all  his  favours 
and  benefits  that  we  have  received  from  him,  Ps.  ciii.  1-4;  cxvi.  12, 
&c. 

(2.)  Secondly,  To  recover  the  image  of  God  again,  to  the  height  of 
what  we  are  able.  The  first  Adam  lost  the  image  of  God  by  his  dis- 
obedience. Now,  this  image  of  God  we  recover  again  in  Christ  our 
second  Adam  ;  but  so  as  that  the  more  enlightened,  the  more  holy,  the 
more  humble,  the  more  heavenly,  the  more  righteous,  the  more  gracious, 
and  the  more  obedient  we  are,  the  more  we  recover  of  this  image  of 
God,  which  consists  in  knowledge,  righteousness,  and  true  holiness, 
Eph.  iv.  24  Now,  saith  the  believer,  my  intent  is  to  recover  that  pre- 
cious image  of  God  which  I  lost  in  the  first  Adam,  and  therefore  do  I 
labour  to  come  up  to  the  highest  pitches  of  obedience,  because  the 
hioher  I  rise  in  my  obedience,  the  more  I  shall  recover  of  the  lost 
image  of  God.  I  know  that  I  lost  this  image  by  partaking  of  the 
disobedience  and  pollution  of  the  first  Adam  ;  and  I  know  that  I  have 
recovered  in  part  the  same  image  by  partaking  of  the  obedience  and  holi- 
ness of  the  second  Adam  ;  and  I  yet  further  know  that  the  more  holy 
and  obedient  I  am,  the  more  I  shall  be  like  to  that  God  that  is  holiness 
itself,  and  the  more  I  shall  recover  of  that  blessed  image  which  consists 
in  perfect  holiness. 

(3.)  Thirdly,  Not  for  the  justification  of  their  persons,  for  that  is 
only  by  Christ's  complete  obedience,  which  is  made  theirs  by  faith, 
1  Cor.  i.  oO,  Colos.  ii.  10 ;  but  for  the  testijication  of  their  justifying 
faith,  according  to  that  of  the  ajwstle,  James  ii.  17,  18,  26,  &c.  ^ 

(4.)  Fourthly,  That  they  may  imitate  Vie  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that 
they  may  be  the  more  conformable  to  Christ  their  head,  rvho  pro- 
poses his  holiness  to- believers  as  a  pattern  for  them  to  follow,  as  a  copy 
for  therii  to  vjrite  after:  1  John  ii.  6,  'He  that  saith  he  abideth  in  him, 
ought  himself  also  to  walk  even  as  he  walked.'  Now  saith  the  believer, 
oh  how  holy,  how  humble,  how  heavenly,  how  meek,  how  compassion- 
ate, how  zealous,  how  exemplary,  how  convincing,  how  winning,  how 
oljedient  was  he  when  in  this  world  !  and  therefore,  O  my  soul  !  look 
to  it,  that  thou  makest  it  thy  business,  thy  work,  thy  heaven,  to  imitate 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  351 

the  Lord  Jesus  to  the  utmost  that  thou  art  able  to  reach  to,  Mat.  xi. 
28,  29. 

(5.)  Fifthly,  Though  not  for  the  obtaining  of  salvation,  that  being 
made  sure  to  us  by  Christ,  yet  for  the  obtaining  of  assurance  of  sal- 
vation, and  for  the  making  of  our  calling  and  election  sure,  accord- 
ing to  that  tuord,  2  Peter  i.  5-11. 

(6.)  Sixthly,  That  they  may  keep  up  their  communion  ivith  God; 
for  though  the  union  the  saints  have  with  God  by  Christ  depends  wholly 
upon  that  which  is  without,  viz.,  their  being  married  to  Christ,  and 
clothed  with  his  righteousness,  yet  the  communion  which  the  saints 
have  with  God  through  the  Spirit  hath  much  dependence  upon  a  saint's 
walking,  and  upon  his  obedience ;  so  that,  if  a  saint  shall  dare  to  walk 
carnally  and  loosely,  though  he  shall  not  break  the  marriage-knot,  and 
lose  his  union,  yet  he  will  by  such  sinful  practices  grieve  the  Spirit,  and 
lose  his  communion  with  God,  Jer.  iii.  14,  Isa.  xlix.  1,  2.  But  on  the 
other  hand,  when  a  believer  walks  sj^iritually,  graciously,  obedientially, 
oh  what  sweet  communion  !  what  delightful  communion !  what  hio-h 
communion,  what  commodious  communion  !  what  soul-satisfyino-,  soul- 
ravishing,  soul-filling,  soul-contenting  communion  with  God  does  he  then 
enjoy !  When  the  child  walks  wisely  and  obedientially  before  his 
father,  what  sweet  and  delightful  c&nverses  and  communion  is  there 
between  the  father  and  the  child  ;  but  if  the  child  walk  foolishly,  stub- 
bornly, rebelliously,  disobediently,  the  prudent  father  will  carry  it 
severely,  strangely,  frowningly,  and  at  a  distance.  Though  his  heart 
be  still  full  of  love  to  his  child,  and  though  he  won't  disinherit  him, 
yet  he  will  not  be  familiar  with  him.     The  application  is  easy,  &c. 

(7.)  Seventhly,  To  keep  down  the  body,  and  to  bring  it  into  subjec- 
tion to  the  soul  :■  1  Cor.  ix.  27,  '  But  I  keep  under  my  body,  and  brin fl- 
it into  subjection.'  By  spiritual  exercises  the  apostle  did  subdue  his 
flesh  to  the  obedience  and  discipline  of  the  Spirit.  In  former  times  they 
had  several  exercises,  as  wrestling,  and  running  for  the  prize.  Now, 
such  as  were  slow,  pursy,  unwieldy,  and  lazy,  were  cashiered;  they  would 
not  admit  such  to  be  of  their  society  or  company,  who  wrestled  and  run 
for  the  prize.  Them  that  were  admitted  to  those  exercises  kept  their 
bodies  at  an  under,  and  did  not  pamper  their  bodies  with  dainties  and 
delicates.  Ta  these  the  apostle  alludes  ;  of  idleness  there  comes  no 
goodness.  When  the  spirit  is  not  acting  in  that  which  is  good,  that  the 
flesh  may  be  kept  under,  the  flesh  will  take  an  advantage  to  be  very 
active  in  tliose  things  that  are  evil,  that  the  spii'it  may  be  kept  under  ; 
the  flesh  is  like  an  unruly  beast,  which  through  rest,  idleness,  and  hio-h 
feeding,  grows  wild  and  masterless.  Now,  the  only  way  to  tame  this 
beast  is  to  work  him  hard  ;  so  the  way  of  ways  to  keep  the  body  under 
is  to  keep  up  the  soul  as  much  as  may  be,  in  the  full  exercise  of  holi- 
ness and  obedience.  Such  as  have  most  pampered  their  bodies,  have 
been  the  greatest  enemies  to  their  own  souls  ;  and  how  many  are 
there  this  day  that  pamper  their  bodies,  but  starve  their  souls ;  that 
adorn  their  bodies,  but  defile  their  soul ;  that  trick  and  trim  up  their 
bodies  with  gold,  and  silver,  and  silks,  whilst  their  souls  are  naked 
of  all  grace,  holiness,  and  goodness,  like  the  Laodiceans  of  old.^  The 
body  itself,  if  you  set  too  high  a  price  upon  it,  will  make  a  cheap 
1  Deul.  xxxii.  13-17  ;  Jer.  v.  7,  8,  &c. ;  Rev.  iii.  16-18. 


852  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II.  1 

soul  ;  a  man  may  be  as  happy  in  russet  as  in  tissue ;  and  he  is  cer- 
tainly an  uniiap])y  man  whose  outside  is  his  best  side.  Our  bodies 
are  but  dut  handsomely  tempered,  and  artificially  formed ;  we  derive 
our  pedigree  frum  the  dust,  and  are  akni  to  clay  ;  and  therefore  we 
need  not  scruple  the  keeping  of  it  under  by  holy  exercises,  and  by  all 
ways  of  gospel  obedience,  &c. 

(8.)  Eighthly,  To  the  'profit  and  advantage  both  of  sinners  and 
saints.  [1.]  To  convince  sinners,  to  silence  sinners,  and  to  stop  the 
mouths  of  sinners.  Let  but  one  man  that  walks  wisely,  humbly,  cir- 
cumspectly, convincingly,  exemplarily,  blamelessly,  come  into  a  town, 
a  parish,  a  family,  made  up  of  drunkards,  swearers,  Sabbath-breakers, 
whoremasters,  &c.,  and  his  holy  walking  will  convince  them  and  con- 
demn them,  1  Peter  ii.  12,  15;  chap.  iii.  13,  IG.  [2.]  To  the  profit, 
advantage,  and  encouragement  of  the  saints.  The  strict,  exact-walking 
Christian  provokes  the  slight,  loose  Christian  to  mend  his  manners, 
and  to  order  his  steps  and  conversation  aright ;  and  the  lively  active 
Christian  puts  the  dull,  heavy,  sluggish  Christian  to  a  blush,  and  spurs 
and  quickens  him  up  to  a  more  lively  walking  with  God;  and  the  warm, 
flaming,  zealous,  burning  Christian  puts  heat  and  warmth  into  the  cold, 
formal,  frozen  Christian  ;  and  the  free,  liberal,  bountiful  Christian  pro- 
vokes others  to  be  free,  noble,  and  liberal  for  the  supply  of  the  necessi- 
ties of  the  saints,  2  Cor.  ix.  1,  2;  chap.  viii.  1,  2,  3,  4,  19,  20,  &c. 

(9.)  The  ninth  and  last,  though  not  the  least,  end,  is  the  honour  and 
glory  of  the  great  God.     God's  grace  is  the  spring,  and  God's  glory  is 
the  end  of  all  a  Christian's  obedience.     God's  glory  is  the  ultimate  end, 
the  primary  end,  the  univer.sal  end,  the  sea  to  wdiich  all  a  Christian's 
actions,  like  so  many  rivers,  move  and  bend,  Rom.  xiv.  7,  8 ;  Philip,  i. 
20,  21.     It  is  true  many  poor,  low,  mean,  base  ends  may  creep  into  a 
Christian's  performances  ;  but  here  mark,  [1.]  they  are  disallowed  ;  [2.] 
they  are  loathed  and  abhorred  ;  [3.]  they  are  resisted  and  striven  against; 
[4.]  they  are  lamented  and  mourned  over;  [5.]  the  gracious  soul  would 
willingly  be  rid  of  them.    If  a  Christian  might  have  his  choice,  he  would 
never  be  troubled  with  any  base  end  any  more.     Beloved,  you  must 
always  distinguish  between  a  man's  settled  and  his  suggested  ends.    A 
man's  settled  end  may  be  one  thing,  and  his  suggested  end  another 
thing.     Now  for  ever  remember  this,  that  the  great  God  always  makes 
a  judgment  of  men  according  to  their  settled  ends,  according  to  the 
univer.sal  frame  of  their  spirits,  and  not  according  to  those  ends  that , 
may  be  suggested  to  them  by  the  world,  the  flesh,  or  the  devil.     It  isj 
in  this  case  as  it  may  be  with  a  man  that  shoots  at  a  mark  ;  he  air 
aright  at  the  mark,  but  his  elbow  may  meet  with  a  jog,  which  may  carrj 
the  arrow  quite  another  way  than  what  he  intended ;  or  as  it  is  with 
man  that  is  sailing  to  such  a  haven,  or  to  such  a  harbour,  he  steers  al 
right  course  by  his  compass,  but  the  winds  blowing  contrary,  and  the] 
sea  running  high,  he  is  forced  into  such  a  creek,  or  such  a  harbour,; 
which  he  never  intended,  &c. 

Quest.  Is  it  requisite,  for  the  clearing  of  the  sinceHty  of  our  heads, 
that  we  have  a  continual  eye  to  the  glory  of  God  in  every  action  ive 
do? 

Ans.  1.  First,  You  must  distinguish  betiveen  an  actual  aim  and  in- 
tention, and  an  habitual  aim  and  intention.     For  the  first,  an  actual 


I 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  853 

aim  and  intention  of  the  spirit,  in  every  particular  action  that  a  man 
doth  to  the  glory  of  God,  is  utterly  impossible,  whilst  we  carry  about 
with  us  a  body  of  sin  and  death.  The  angels  and  '  spirits  of  just  men 
made  perfect '  do  thus  actually  aim  at  the  glory  of  God  in  all  they  do ; 
but  it  is  a  work  tliat  will  be  too  high  and  too  hard  for  us,  whilst  we  are 
here  in  a  polluted  estate.  This  was  so  high  a  mark,  that  Adam  missed 
it  in  his  innocency.  No  wonder  then  if  we  often  miss  it  in  our  sinful 
state  and  condition.     But, 

Ans.  2.  Secondly,  There  is  an  habitual  inclination  in  us,  in  every 
action  we  do,  to  aim  at  the  honour  and  glory  of  God,  though  there  he 
not  the  actual  intention  of  the  spirit  in  every  action  we  do.  It  is  with 
us,  as  Avith  a  man  travelling  towards  a  town  or  city ;  he  thinks  in  the 
morning  to  go  to  such  a  town,  such  a  place,  where  he  purposes  to  lie 
the  first  night,  and  therefore  sets  forth  towards  it  ;  and  though  he  doth 
not  think  of  this  every  step  he  takes,  yet  it  is  his  purpose  in  his  journey 
to  rest  there  at  night ;  or  as  it  is  with  a  man  that  comes  to  church,  his 
end  is  to  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord  ;  yet  in  every  word  he  hears  S23oken, 
he  hath  not  the  thought  of  his  end  upon  his  spirit,  but  he  is  there  by 
virtue  of  his  first  intention.  So  here,  though  in  every  particular  there 
be  not  an  intention  of  spirit  to  level  this  or  that  action  to  the  glory  of 
God,  yet  it  is  the  main  drift  and  habitual  scope  of  a  man's  spirit,  that 
God's  glory  may  be  the  end  of  all  his  actions. 

Ans.  3.  Thirdly,  There  is  a  mediate  and  there  is  an  immediate  eye- 
ing or  looking  to  the  glory  of  God;  as  when  I  forbear  such  and  such  a  sin, 
because  God  by  such  a  command  hath  forbidden  it,  or  I  do  such  and  such 
a  duty,  because  God  hath  commanded  it.  Now,  in  eyeing  of  the  command 
of  God,  I  eye  the  glory  of  God  immediately,  though  not  mediately.^   But, 

Ans.  4.  Fourthly,  In  some  particular  or  special  cases,  I  ought 
actually  to  eye  the  glory  of  God  :  as  [1.]  In  some  eminent  or  extraor- 
dinary service  that  I  am  to  do  for  Christ ;  or  [2.]  In  some  special 
testimony  that  I  am  called  to  give  for  Christ  or  his  gosjDel ;  or  [3.]  In 
some  great  thing  that  I  am  called  to  suffer  for  Christ,  or  his  gospel,  or 
his  interest.     But, 

Ans.  5.  Fifthly,  The  more  a  Cltristian  actually  eyes  the  glory  of  God 
in  all  he  does,  the  more,  [1.]  He  glorifies  God  ;  [2.]  The  nearer  you  are 
the  life  of  heaven,  and  the  more  you  act  like  the  glorious  angels,  and 
'the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect  ;'  [3.]  The  more  will  be  your  jo}^ 
comfort,  and  peace,  both  in  life  and  death,  and  in  the  day  of  your  ac- 
count ;  [4.]  The  more  strong  will  be  your  confidence  and  assurance  that 
your  spiritual  estate  is  good,  and  that  you  shall  be  saved  for  ever  ;  [5.] 
The  better  you  will  be  able  to  bear  up  under  all  the  false,  hard,  and  sour 
censures  of  this  world  ;  [6.]  The  more  you  will  be  temptation-proof ; 
[7.]  The  more  glorious  and  weighty  will  be  your  crown  of  glory  at  last. 
He  shall  be  highest  in  heaven,  who  has  actually  aimed  most  at  the 
glory  of  God  in  this  lower  world. 

And  thus  you  see  how  you  may  know  whether  your  obedience  is  such 
an  obedience  as  springs  from  faith  or  no.  Now,  if  upon  trial  you  shall 
find  that  your  obedience  is  the  obedience  of  faith,  then  you  may  safely 
and  groundedly  conclude,  that  you  have  a  saving  work  of  God  upon 
your  hearts.     But, 

'  Qu.  '  mediately,  tliougli  not  immediately  '? — Ed.  ' 

VOL.  IIL  Z 


354!  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

IV.  Fourthly,  A  gracimia  heart  is  an  uniform  heart.  Ubiquity'  is 
a  sure  evidence  of  iutegrity.  He  that  is  truly  good,  will  be  good  in  bad 
times,  and  in  the  worst  of  places.  Principles  of  grace  and  holiness  are 
lasting,  yea,  everlasting ;  they  are  not  like  the  morning  cloud,  nor  the 
early  dew,  Ps.  cxix.  112 ;  1  John  iii.  9  ;  Hosea  vi.  4.  A  gracious  soul 
will  be  steady  and  fixed  in  its  principles,  in  the  worst  times,  in  the  worst 
places,  and  under  vjiriety  of  dispensations.  Let  times  and  places  be 
what  they  will,  he  will  not  dishonour  his  God,  nor  blemish  his  profession, 
nor  wound  his  conscience  to  preserve  his  safety,  or  to  secure  his  liberty. 
An  upright  man  is  a  right  man;  so  "V ,  jashar  is  rendered  by  the 
Septuagint,  Judges  xvii.  6.  He  is  one  that  will  not  be  bowed  or  bent 
by  the  sinful  customs  or  examples  of  the  times  and  places  where  he 
lives.  Abraliam  was  righteous  in  Chaldea,  and  Noah  was  perfect  in  his 
generation,  though  it  wtis  the  worst  in  the  world  ;  and  Lot  was  just  in 
Sodom,  and  Job  was  upright  in  the  land  of  Uz,  which  was  a  place  of 
much  profaneuess  and  superstition  ;  and  Nehemiah  was  courageous 
and  zealous  in  Damascus  ;  and  Daniel  was  holy,  yea,  eminently  and  ex- 
emplarily  holy,  in  Babylon.  The  several  generations  wherein  these  holy 
men  lived,  were  wholly  devoted  to  wickedness  and  superstition,  and  yet 
these  precious,  gracious  souls  had  wholly  devoted  themselves  to  the 
Lord  and  his  service  ;  so  David,  '  My  soul  breaketh  for  the  longing  it 
hath  to  thy  judgments  at  all  times,' Ps.  cxix.  20.  Let  the  times  be 
never  so  dangerous,  licentious,  superstitions,  idolatrous,  or  erroneous,  yet 
David's  heai't  was  strongly  carried  forth  to  God's  judgments  ;  that  is,  to 
his  word,  for  under  this  title,  judgments,  you  are  to  understand  the 
whole  word  of  God.  So  there  were  some  in  Sardis  that  were  of  the 
same  spirit  with  the  worthies  last  mentioned  :  Rev.  iii.  4,  '  Thou  hast 
a  few  names  even  in  Sardis  which  have  not  defiled  their  garments  ;  and 
they  shall  walk  with  me  in  white  :  for  they  are  worthy.'  In  polluting 
times  pure  hearts  will  keep  themselves  pure ;  a  holy  heart  will  keep 
himself  undefiled,  even  in  defiling  times,  Ps.  cxix.  1-3.  Rev.  xiv.  4, 
'  These  are  they  which  were  not  defiled  with  women  ;'  when  others  are 
besmeared  all  over,  he  will  keep  his  garments  wdiite  and  clean.  The 
three  children,  or  rather  the  three  champions,  Dan.  iii.  17-20,  were  so 
highly  resolved  to  keep  themselves  pure  from  the  abominations  of  their 
day,  that  it  was  neither  Nebuchadnezzar's  music  that  would  flatter  them, 
nor  his  fiery  furnace  that  could  scare  them  from  their  God,  or  from  their 
duty,  or  from  their  religion.  Let  the  times  never  so  often  turn,  you 
shall  find  that  he  that  is  really  holy,  he  will  be  holy  under  every  turn ; 
no  turns  shall  turn  him  out  of  a  Avay  of  holiness  :  Job  xvii.  9,  'The 
righteous  shall  hold  on  his  way  ;  and  he  that  hath  clean  hands  shall  be 
stronger  and  stronger.'  The  laurel  keeps  its  freshness  and  gi'eenness 
in  the  winter  season  ;  a  gracious  soul  is  semper  idem.  Let  the  wind, 
and  the  world,  and  the  times  turn  which  way  they  will,  a  gracious  soul 
for  the  main  will  still  be  the  same  ;  he  is  '  like  mount  Zion,  which  cannot 
be  removed,'  Ps.  cxxv.  1.  Job  xxvii.  5,  6,  '  Till  I  die,  I  will  not  remove 
my  integrity  from  me.  My  righteousness  I  hold  fast,  and  will  not  let 
it  go  ;  my  heart  shall  not  reproach  me  so  long  as  I  live.'  A  gracious 
heart  is,  in  some  measure,  like  the  heart  of  God,  without  variableness 
or  shadow  of  changing.  That  Christian  that  is  not  for  substance  the 
*  Being  alike  in  all  places. — G. 


Chap.  II.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  855 

same  that  once  he  was,  was  never  what  he  ought  to  be,  James  i.  17.  A 
gracious  heart  is  firm  and  fixed  for  God  and  godliness,  both  in  prosperity 
and  in  adversity ;  take  him  among  the  good  or  among  the  bad,  take 
him  in  storms  or  calms,  in  winter  nights  or  in  summer  days,  take  him . 
among  friends  or  foes,  take  him  at  bed  or  board,  take  him.  in  health  or 
sickness,  take  him  in  an  ordinance  or  out  of  an  ordinance,  take  him  in 
his  work  or  take  him  at  his  recreations,  take  him  in  his  commerce  or  in 
his  converse,  take  liim  living  or  take  him  dying,  and  you  shall  still  find 
that  the  bias  of  his  soul  is  still  God-wards,  Christ-wards,  holiness- wards, 
and  heaven-wards.  A  gracious  man  will  stand  his  ground,  and  hold  his 
own  in  all  changes,  his  heart  being  fixed  upon  an  unchangeable  God. 
The  philosopher's  good  man  is  rsT^dycavog,  four  square  ;  cast  him  where 
you  will,  like  a  die  he  falls  always  square  and  sure.  So  cast  a  gracious 
man  where  you  will,  and  into  what  company  you  will,  and  into  what 
condition  you  will,  yet  still  he  falls  sure  and  square  for  God  and  godli- 
ness.^ Let  the  times  be  never  so  sad,  nor  never  so  bad,  yet  a  gracious 
soul  will  keep  his  hold  ;  he  will  let  all  go,  he  will  let  everything  go, 
before  he  will  let  his  God  go,  or  his  religion  go,  or  his  integrity  go.  A 
'  gracious  Christian  is  like  gold.  Now  cast  gold  into  the  fire,  or  into  the 
water  ;  cast  it  upon  the  dunghill,  or  into  the  kennel ;  cast  it  among  the 
poor,  or  among  the  rich  ;  among  the  religious,  or  among  the  super- 
stitious, &c. ;  yet  still  it  is  gold,  still  it  retains  its  purity  and  excellency. 
So  cast  a  gracious  Christian,  who  is  the  only  golden  Christian  in  the 
world,  into  what  condition  you  will,  and  into  what  company  you  will, 
yet  still  he  will  retain  his  purity,  his  innocency.  Lapidaries  tell  u& 
of  the  Chelydonian  stone,^  tha,t  it  will  retain  its  virtue  and  lustre  no 
longer  than  it  is  enclosed  in  gold  :  a  fit  emblerii  of  an  hypocrite,  who  is 
onl}'  good  while  he  is  enclosed  in  golden  prosperity,  safety,  and  felicity. 
An  unsound  Christian,  like  green  timber,  shrinks  when  the  sun  of  perse- 
cution shines  hot  upon  him.  Mat.  xiii  6.  The  heat  of  fiery  trials  cooLs 
the  courage  of  an  unsound  Christian.  If  you  put  water  into  a  tub,  it 
will  have  the  shape  of  the  tub  that  you  put  it  into  ;  or  if  you  put  water 
into  a  glass,  it  will  have,  the  shape  of  the  glass  you  put  it  into.  This  is 
the  very  picture  of  an  unsound  heart ;  but  a  sincere  Christian  is  like  a 
massive  vessel  of  gold,  that  keeps  its  own  shape  and  figure,  at  all  times, 
in  all  places,  and  in  all  companies.  Unsound  hearts,  they  will  be  right- 
eous among  the  righteous,  and  licentious  among  the  licentious.  They 
will  be  as  the  company  is  amongst  which  they  are  cast.  With  the  good 
they  will  be  good,  and  with  the  bad  they  will  be  bad  ;  with  the  zealous 
they  will  be  zealous  ^  and  with  the  superstitious  they  will  be  super- 
stitious ;  and  with  the  lukewarm  they  will  be  lukewarm.  They  are  for 
all  times  and  tides ;  they  are  for  any  turn  that  will  serve  their  turn ; 
they  are  for  any  mood  that  will  bring  either  profit  or  pleasure  to  them  ; 
they  are  like  Alcibiades,  of  whom  it  was  said,  that  he  was  ovmium 
horarum  homo,  a  man  for  all  times  -y.  for  he  could  swagger  it  at  Athens, 
and  take  any  pains  at  Thebes  ;  he  could  live  most  sparingly  at  Lacedee- 
mon,  and  bib^  among  the  Thracians,  and  hunt  among  the  Persians.  They 

'  Joshua  xxiv.  15 ;  Ps.  cxii.  7  ;  Mai.  iii.  6.     The  poor  heathen  could  say,  that  change 
of  place  causeth  not  any  change  of  mind,  &c.  : 

Caelum  non  animun  mutant  qui  trans  mare  currunt. — (Herat,  lib.  i.  ep.  xi.) 
»  See  Index  sub  voce  for  other  references  to  this. — G.  ^  ==  'tipple.' — G. 


356  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

are  like  the  chameleon,  ready  to  change  their  hue  with  every  one  they 
converse  with  ;  they  are  like  Polypus,  that  rcsembleth  every  stone  that 
it  sticketh  to  ;  or  they  are  like  the  buskins  anciently  used  in  tragedies, 
that  would  serve  cither  leg  alike  ;'  they  are  as  fit  for  one  society  as  an- 
other ;  or  like  the  players  that  used  them,  such  as  acting  princely  parts, 
wear  royal  apparel,  keep  state,  and  demean  t]iemselves  gravely  and 
soberly,  so  long  as  the}'  are  in  public  view  upon  the  stage;  but  when 
they  have  done  acting,  arc  no  sooner  off  the  stage,  but  they  pass  pre- 
sently into  another  habit,  and  retain  neither  their  princely  behaviour 
nor  apparel,  but  are  most  beggarly,  base,  and  debauched,  either  in 
private  among  themselves,  or  among  their  companions  like  themselves.* 
Unsound  hearts  can  accommodate  themselves  to  the  times,  and  comply 
with  them,  whatever  they  be.  M^ith  Proteus  they  Avill  transform  them- 
selves into  all  shapes  ;  as  the  times  change,  so  will  they  ;  what  the  times 
favour,  that  they  will  favour  ;  what  the  times  commend,  that  they  will 
commend  ;  what  the  times  cry  up  and  admire,  that  they  will  cry  up  and 
admire  ;  and  what  the  times  frown  upon  and  condemn,  that  they  will 
frown  upon  and  condemn.  Look,  as  cnrious  and  well  drav/n  pictures 
seem  to  turn  their  eyes  every  way,  and  to  smile  upon  every  one  that 
looks  upon  them,  so  these  can  turn  with  the  times,  they  can  look  as 
the  times  look,  and  smile  as  the  times  smile ;  they  can  say  with  the 
times,  and  sail  with  the  times ;  sometimes  they  can  act  one  part,  and 
sometimes  another  part,  as  the  times  require.  If  the  times  require  a 
large  profession,  they  can  make  it ;  if  the  times  bespeak  them  to  leave 
their  religion  at  the  church  door,  they  can  leave  it.  But  now,  a  sincere 
Christian,  he  will  labour  to  be  so  much  the  more  gracious,  by  how  mucli 
the  more  the  times  are  licentious.  A  sincere  Christian  is  like  e'old.  If 
you  cast  it  into  the  fire,  it  will  not  Avaste  ;  if  you  throw  it  into  tlic 
water,  it  will  not  rust,  it  will  retain  its  own  purity  and  excellency  wliere- 
ever  you  dispose  of  it.     But, 

V.  Fifthly,  A  gracious  heart  sets  Idmself  most  against  his  darling 
sin,  his  hosom-sin.  against  the  sin  of  his  complexion,  constitution, 
inclination,  and  calling,  &c.,  Heb.  xii.  1.  There  is  some  one  sinful 
quality  that  is  more  predominant  in  the  heart  of  man  than  any  other.^ 
There  is  some  one  Delilah,  some  one  darling  sin  that  a  man  is  more  apt 
to  play  withal,  and  to  hug  in  his  own  bosom,  than  any  other.  There  is 
usually  some  one  sin  that  is  a  favourite,  some  one  sin  which  the  heart 
is  most  fond  of,  and  which  the  bias  of  the  soul  doth  most  naturally  and 
strongly  incline  towards.  Pliny  writeth  of  some  families  that  had  privy 
marks  on  their  bodies  peculiar  to  those  of  that  line  ;  and  so  ever}'  man 
hath  as  it  were  his  privy  sin,  which  is  most  justly  and  peculiarly  called 
his ;  as  in  a  ground  that  lieth  untilled,  amongst  the  great  variety  of  weeds, 
there  is  usually  some  master  weed,  one  among  the  rest  that  is  rifer  and 
ranker  than  all  the  rest.  And  as  it  is  in  the  body  of  man,  that  although 
in  some  degree  or  other,  more  or  less,  there  be  a  mixture  of  all  the  four 
elements,  not  any  of  them  wholly  Avanting,  yet  there  is  some  one  of 
them  predominant  that  gives  the  denomination  ;  in  regard  Avhereof 
some  are  said  to  be  of  a  saiigiiine,  some  of  a  phlegmatic,  some  of  a  cho- 
leric, and  some  of  a  melancholic  constitution.  Now,  thus  it  is  in  the 
souls  of  men.     Though  there  bo  a  general  mixture  and  medley  of  all 

'  Lucian.  -  Seneca,  ep.  76,  &c.  *  Pcccalum  m  delitiis. — Augustiue. 


I 


I 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  357 

evil  and  cori'upt  qualities,  yet  is  tliere  some  one  usually  that  is  para- 
mount, more  powerful  and  prevalent,  that  swayeth  and  sheweth  forth 
itself  more  eminently  and  more  evidently  than  any  other  of  them  do  ; 
and  from  this,  therefore,  more  frequently  and  apparently  discovering 
itself,  is  the  denomination  wont  to  be  given  whereby  some  are  styled 
ambitious,  some  lascivious,  some  envious,  some  malicious,  some  haughty, 
some  hasty,  and  the  like.  Or  as  in  every  man's  body  there  is  a  seed 
and  principle  of  death,  yet  some  are  more  prone  to  die  of  a  fever  than 
of  a  dropsy,  and  others  are  more  prone  to  die  of  a  dropsy  than  of  a 
fever,  &c.  ;  so  though  original  sin  hath  spread  itself  over  all  our  noble 
and  ignoble  parts,  yet  every  man  hath  his  particular  inclinations  to  one 
kind  of  sin  rather  than  another  ;  and  this  may  properly  be  called  a 
man's  own  sin,  his  own  evil  way.  Now  mark,  a  gracious  heart  makes 
most  head,  most  opposition,  against  his  darling  sin,  against  his  com- 
plexion sin,  against  those  sins  that  were  once  as  dear  to  him  as  his 
right  hand,  or  as  his  right  eye,  or  as  Delilah  was  to  Samson,  Herodias 
to  Herod,  Isaac- to  Abraham,  and  Joseph  to  Jacob  :  Ps.  xviii.  23,  *I  was 
also  upright  before  him,  and  I  kept  myself  from  mine  iniquity  ;'  that  is, 
from  my  darling  sin  whereunto  I  was  most  inclined  and  addicted. 
What  this  bosom-sin  was  that  he  kept  himself  from,  it  is  hard  to  say. 
Some  suppose  his  darling  sin  was  lying,  dissembling,  for  it  is  certain  he 
often  fell  into  this  sin  :  Ps.  cxix.  29,  '  Remove  from  me  the  way  of 
lying.'^  Others  suppose  it  to  be  some  secret  iniquity,  which  was  only 
known  to  God  and  his  own  conscience.  Others  say  it  was  uncleanness, 
and  that  therefore  he  prayed  that  God  would  turn  away  his  eyes  from 
beholding  vanity,  Ps.  cxix.  37.  Others  judge  it  to  be  that  sin  of  dis- 
loyalty which  Saul  and  his  courtiers  falsely  charged  upon  him.  Well, 
be  it  this  or  that,  it  is  enough  for  our  purpose  that  his  heart  did  rise 
against  that  very  sin  that  either  by  custom  or  complexion,  or  some  strong 
inclination,  he  was  most  naturally  apt,  ready,  and  prone  to  fall  into.  This 
is  the  laying  of  the  axe  to  the  root  of  the  tree  ;  and  by  this  practice 
David  gives  a  clear  proof  of  the  integrity  of  his  heart.  Idolatry  was  the 
darling  sin  of  the  people  of  Israel ;  they  called  their  idols  delectable  or 
desirable  things  ;  they  did  dearly  affect  and  greatly  delight  in  their 
idols,  Jer.  xvii.  1,  2  ;  Hosea  ii.  8  ;  Isa.  xxxi.  6,  7,  xliv.  9,  &c.  But  when 
the  Lord  in  the  day  of  his  power  wrought  savingly  and  gloriously  upon 
their  hearts,  oh  !  how  did  their  hatred  and  indignation  against  their 
idols  rise  !  as  you  may  see  Isa.  xxx.  22,  '  Ye  shall  defile  also  the  covering 
of  thy  graven  images  of  silver,  and  the  ornament  of  thy  molten  images 
of  gold  :  thou  shalt  cast  them  away  as  a  menstruous  cloth  ;  thou  shalt 
say  unto  it,  Get  thee  hence.''  They  were  so  delighted  and  enamoured 
with  their  idols,  that  they  would  lavish  gold  out  of  the  bag,  or 
they  waste  or  spend  riotously,  as  the  Hebrew  runs,  that  they  might 
richly  deck  them  up,  and  set  them  forth  in  the  greatest  glory  and 
bravery.  Oh  !  but  when  the  Lord  should  make  a  glorious  turn  upon 
their  spirits,  then  they  should  readily  and  roundly  deface,  defile,  and 
disgrace  their  idols,  then  they  should  hate  and  abhor  them,  then  they 
should  so  detest  and  loathe  them,  that  in  a  holy  indignation  they  should 
cast  them  away  as  a  menstruous  cloth,  and  say  unto  them.  Get  ye  hence, 

^  In  that  1  Sam.  xsi.  2,  8,  he  tells  three  or  four  round  lies,  and  the  like  he  did  in  tliat 
1  Sam.  xxvii.  8-10. 


358  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

p;ick,  begone,  I  will  never  have  any  more  to  do  with  you,  Isa.  xl  vi.  6.'  And 
so  in  tliat  Isa.  ii.  20, '  In  that  day,'  that  is,  in  the  day  of  his  people ;  ver.  1 7,  *  A 
man  shall  cast  his  idols  of  silver,  and  his  idols  of  gold,  which  they  made 
each  one  for  himself  to  worship,  to  the  moles  and  to  the  bats.'  In  the  day 
when  God  should  exalt  himself  in  the  souls  of  his  people,  and  before  the 
eyesof  his  people,  they  should  express  such  disdain  and  indignation  against 
their  idols  that  they  should  not  take  only  those  made  of  trees  and  stones, 
but  even  their  most  precious  and  costly  idols,  those  that  were  made  of 
silver  and  gold,  and  cast  them  to  the  moles  and  to  the  bats  ;  that  is, 
they  should  cast  them  into  such  blind  holes,  and  into  such  dark,  filthy, 
nasty,  and  dusty  corners,  as  moles  make  underground,  and  as  bats  roost 
in.  So  when  Christ,  and  grace,  and  holiness  comes  to  be  set  up  in  men's 
hearts  and  lives,  then  all  their  darling  sins,  their  bosom  lusts,  which  are 
their  idols  of  silver  and  their-idols  of  gold,  these  are  with  a  holy  indig- 
nation cast  to  the  moles  and  to  the  bats  ;  they  are  so  loathed,  abhorred, 
abandoned,  and  cashiered,  that  they  desire  they  may  be  for  ever  buried 
in  oblivion,  and  never  see  the  light  more.  Idols  were  Ephraim's  bosom 
sin  :  Hosea  iv.  17,  '  Ephraim  is  joined,'  or  glued,  as  the  word  signifies, 
'  to  idols,  let  him  alone.'  But  when  the  dew  of  grace  fell  upon  Ephraim, 
as  it  did  in  chap.  xiv.  5-7,  then  saith  Ephraim, '  What  have  I  any 
more  to  do  with  idols  ?'  ver.  8.  Now  Ephraim  loathes  his  idols  as  much 
or  more  than  before  he  loved  them  ;  he  now  abandons  and  abominates 
them.  Though  before  he  was  as  closely  glued  to  them  as  the  wanton  is 
glued  to  his  Delilah,  or  as  the  enchanter  is  glued  to  the  devil,  from  whom 
by  no  means  he  is  able  to  stir,  as  the  words  in  the  fountain-  imports, 
when  it  was  the  day  of  the  Lord's  power  upon  Ephraim,  then  Ephraim 
cries  out,  '  What  have  I  any  more  to  do  with  idols  V  Oh  !  I  have  had 
to  do  with  them  too  long,  and  too  much  already  !  Oh  !  how  doth  my 
soul  now  rise  against  them  !  how  do  I  detest  and  abhor  them !  Surely 
I  will  never  have  more  to  do  with  them.  The  Scripture  tells  us,  Deut. 
xiii.  6-9,  that  if  father,  or  mother,  or  brother,  or  sister,  or  kinsman,  or 
friend,  should  go  abovit  to  draw  a  man  from  God,  his  hand  should  be 
first  upon  him  to  put  him  to  death.  Now,  bosom  sins,  complexion  sins, 
they  seek  to  draw  a  man's  heart  from  God,  and  therefore  a  gracious  soul 
can't  but  rise  up  against  them,  and  do  his  best  to  stone  them,  and  to  be 
the  death  of  them  :  '  The  days  of  mourning  for  my  father  are  at  hand,' 
saith  bloody  Esau,  'then  will  I  slay  my  brother  Jacob,'  Gen.  xxvii. 
41.  It  is  a  bloody  speech  of  a  vindictive  spirit,  whom  nothing  would 
satisfy  but  innocent  blood.  So  saith  the  gracious  soul,  The  days  of 
mourning  for  the  death  of  my  dear  Saviour  are  now  at  hand,  and 
therefore  I  will  slay  my  bosom  lusts,  my  constitution  «ins ;  now  will  I 
be  revenged  on  them  for  all  the  dishonours  that  they  liave  done  to  God, 
and  for  all  tlnj  wounds  that  they  have  made  in  my  conscience,  and  for 
all  the  mercies  tliat  they  have  embittered,  and  for  all  the  favours  that 
they  have  prevented,  and  for  all  the  afflictions  that  they  have  procured, 
and  for  all  the  duties  that  they  have  hindered.  Samson  pleads  hard 
with  God,  that  he  might  be  avenged  on  the  Philistines  for  his  two  eyes. 
Judges  xvi.  28 ;  and  so  doth  the  gracious  soul  plead  hard  with  God, 

'  After  the  return  of  the  Jews  out  of  Babj-lon,  they  so  hated  and  abliorred  idols  that 
ill  the  times  of  tlie  Romans  they  chose  rather  to  die  than  to  suffer  the  eagle,  wJiich  was 
the  imperial  arms,  to  bo  set  up  in  their  temple.  *  The  original  'Hebrew.' — G. 


I 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  359 

that  he  may  be  avenged  on  his  bosom  lusts,  on  his  complexion  sins, 
which  have  put  out  his  two  eyes,  which  have  so  blinded  him  that  he  has 
not  for  a  long  time  been  able  to  see  God,  or  Christ,  or  the  things  that 
belong  to  his  external,  internal,  or  eternal  peace.     The  next  of  kin  in 
the  law  was  always  the  avenger  of  blood,  and  to  him  it  appertained  to 
hunt  after  the  murderer,  to  bring  upon  his  head  the  innocent  blood 
that  he  had  shed.     If  therefore  we  will  shew  ourselves  brethren  or  sisters 
of  Christ,  or  anything  of  kin  unto  him,  we  must  even  be  the  avengers  of 
his  blood  upon  bosom  sins,  upon  complexion  sins ;  for  for  them  as  well  as 
others  was  his  blood  shed.     O  sirs  !  what  bosom  sin  is  there  so  sweet 
or  profitable  that  is  worth  a-burning  in  hell  for,  or  worth  a-shutting  out 
of  heaven  for  ?    Surely  none.    This  a  gracious  soul  seriously  weighs,  and 
accordingly  he  sets  himself  against  the  toad  in  his  bosom,  against 
his  darling  sins,  against  his  complexion  sins.     But  now,  unsound  hearts 
are  very  favourable  to  bosom  sins,  to  complexion  sins.    They  say  of  them, 
as  Lot  of  Zoar,  '  Is  it  not  a  little  one,  and  my  soul  shall  live  ?'  Gen. 
xix.  20.     And  as  David  once  said  concerning  Absalom,  2  Sam.  xviii.  5, 
'  Deal  gently  for  my  sake  with  the  young  man,  even  with  Absalom ;' 
'beware  that  none  touch  the  young  man  Absalom,' verse  12.     'And 
,the  king  said,  Is  the  young  man  Absalom  safe  ?'  verse  29.     An  unsound 
heart  is  as  fond  of  his  bosom  sins,  of  his  complexion  sins,  as  Jacob 
was  of  his  Benjamin ;  or  as  Jehu  was  of  his  calves  ;  or  as  Naaman 
was  of  his  idol  Rimmon ;  or  as  Judas  was  of  bearing  the  bag ;  or  as 
Herod  was  of  his  Herodias  ;  or  as  Demetrius  was  of  his  Diana  ;  or  as  the 
Pharisees  were  of  devouring  widows'  houses,  and  of  having  the  upper- 
most seats  in  the  synagogues,  and  of  being  saluted  in  the  market  places 
with  those  glorious  titles.  Rabbi,  rabbi.     The  besotted  sinner  is  most 
engaged  to  his  bosom  sins,  his  complexion  sins  ;  and  therefore  it  is 
as  bitter  a  thing  as  death  for  him  to  part  with  them.     He  had  rather 
part  with  burnt-oiferings  and  calves  of  a  year  old  ;  he  had  rather  part 
with  '  thousands  of  rams,  and  with  ten  thousand  rivers  of  oil ;  yea,  he 
had  rather  part  with  his  first-born,  than  with  his  bosom  sin  ;  he  is  ready 
to  give  the  fruit  of  his  body  for  the  sin  of  his  soul,'  Micah  vi.  6.     Let  God 
frown  or  smile,  stroke  or  strike,  lift  up  or  cast  down,  promise  or  threaten, 
yet  he  will  hide  and  hold  fast  his  bosom  sin  ;  let  God  set  life  and  death, 
heaven  and  hell,  glory  and  misery  before  him,  yet  will  he  not  part  with 
his  bosom  sins  ;  let  God  wound  his  conscience,  blow  upon  his  estate, 
leave  a  blot  upon  his  name,  crack  his  credit,  afflict  his  body,  write  death 
upon  his  relations,  and  be  a  Magor-missabib,  a  terror  to  his  soul,  yet 
will  he  not  let  go  his  darling  sins,  Jer.  xx.  3,  4     An  unsound  heart  will 
rather  let  God  go,  and  Christ  go,  and  heaven  go,  and  all  go,  than  lie  will 
let  his  darling  lusts  go.     But  now  a  sound  Christian,  a  throughout  Chris- 
tian, he  sets  himself  most  against  the  Delilah  in  his  bosom,  against  the 
Benjamin,  the  son,  the  sin  of  his  right  hand.     A  sincere  Christian  looks 
upon  bosom  sins,  upon  complexion  sins,  as  the  most  God-provoking  sins. 
There  are  no  sins  so  provoking  to  God's  jealousies  and  justice  as  bosom 
sins  ;  he  looks  upon  bosom  sins,  complexion  sins,  as  the  most  dangerous 
sins ;  he  looks  upon  bosom  sins,  complexion  sins,  as  the  worst  thing 
in  all  the  world ;  he  looks  upon  bosom  sins,  complexion  sins,  as  more 
ugly  and  horrid  than  the  devil  himself,  or  than  hell  itself ;  he  looks 
upon  bosom  sins  as  the  great  make-baits  between  God  and  his  soul,  and 


3G0  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

between  his  conscience  and  his  comfort,  Isa.  lix.  1,  2,  Lamcn.  iii.  8,  44; ; 
he  looks  upon  bosom  sins  as  those  enemies  that  have  provoked  God 
often  to  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  all  his  prayers  ;  he  looks  upon  his  bosom 
sins  as  so  many  Judases  that  have  often  betrayed  him  into  the  hands  of 
the  devil  ;  he  looks  upon  his  bosom  sins  as  the  waters  of  Marah,  that 
has  embittered  all  his  mercies;  he  looks  upon  his  bosom  .sins  as  the  only 
things  that  have  often  clouded  the  face  of  God  ;  he  looks  upon  his 
bo.som  sins  as  dead  flies  in  the  box  of  precious  ointment,  that  .spoils  all, 
and  accordingly  with  all  his  might  he  sets  himself  against  them.  (1.)  He 
tiglits  most  against  these  ;  (2.)  he  weeps  most  over  these  ;  (3.)  he  watches 
and  arms  most  against  these  ;  (4«.)  he  prays  most  against  these  ;  (5.)  he 
resolves  most  against  these  ;  and  (G.)  he  lays  the  axe  of  repentance 
most  to  these,  &c. 

But  pray  sir,  before  you  close  up  this  chapter,  lay  down  some  sure 
and  infalHble  evidences  of  the  goodness,  graciousness,  and  happiness  of 
their  estates  and  conditions,  who  are  but  weak  in  grace,  who  are  but 
babes  of  grace,  that  so  they  may  have  their  portion,  satisfaction,  support, 
and  consolation  as  well  as  others. 

Ans.  I  shall  endeavour  to  do  it,  and  therefore  thus  : 
VI.  Sixthly,  True  desires  of  grace  is  grace,  ttme  desires  after  Christ ,  ^ 
and  grace,  and  holiness,  is  grace.  He  who  does  sincerely  desire  to 
believe,  he  does  really  believe  ;  and  he  that  does  sincerely  desire  to  re- 
pent, he  does  really  repent ;  and  he  that  does  sincerely  desire  to  obey 
the  Lord,  and  to  fear  the  Lord,  and  to  serve  the  Lord,  he  does  really 
obey  the  Lord,  and  fear  the  Lord,  and  serve  the  Lord.*  It  is  the  first 
step  to  grace,  for  a  man  to  see  his  heart  void  of  grace  ;  and  it  is  the  lirst 
degree  of  gi-ace,  for  a  man  to  desire  grace.  Mark,  all  true  desires  of 
grace  have  the  very  nature  and  truth  of  grace  iri  them,  as  there  is  true 
tire  in  a  spark  as  well  as  in  a  flame,  and  true  water  in  a  drop  as  well 
as  in  a  stream,  and  true  light  in  a  beam  as  well  as  in  the  sun,  and  true 
gold  in  the  very  filings  of  gold  as  well  as  in  the  whole  wedge  of  gold  ; 
the  least  of  anything  partakes  of  the  nature  of  the  whole,  Isa.  Iv.  1,  2, 
Ixv.  1  ;  John  vii.  37.  True  desires  of  grace  argues  a  state  of  grace  and 
salvation  :  Ps.  xxxviii.  9,  '  Lord,  thou  knowest  all  my  desires,  my  groan- 
ing is  not  hid  from  thee.'  Mat.  v.  6,  '  Blessed  are  they  which  do  hunger 
and  thirst  after  righteousness,  for  they  shall  be  filled ;'  or  as  the  Greek 
runs,  after  the  participle  of  the  present  tense,  they  that  are  hungering 
and  thirsting ;  intimating,  that  wherever  this  is  the  present  disi^osition 
of  men's  souls,  they  are  blessed:  Rev.  xxii.  17,  'And  let  him  that  is 
athirst  come,  and  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely.' 
Sincere  desires  of  grace  are  those  holy  seeds,  those  divine  beginnings  of 
grace  in  the  soul,  out  of  which  grace  springs  and  grows  up  to  its  mea- 
sure and  perfection.''  0  sirs  !  look,  as  no  man  can  sincerely  seek  God 
in  vain,  so  no  man  can  sincerely  desire  grace  in  vain.  A  man  may 
love  gold,  yet  not  have  it ;  but  no  man  loveth  God,  but  is  sure  to  have 
him.  Wealth  a  man  may  desire,  and  yet  be  never  the  nearer  for  it  ; 
but  grace  no  man  ever  sincerely  desired  and  missed  it.  And  why  ?  it 
is  God  that  hath  wrought  this  desire   in  the  heart,  and  he  will  never 

'  1  Peter  ii.  3,  4 ;  2  Cliron.  xxx.  18,  19;  Mat.  vii.  8;  Ps.  xlii.  1,  2,  Ixiii.  1.  &c. 
*  Augustine.     Where  there  are  sincere  desires  of  grace,  there  are  the  .seeds  of  grace, 
the  conce^jtion  of  grace,  the  buds  of  grace. 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  361 

frustrate  the  desire  that  himself  hath  there  wrought.  Let  no  man  say, 
I  have  no  faith,  no  repentance,  no  love,  no  fear  of  God,  no  sanctifying, 
no  saving  grace  in  me.  Doth  he  see  a  want  of  those  things  in  himself  ? 
Yes,  that  is  it  which  so  grieves  him,  that  he  cannot  love  God,  stand  in 
awe  of  him,  trust  in  his  mercy,  repent  of  sin  as  he  should  ;  yea,  but 
doth  he  seriously  and  unfeignedly  desire  to  do  thus  ?  Yes,  he  desires 
it  above  all  things  in  the  world,  and  would  be  willing,  as  it  were,  to  buy 
even  with  a  whole  world  the  least  measure,  or  dram,  or  drop  only  of 
such  grace.  Now  let  me  ask  him,  who  is  it  that  hath  wrought  this 
desire  ia  him  ?  Not  the  devil ;  for  he  would  rather  quench  it  than 
kindle  it  in  him  ;  not  his  own  corruption,  for  that  is  naturally  averse  to 
every  thing  that  is  good  ;  it  must  needs  then  be  the  work  of  the  Spirit 
of  God,  who  '  works  in  us  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  own  good 
pleasure,'  and  who  pronounceth  all  them  blessed  that  thus  desire  after 
grace.  '  When  I  have  a  good  desire,'  saith  one,  '  though  it  doth 
scarcely  shew  itself  in  some  little  slender  sigh,  I  must  be  assured  that 
the  Spirit  of  God  is  present,  and  worketh  his  good  work.'j  Wicked 
men  do  not  desire  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  whereby  they  may  resist 
sin,  and  therefore  they  are  justly  deprived  of  it ;  for  he  that  earnestly 
desireth  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  it  already,  because  this  desire  of  the 
Spirit  cannot  be  but  from  the  Spirit.  '  Our  faith,'  saith  another,  '  may 
be  so  small  and  weak,  as  it  doth  not  yet  bring  forth  fruits  that  may  be 
lively  felt  in  us  ;  but  if  they  which  feel  themselves  in  such  an  estate 
desire  to  have  these  feelings,  namely,  of  God's  favour  and  love,  if  they 
ask  them  of  God's  hands  by  prayer,  this  desire  and  prayer  are  testi- 
monies that  the  Spirit  of  God  is  in  them,  and  that  they  have  faith  al- 
ready ;  for  is  such  a  desire  a  fruit  of  the  flesh  or  of  the  spirit  ?  It  is  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  who  bringeth  it  forth  only  in  such  as  he  dwells  in,  &c.^ 
Then  those  holy  desires  and  prayers,  being  the  motions  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  in  us,  are  testimonies  of  our  faith,  although  they  seem  to  us 
small  and  weak.  As  the  woman  that  feeleth  the  moving  of  a  child  in 
het  body,  though  very  weak,  assureth  herself  that  she  hath  conceived, 
and  that  she  goeth  with  a  live  child  ;  so  if  we  have  these  motions, 
these  holy  affections  and  desires  before  mentioned,  let  us  not  doubt  but 
that  we  have  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  is  the  author  of  them,  dwelling  in  us, 
and  consequently  that  we  have  also  faith.  Again,  saith  the  same  author, 
(1.^.  if  thou  hast  begun  to  hate  and  fly  sin  ;  (2.)  if  thou  feelest  that  thou 
art  displeased  at  thine  infirmities  and  corruptions  ;  (3.)  if,  having 
offended  God,  thou  findest  a  grief  and  a  sorrow  for  it  ;  (4.)  if  thou  de- 
sire to  abstain  from  sin  ;  (5.)  if  thou  avoidest  the  occasions  of  sin  ;  (6.)  if 
thou  doest  thy  endeavours  against  sin  ;  (7.)  if  thou  prayest  to  God  to 
give  thee  grace  ;  all  these  holy  affections,  proceeding  from  none  other 
than  from  the  Spirit  of  God,  ought  to  be  as  so  many  pledges  and  testi- 
monies that  he  is  in  thee.  It  is  as  impossible  for  us  naturally  to  do  the 
least  good,-  or  to  desire  the  least  grace,  as  it  is  for  a  toad  to  spit  cordials, 
Philip,  ii.  13,  2  Cor.  viii.  10,  12.  Sincere  desires  after  God,  and  Christ, 
and  grace,  is  sometimes  the  all  that  the  people  of  God  find  in  them- 

1  Kenmitius,  Ursini  Catechis. 

-  Taffnie's  book  of  the  Marks  of  God's  children.  [Sic :  but  rather  John  TaflBn  of 
Amsterdam,  whose  searching  little  treatise  '  Of  the  Markes  of  the  Children  of  God,  and 
of  their  Comforts  in  Aftiictious,'  was  translated  by  Prowse  in  1590,  and  was  long  a 
favourite  among  the  Puritans. — G.] 


362  A  CAJ3INET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

selves.  This  was  all  that  Nehemiah  could  say  of  himself,  and  the 
rest  of  his  brethren,  Neh.  i.  11,  that  they  did  desire  to  fear  God's 
name.  And  so  the  church  :  Isa.  xxvi.  8,  '  The  desire  of  our  soul  is 
to  thy  name,  and  to  the  remembrance  of  thy  holiness.'  And  ver.  9, 
'  With  my  soul  have  I  desired  thee  in  the  night.'  So  the  spouse. 
Cant.  iii.  1-3.  So  David,  Ps.  xxvii.  4,  xlii.  1,  2,  Ixiii.  1.  They 
must  needs  be  sure  of  grace  that  have  an  unfeigned  desire  of  it.  This 
is  a  maxim  that  we  must  live  and  die  with,  viz.,  that  no  man  can  truly 
desire  grace  but  he  that  hath  already  grace ;  certainly  he  that  desireth 
grace  hath  grace  to  desire  it.  It  is  an  infallible  sign,  that  that  man 
hath  already  some  measure  of  grace,  that  doth  seriously  desire  to  have 
it.  He  would  never  seriously  desire  to  fear  God,  who  stands  not  in  some 
awe  of  him  already  ;  nor  he  would  never  desire  seriously  to  love  God, 
who  has  not  in  him  some  love  to  God  already  ;  nor  he  would  never 
seriously  desire  to  believe,  who  has  not  in  him  some  faith  already  ;  nor 
he  would  never  seriously  desire  to  repent,  that  hath  not  repented  already ; 
nor  he  would  never  seriously  desire  sanctifying  grace,  whose  heart  in 
some  measure  is  not  already  sanctified  by  the  Spirit  of  grace.  It  is  the 
very  essence  of  righteousness,  saith  one  of  the  ancients,  for  a  man  to  be 
willing  to  be  righteous.  And  the  poor  heathen  could  say,  'It  is  a  prin- 
cipal part  of  goodness,  for  a  man  to  be  willing  to  be  good.'^  It  is 
natural  for  every  one  to  desire  his  own  natural  good,  but  to  desire 
spiritual  grace,  holiness,  sound  sanctification,  faith  unfeigned,  the  true 
fear  of  God,  serious  repentance,  &c.,  is  more  than  ever  any  natural  man 
did  or  can  do.  No  man  did  ever  desire  to  eat  which  had  not  eaten 
before,  nor  no  man  did  ever  desire  to  believe,  that  did  not  believe 
before  ;  all  true  desires  after  faith  spring  from  faith  as  the  root  of  them. 
Certainly  wicked  men  do  not,  and  cannot  so  much  as  desire  saving  grace, 
Job  XXL  14,  Isa.  liii.  2  ;  and  that, 

[1.]  First,  Because  grace  is  above  the  reach  of  nature.  1  Cor.  ii.  14, 
'  But  the  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  for 
they  are  foolishness  unto  him  ;  neither  can  he  know  them,  because  they 
are  spiritually  discerned.'  The  water  riseth  no  higher  than  the  springs 
from  whence  it  came  ;  so  natural  men  can  ascend  no  higher  tlian  nature. 
Spiritual  things  can  neither  be  discerned  nor  desired  but  by  those  that 
are  anointed  with  the  eye-salve  of  the  Spirit.  The  natural  man  is  dark 
and  blind,  and  he  sees  no  beauty  nor  excellency  in  grace,  that  he  s]io»dd 
desire  it  or  be  in  love  with  it.  Man  in  his  natural  estate  is  without, 
Eph.  ii.  12.  There  are  ^ve  ivithouts :  (1.)  without  Christ;  (2.)  with- 
out the  church  ;  (3.)  without  the  promise ;  (4.)  without  hope  ;  (5.)  with- 
out God  in  the  world.  Now,  every  natural  man  being  under  these  five 
tuithouts,  how  is  it  }X)ssible  that  he  should  have  any  serious  desires 
after  grace  ?  Such  is  the  corruption  of  our  nature,  that,  if  you  propound 
any  divine  good  to  it,  it  is  entertained  as  fire^by  water,  or  wet  wood, 
with  hissing.  Propound  any  evil,  then  it  is  like  tire  to  straw  ;  it  is  like 
the  foolish  satyr  that  made  baste  to  kiss  the  fire  ;  it  is  like  that  unctuous 
matter  which  naturalists  say  sucks  and  snatches  tlie  fire  to  it  with  which 
it  is  consumed.  The  contrariety  and  enmity  that  is  in  every  natural 
man's  heart  against  God,  and  Christ,  and  grace,  and  holiness,  may  suffi- 
ciently^ satisfy  us  that  the  natural  man  is  a  mere  stranger  to  serious  and 
*  Para  magna  bonitatis,  cat  velle  fieri  honum. — Sen.  Ep.  34. 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  863 

sincere  desires  after  God,  or  Christ,  or  grace,  or  the  great  things  that 
belong  to  his  everlasting  peace,  Rom.  viii.  7.  Such  sincere  and  serious 
desires  as  these,  Oh  that  Christ  were  mine  !  oh  that  I  were  married  to 
his  person  !  oh  that  I  were  clothed  with  his  righteousness  !  oh  that  my 
soul  were  adorned  with  his  grace  !  oh  that  I  was  filled  with  his  Spirit  ! 
oh  that  he  would  be  my  king  to  rule  me,  and  my  prophet  to  teach  and 
instruct  me,  and  my  priest  to  make  an  atonement  for  me  !  oh  that  I 
might  enjoy  choice  and  high  communion  with  him  !  oh  that  I  might 
sin  no  more  against  him  !  oh  that  I  may  do  nothing  unworthy  of  him  ! 
oh  that  after  death  I  might  live  for  ever  in  the  enjoyments  of  him!  &c. 
I  say  such  serious  and  sincere  desires  are  not  to  be  found  in  the 
natural  man's  breast. 

[2.]  Secondly,  Because  grace  is  contrary  to  nature.  '  The  wisdom 
of  the  flesh  is  enmity  against  God,'  Kom.  viii.  7.  Fire  cannot  desire 
water,  nor  water  fire,  because  they  are  contrary,  one  expelling  the 
other ;  for  either  the  water  will  quench  the  fire,  or  else  the  fire  will  lick 
up  the  water.  So  here,  nature  would  have  a  man  love  himself,  and 
seek  himself,  and  exalt  himself ;  but  grace  will  have  a  man  love  God, 
and  seek  God,  and  exalt  God,  &c.  Take  nature  when  it  is  most  adorned, 
enriched,  raised,  elevated,  &c.,  yet  then  you  shall  find  it  at  enmity  with 
God  and  grace.     Ei^go,  &c. 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Because  grace  is  not  only  above  nature,  and  contrary 
to  nature,  but  it  is  even  a  hell  to  nature}  Grace  and  holiness  is  a 
hell  to  a  natural  man.  Look,  as  a  glorified  estate  would  be  a  hell  to 
every  wicked  person  (Goelum  est  altera  gehenna  damnatorum,  saith 
one  of  the  ancients,  heaven  is  another  hell  to  the  damned),  so  would  a 
gracious  estate  also.  Grace  puts  a  man  to  keep  up  the  cross  of  Christ, 
to  deny  his  natural  «elf,  his  sinful  self,  his  religious  self,  his  relative  self, 
and  to  give  up  a  man's  self  to  the  strictest  and  exactest  ways  of  God, 
and  to  crucify  his  lusts,  and  to  pull  out  his  right  eye,  and  to  cut  off  his 
right  hand,  &c.  And  oh  !  what  hard  work  is  this,  yea,  what  a  hell  is 
this  to  nature !  •&c. 

[4.]  Fourthly,  Wicked  men  do  not  nor  cannot  so  much  as  truly  and 
seriously  desire  saving  grace  :  witness  their  daily  ivitlistanding  and 
slighting  the  offers  of  grace.  Compare  these  scriptures,  Prov.  i.  20,  seq., 
chap.  viii.  1-12 ;  Ezek.  xxiv.  13  ;  Mat.  xxiii.  37  ;  Luke  xix.  41,  42,  &c. 
[5.]  Fifthly,  Wicked  men  do  not  nor  cannot  so  much  as  truly  and 
seriously  desire  saving  grace  :  luitness  their  common,  ordinary,  habi- 
tual provoking,  vexing,  quenching,  resisting,  and  grieving  of  the 
Spirit  of  grace.  Turn  to  these  scriptures,  Gen.  vi.  3  ;  Isa.  Ixiii.  10  ; 
Acts  vii.  55  ;  Eph.  iv.  30. 

[6.]  Sixthly,  Wicked  men  do  not  nor  cannot  truly  and  seriously  de- 
sire saving  grace;:  witness  that  enmity,  hatred,  rage,  €cnd  madness 
that  is  in  them  against  the  saints,  whose  hearts  and  lives  are  enamelled 
with  grace.  Gen.  iii.  15  ;  Ps.  xxxiv.  21,  xliv.  10 ;  Job  xxxi.  29  ;  Amos 
V.  ]  0,  &c.  I  have  read  of  a  desperate  wretch,  that,  when  he  came  to 
die,  he  gave  good  portions  to  all  his  children  but  one,  and  to  him  he 
would  give  but  twelve  pence  ;  and  being  asked  the  reason  of  it,  he  made 
answer,  he  was  a  Puritan.  I  have  heard  him  say,  said  his  wretched 
father,  that  he  had  a  promise  to  live  on  ;  let  us  now  see  whether  a  pro- 
•  See  my  treatise  on  Holiuess,  pages  64-66.     [Vol.  IV.  in  loc.—G.'\ 


.36  t  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

mise  will  maintain  liim  or  no.  Certainly,  wherever  there  are  true 
serious  desires  after  grace,  there  is  a  dear  love  to  those  upon  whose 
hearts  the  work  of  grace  is  past. 

Now,  by  these  short  liiuts,  it  is  evident  enough  that  wicked  men  do 
not,  nor  cannot  sincerely,  seriously  desire  grace.  Certainly,  such  that 
are  '  poor  in  spirit,'  and  that  mourn  for  their  spiritual  defects,  and  that 
hunger  and  thirst  after  grace  and  holiness,  after  a  righteousness  imparted 
and  a  righteousness  imputed,  must  confess  themselves  to  be  in  a  blessed 
estate,  and  consequently  in  a  state  of  grace  ;  for  what  true  happiness  is 
there  out  of  it  ?  or  else  they  must  contradict  our  Saviour,  and  charge 
truth  itself  with  untruth,  who  hath  pronounced  them  blessed  that  are 
so  qualified,  so  atiected.  Were  this  well  weighed  and  seriously  considered 
of,  how  would  it  comfort,  refresh,  support,  and  stay  up  many  a  troubled 
soul  ;  and  what  a  well-spring  of  life  would  this  be  to  many  a  wounded 
spirit  !  Doubtless,  the  greatest  part  of  a  saint's  perfection  in  this  life 
(witness  Paul's  own  ingenuous  confession,  after  fourteen  years'  conver- 
sion, say  some  ;  and  who  ever  went  beyond  him  ?  and  how  exceedingly 
do  most  fall  short  of  him  !)  consisteth  rather  in  will  than  in  work,  and 
in  desire  and  endeavour  more  than  in  deed.  Rom.  vii.  15,  18, 19,  21,  22. 
There  is  so  much  good  in  good  desires,  that  it  is  the  main  that  the 
godly  have  to  speak  of,  and  to  reckon  of.  Make  an  inventory  of  a 
Christian's  estate,  and  search  every  room ;  if  you  find  not  these,  you 
find  nothing;  and  if  you  set  these  doAvn  in  the  inventory,  you  set  down 
even  all  he  is  M^orth  for  another  world.  Daniel  is  called  a  man  of 
desires,  and  so  is  every  gracious  man,  a  man  wholly  made  up  of  gra- 
cious desires,  Dan.  x.  1 1.  Mark,  God  makes  a  judgment  upon  the  sons 
of  men,  according  as  their  desires  stand ;  he  that  desires  to  steal,  he  is 
a  thief  in  the  account  of  God  ;  and  he  that  desires  to  commit  adultery, 
he  is  an  adulterer  in  the  account  of  God  ;  and  he  that  desires  to  op- 
press, he  is  an  oppressor  in  the  account  of  God ;  and  he  that  desires  to 
deceive,  he  is  a  deceiver  in  the  account  of  God  ;  and  he  that  desires  to 
persecute,  he  is  a  persecutor  in  the  account  of  God  ;  and  he  that  desires 
to  profane  the  Sabbaths  of  God,  he  is  a  profaner  of  the  Sabbaths  of 
God  in  the  account  of  God,  &c.  Look,  as  every  wicked  man  is  as  bad 
in  the  account  of  God  as  his  desires  are  bax.1,  so  every  godly  man  is  a.s 
good  in  the  account  of  God  as  his  desires  are  good;  he  that  sincerely 
desires  to  believe,  he  does  believe  in  the  account  of  God.  *  The  desire,' 
saith  one,  '  to  believe  in  the  want  of  faith  is  faith  ;  though  as  yet  there 
want  firm  and  lively  grace,  yet  art  thou  not  altogether  void  of  grace  ; 
if  thou  canst  desire  it,  thy  desire  is  the  seed,  conception,  or  bud  of  what 
thou  wantest.'^  Now  is  the  spring-time  of  the  engrafted  word  or  im- 
mortal seed  cast  into  the  furrows  of  thy  heart;  wait  but  a  w^hile,  using 
the  means,  and  thou  shalt  see  that  leaves,  blossoms,  and  fruits  will 
shortly  follow,  &c.  Another  saith  [Ursinus],  faith  in  the  most  holy  is 
not  perfect ;  nevertheless,  whosoever  feels  in  his  heart  an  earnest  desire 
to  believe,  and  a  striving  against  his  doubts,  he  both  may  and  must 
assure  himself  that  he  is  endued  with  true  faith.  And  he  that  sincerely 
desires  to  repent,  he  does  repent  in  the  account  of  God.  Holy  Bradford, 
writing  to  Mr  Jo.  Careless,  saith.  Thy  sins  are  undoubtedly  pardoned, 
6:c.,  for  God  hath  given  thee  a  penitent  and  believing  heart,  that  is,  a 
*  Mr  Perkius  in  his  '  Grain  of  Mustard-seed,'    [Works,  as  before. — G.] 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  365 

heart  which  desireth  to  repent  and  believe  ;  for  such  a  one  is  taken  of 
him,  he  accepteth  the  will  for  the  deed,  for  a  penitent  and  believing 
heart  indeed.^  And  he  that  sincerely  desires  to  mortify  sin,  he  does 
mortif}^  sin  in  the  account  of  God  ;  and  he  that  sincerely  desires  to  walk 
with  God,  he  does  walk  with  God  in  the  account  of  God  ;  and  he  that 
sincerely  desires  to  honour  God,  he  does  honour  God  in  the  account  of 
God  ;  and  he  that  sincerely  desires  to  deny  himself,  he  does  deny  him- 
self in  the  account  of  God  ;  and  he  that  sincerely  desires  to  be  weaned 
from  the  world,  he  is  weaned  from  the  world  in  the  account  of  God ; 
and  he  that  sincerely  desires  to  be  conformable  to  God,  he  is  conform- 
able to  God  in  the  account  of  God  ;  and  he  that  desires  to  grow  in  grace, 
he  does  grow  in  grace  in  the  account  of  God  ;  and  he  that  sincerely  de- 
sires to  improve  mercies,  he  does  improve  mercies  in  the  account  of 
God  ;  and  he  that  sincerely  desires  to  glorify  God  in  the  hour  of  his 
visitation,  he  does  glorify  God  in  the  hour  of  his  visitation  in  the  account 
of  God.^  A  gracious  man  may  make  a  better  judgment  of  his  estate  by 
his  sincere  desires  than  he  can  by  his  duties  ;  and  so  a  wicked  man 
may  make  a  better  judgment  of  his  estate  by  his  desires  than  he  can  by 
his  words  or  works.  I  have  been  the  larger  upon  this  evidence  because 
of  its  great  usefulness  to  weak  believers.     But. 

[7.]  Seventhly,  No  man  can  sincerely  desire  grace  for  graces  sake, 
viz.,  faith  for  faitlis  sake,  and  love  for  love's  sake,  and  humility  for 
humility's  sake,  and  uj^rightness  for  uprightness  s  sake,  and  meek- 
ness for  meekness's  sake,  and  holy  fear  for  holy  fear's  sake,  and 
hope  for  hope's  sake,  and  holiness  for  holiness' s  sake,  and  self-denial 
for  self-denial's  sake,  dtc,  but  he  that  has  true  grace.  Mark,  no  man 
can  sincerely  and  seriously  desire  grace  for  the  inward  beauty,  glory, 
and  excellency  of  grace,  but  he  that  has  true  grace.  '  The  kino-'s 
daughter  is  all  glorious  within,"  Ps.  xlv.  13,  though  within  is  not  all  her 
glory.  Grace  differs  nothing  from  glory  but  in  name  ;  grace  is  glory  in 
the  bud,  and  glory  is  grace  at  the  full ;  grace  is  glory  militant,  and 
glory  is  grace  triumphant ;  grace  has  an  inward  glory  upon  it,  which 
none  can  see  and  love,  but  such  as  have  grace  in  their  own  hearts,  2 
Cor.  iii.  18.  Wicked  men  can  see  no  beauty,  no  glory,  no  excellency  in 
grace  why  they  should  desire  it,  or  be  taken  with  it ;  and  no  wonder, 
for  they  could  see  no  beauty,  nor  excellency,  nor  glory,  nor  form,  nor 
comeliness  in  Christ  the  fountain  of  grace,  why  they  should  desii'e  him, 
and  be  taken  with  him,  Isa.  liii.  1-4.  Though  next  to  Christ,  grace  is 
the  most  lovely  and  desirable  thing  in  all  the  world,  yet  none  can  de- 
sire it  for  its  own  loveliness  and  desirableness,  but  such  as  have  a  seed 
of  God  in  them.  Though  grace  be  a  pearl  of  price,  though  it  be  a  jewel 
more  worth  than  the  gold  of  Ophir,  though  it  be  a  beam  of  God,  a  spark 
of  glory,  a  branch  of  the  divine  nature  ;  yet  carnal  hearts  can  see  no 
glory  nor  excellency  in  it,  that  they  should  desire  it.  If  carnal  eyes 
were  but  opened  to  see  the  excellency  of  grace,  mirabiles  sui  excitaret 
amores,  it  would  ravish  the  soul  in  desires  after  it ;  but  grace's  beauty 
and  glory  is  inward,  and  so  it  is  not  discerned  but  with  spiritual  eyes. 
Plato  was  wont  to  say.  If  moral  virtues  could  be  seen  with  bodily  eyes, 

'  Foxe  and  Clarke,  as  before. — G. 

2  Let  thy  desires  be  before  God,  '  and  lie  which  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward  thee 
openly  ;'  thy  desire  is  thy  prayer,  and  if  thy  desire  be  continual,  thy  prayer  is  con- 
tinual, &c. 


36G  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

they  would  stir  up  in  the  heart  extrordinary  flames  of  admiration  and 
love.  I  might  say  much  more  of  grace,  1  Cor.  ii.  14,  seq.  Grace  (1.) 
puts  an  excellency,  it  puts  a  lustre  and  beauty  upon  men's  persons. 
'  The  righteous  is  more  excellent  than  his  neighbour,'  Prov.  xii.  26;  and 
pray  what  makes  him  so  but  grace  ?  Wisdom  makes  a  man's  face  to 
shine  ;  riches,  and  honours,  and  dignities,  and  royal  ornaments,  and 
costly  fare,  and  noble  attendants,  don't  put  an  excellency  and  glory  upon 
man,  Dan.  xi.  21  ;  witness  Autiochus,  Saul,  Haman,  Herod,  Dives,  &c., 
but  saving  grace  does,  1  Peter  iii.  4,  5,  &c.  The  graces  of  the  Spirit  are 
that  chain  of  pearl  that  adorns  Christ's  bride.  (2.)  Grace  puts  an  ex- 
cellency upon  all  a  man's  duties  ;  '  By  faith  Abel  offered  imto  God  a 
more  excellent  sacrifice  than  Cain  ;'  faith  put  an  excellency  upon  Abel's 
sacrifice.  (3.)  Gi'ace  puts  an  excellency  upon  all  a  man's  natural  and 
acquired  excellencies.  It  puts  an  excellency  upon  beauty,  honour, 
riches,  name,  arts,  parts,  gifts.  Now,  how  excellent  and  glorious  must 
that  be  that  puts  an  excellency  upon  all  our  excellencies  ?  (4.)  Grace 
makes  a  man  conformable  to  God  and  Christ.  (5.)  Grace  fits  a  man  for 
communion  and  fellowship  -with  Father,  Son,  and  Spirit.  (6.)  Grace 
fits  a  man  for  the  choicest  services.  (7.)  Grace  turns  all  things  into  a 
blessing.  (8.)  Grace  fills  the  soul  with  all  spiritual  excellencies. 
(9.)  Grace  preserves  a  Christian  from  the  worst  of  evils,  viz.,  sin. 
(10.)  Grace  sweetens  death,  it  makes  the  king  of  terrors  to  be  the  king 
of  desires.  (11.)  Grace  renders  a  man  acceptable  to  God,  and  that  is 
the  height  of  a  Christian's  ambition  in  this  world  :  2  Cor.  v.  9,  'Where- 
fore we  labour'  (ip;X£,7-/,u,o6,aife,  we  are  ambitious),  'that  whether  present 
or  absent,  we  may  be  accepted  of  him.'  '  The  apostles  made  it  their 
ambition  to  get  acceptance  in  heaven.  Riches,  and  honours,  and  gifts, 
and  arts,  and  parts,  &c.,  may  commend  iis  to  men,  but  it  is  only  grace 
that  commends  us  to  God,  and  that  renders  us  lovely  in  his  eyes.  (12.) 
Grace  will  eternalise  your  names,  grace  will  perfume  and  embalm  your 
names  :  Heb.  xi.  2,  '  By  faith  the  elders  obtained  a  good  report.' 
Ver.  39,  '  And  these  all,  having  obtained  a  good  report  through  faith, 
received  not  the  promise.'  Nothing  raises  a  nmn's  name  and  fame  in 
the  world  like  grace.^  A  man  may  obtain  a  great  report  without 
grace,  but  he  can  never  obtain  a  good  report  without  grace.  No- 
thing below  grace  will  perpetuate  a  man's  name.  The  seven  dea- 
cons that  the  church  chose.  Acts  vi.  3,  5,  were  gracious  men,  and  they 
were  men  of  '  good  report,'  they  were  men  well  witnessed  unto,  well 
testified  of,  as  the  Greek  word  imports,  Acts  x.  1-4,  22.  Cornelius 
was  a  gracious  man,  and  he  was  a  man  of  good  report  among  all  the 
nation  of  the  Jews,  Acts  ix.  10,  20,  comp.  with  chap.  xxii.  12.  Ananias 
was  a  gracious  man,  and  he  was  a  man  of  a  '  good  report.'  Gains  and 
Demetrius,  they  were  both  gracious  men,  and  they  were  men  of  good 
report ;  witness  that  third  epistle  of  John.  How  renowned  was  Abra- 
ham for  his  faith  !  and  Moses  for  his  meekness  !  and  Jacob  for  his  plain- 
heartcdness  !  and  Job  for  his  uprightness  !  and  David  for  his  zeal  I  and 
Joshua  for  his  courage  !  Holy  Abel  hath  been  dead  above  this  five  thou- 
sand years,  and  yet  his  name  is  as  fresh  and  fragrant  as  a  rose  to  this  very 
day,  Heb.  xi.  4.  Grace  will  make  your  names  immortal.  '  The  righteous 
shall  be  in  everlasting  remembrance,'  Ps.  cxii.  6.  'The  memory  of  the  just 
»  1  Jolin  iv.  17,  i.l,  2;  2  Cor.  xiii.  14;  Zech.  iii.  7;  Mai.  ii.  2;  Prov.  ii.  11,  12. 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  367 

is  blessed,  but  tlie  name  of  the  wicked  shall  rot,'  Prov.  x.  7.  Wicked  men 
many  times  outlive  their  names,  but  the  names  of  just  men  outlive 
them.  When  a  gracious  man  dies,  he  leaves  his  name  as  a  sweet  and 
as  a  lasting  scent  behind  him  ;  his  fame  shall  live  when  he  is  dead. 
According  to  the  Hebrew  the  words  may  be  read  thus  :  '  The  memory 
of  the  just  shall  be  for  a  blessing.'  The  very  remembering  of  the  just 
shall  bring  a  blessing  upon  them  that  remember  them.  When  a  gracious 
man  dies,  as  he  carries  a  good  conscience  with  him,  so  he  leaves  a  per- 
fumed name  behind  him.  Grace  is  the  image  of  God,  the  delight  of 
God,  the  honour  of  God,  the  glory  of  God  ;  grace  is  the  purchase  of 
Christ,  and  the  birth  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  pledge  of  glory  ;  grace  is  the 
joy  of  angels,  the  glory  of  man,  and  the  wonder  of  the  world.  What  is 
the  body  without  the  soul  ?  what  is  the  cabinet  without  the  jewels  ? 
what  is  the  sun  without  light  ?  what  is  the  fountain  without  water  ? 
what  is  paradise  without  the  tree  of  life?  what  is  heaven  without  Christ  ? 
That  is  a  soul  without  grace.  Now,  every  gracious  soul  sees  a  real  eternal 
excellency,  beauty,  and  glory  in  grace,  and  accordingly  it  is  carried  out  in 
its  desires  after  it.  It  sees  such  an  innate  excellency,  beauty,  and  glory 
in  that  faith,  wisdom,  humility,  meekness,  patience,  zeal,  self-denial, 
heavenly-mindedness,  uprightness,  &c.,  that  sparkles  and  shines  in  such 
and  such  saints,  that  it  many  times  strives  with  God  in  a  corner,  even 
to  sweat  and  tears,  that  it  may  be  bedecked  and  enriched  with  those 
singular  graces  that  are  so  shining  in  others.  Oh  that  I  had  the  wisdom 
of  such  a  Christian,  and  the  faith  of  such  a  Christian,  and  the  love  of 
such  a  Christian,  and  the  humility  of  such  a  Christian,  and  the  meek- 
ness of  such  a  Christian,  and  the  zeal  of  such  a  Christian,  and  the  in- 
tegrity of  such  a  Christian,  &c.  Oh  that  my  soul  was  but  in  their  case  ! 
I  don't  covet  their  riches,  but  their  graces.  Oh  that  I  had  but  those 
graces  !  Oh  that  I  had  much  of  those  graces  that  sparkles  and  shines 
in  the  hearts  and  lives  of  such  and  such  Christians  !  I  see  a  beauty  and 
glory  upon  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  yea,  upon  the  whole  creation,  but  what 
is  that  to  that  beauty  and  glory  that  I  see  stamped  upon  grace  ?  And 
this  fires  his  heart  with  desires  after  grace.     But, 

[8.]  Eighthly,  No  man  can  sincerely  desire  all  grace,  every  grace, 
or  the  whole  chain  of  graces,  hut  he  that  has  true  grace,  2  Peter  i.  5-  9 . 
Vain  men,  when  they  are  under  some  outward  or  inward  distresses,  may, 
to  serve  their  present  turns,  desire,  in  a  cold,  formal,  customary  way, 
patience,  or  contentation,  or  meekness,  or  hope,  or  faith,  &c.  ;  but  they 
don't,  nor  can't,  whilst  they  are  wicked,  whilst  they  are  in  their  natural 
estate,  whilst  they  are  '  in  the  gall  of  bitterness  and  bond  of  iniquity,' 
Acts  viii.  19-25,  sincerely  desire  every  grace,  especially  those  particular 
graces  that  are  most  opposite  to  their  master  sin,  to  their  darling  lusts, 
to  their  constitution  sins,  to  their  complexion  sins,  to  those  particular 
lusts  that  are  to  them  as  dear  as  their  right  eyes  or  right  hands.  Austin 
before  his  conversion  he  was  much  given  to  whoredom,  and  he  would 
often  pray,  '  Lord,  give  me  continency,  but  not  yet ;  Lord,  give  me  con- 
tinency,  but  not  yet.'^  He  was  afraid  lest  God  should  have  heard  him 
too  soon,  as  he  himself  oonfesseth.  Wicked  men  would  be  very  sorry  if 
God  should  take  them  at  their  words,  and  in  good  earnest  answer  .tLe 
cold  and  lazy  desires  of  their  souls.  If  when  the  drunkard  in  a  good 
'  Confessions,  b.  viii.,  26,  27,  et  alibi. — G. 


368  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

mood  should  de.sire  sobriety,  God  should  take  him  at  his  word,  he  would 
be  very  angry  ;  or  if  when  the  unclean  person  should  desire  chastity, 
oontiuency,  God  should  answer  his  desires,  he  would  not  be  very  well 
pleased.  If  when  the  covetous  person  should,  under  some  pangs  of  con- 
science, desire  a  free,  a  charitable,  a  noble,  generous  spirit,  God  should 
take  liim  at  his  word,  he  would  be  sorely  displeased.  The  same  may 
be  said  of  all  other  sorts  of  sinners  ;  but  now  a  real  Christian,  though 
he  be  never  so  weak,  yet  he  seriously  desires  every  grace  ;  he  is  for  every 
link  of  the  golden  chain  of  graces;  he  finds  in  his  own  heart  sins 
that  are  contrary  to  every  grace  ;  and  therefore  he  desires  every  grace, 
that  he  may  make  head  against  every  sin,  and  he  finds  his  heart  and 
life  so  attended  and  surrounded  with  all  sorts  and  kinds  of  temptations, 
that  he  earnestly,  seriously,  and  frequently  desires  the  presence  and 
assistance  of  every  grace,  that  so  he  may  be  temptation- proof,  yea,  vic- 
torious over  every  temptation  ;  and  he  sees  and  feels  the  need  of  every 
orace  to  fill  up  every  place,  station,  and  condition  wherein  the  Lord  has 
set  him,  and  therefore  he  begs  hard  for  every  grace  ;  and  he  sees  a 
beauty,  and  a  glory,  and  an  excellency  upon  every  grace,  and  therefore 
he  desires  every  grace  as  well  as  any  one  single  grace,  which  no  hypo- 
crite or  profane  person  in  the  world  does.     But, 

[9.]  Ninthly,  No  man  can  sincereli/  and  seriously  desire  grace  for 
gracious  ends  and  purposes,  hut  he  that  has  true  grace  in  his  soul. 
No  man  can  truly  desire  grace,  that  he  may  enjoy  communion  and 
fellowship  with  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Spirit,  and  that  he  may  be 
made  conformable  to  Christ,  and  that  he  may  be  serviceable  and 
useful  to  the  interest  of  Christ,  and  that  he  may  walk  even  as  Christ 
walked,  in  the  exercise  of  every  grace,  and  that  he  may  be  rid  of  his 
sins,  yea,  all  his  sins,  especially  his  special  sins  ;  and  that  he  may  run 
the  ways  of  God's  commands  more  easily,  more  readily,  more  delight- 
fully, more  resolutely,  more  patiently,  more  unweariedlv,  and  more 
zealously  ;  and  that  he  may  be  made  victorious  over  the  world,  the  flesh, 
and  the  devil ;  and  that  he  may  so  live,  as  to  be  a  praise,  a  name,  an 
honour,  and  a  glory  to  Christ ;  and  that  after  all  and  by  all  he  may 
be  prepared  and  fitted  for  an  eternal  fruition  and  enjoyment  of  Christ,' 
but  he  that  has  true  grace  in  his  soul.  Now,  every  weak  believer  is 
able  to  ajopeal  to  God,  that  he  desires  grace  for  gracious  ends  and  pur- 
poses, as  for  the  ends  last  cited,  and  others  of  the  like  nature  with  them. 
Wicked  men  may  in  a  fit  desire  grace,  as  Simon  Magus  did  desii-e  the 
Holy  Ghost,  to  get  money  by  it.  Acts  viii.  18-20  ;  or  when  they  are 
under  some  pangs  of  conscience,  they  may  desire  grace  to  be  rid  of  their 
horrors  and  terrors,  or  when  they  are  upon  a  dying  bed  they  may  desire 
so  much  grace  as  may  keep  them  out  of  hell,  and  bring  them  to  heaven ; 
but  in  alfthis  they  look  no  further  than  self,  they  are  far  from  desiring 
of  o-race  for  gracious  ends  and  purposes.  There  is  nothing  in  all  the 
world  that  the  gi'eat  God  so  much  regards  as  man,  '  All  these  things 
liave  my  hands  made,  but  to  this  man  will  I  look,'  Isa.  Ixvi.  2.  Nothing 
in  man  so  much  as  the  heart ;  '  My  son,  give  me  thy  heart.'  That  is 
the  mcnmt  Zion  which  God  loveth  above  all  the  dwellings  of  Jacob  ;  and 
hino-  in  the  heart  so  much  as  the  aim  and  end  of  it.     Let  a  man's 


I 


i^t}i 


John  ).  1-4,  and  ii.  6  ;  Mat.  xi.  29,  30  ;  Ps.  exix.  32  ;  1  John  v.  4,  6  ;  Rom.  siv.  7 
Philip,  i.  20. 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  369 

profession  be  never  so  glorious,  let  him  be  never  so  abundant  in  the 
performance  of  duties,  let  his  desires  after  this  and  that  good  thing 
be  never  so  strong,  yet  if  his  ends  be  wrong,  all  his  pretensions  and  per- 
formances are  but  beautiful  abominations.  Did  David  pray  three  times 
a-day  ?  So  did  the  pharisees.  Did  David  and  Daniel  fast  ?  So  did  the 
pharisees,and  that  twice  in  the  week.  Did  Cornelius  givealms?  So  did  the 
pharisees.  Did  Abraham  pay  tithes  ?  So  did  the  pharisees  ;  they  tithed 
their  very  mint  and  rue.  But  their  ends  being  wrong,  their  time  was  lost, 
and  their  pains  was  lost,  and  their  duties  was  lost,  and  their  alms  was  lost, 
and  their  souls  was  lost,  and  that  for  ever.^  God  writes  a  nothing  upon 
all  those  services  wherein  men's  ends  are  not  right,  Jer.  xxxii.  23.  But, 
[10.]  Tenthly,  No  onan  can  sincerely  desire  and  ear^iestly  endeavour 
after  the  highest  'pitches  of  grace,  but  he  that  has  true  grace.  Though 
the  weak  Christian  has  but  a  little  grace  in  his  heart,  yet  he  has  the  top 
of  grace,  the  perfection  of  grace  in  his  sincere  aims,  in  his  sincere  desires, 
and  in  his  earnest  and  constant  endeavours,  Philip,  iii.  12-16,  &c  ;'and 
if  the  weakest  saint  might  have  his  desires,  his  mind,  his  wish,  his  will, 
his  choice,  he  would  never  sin  more  ;  he  would  never  dishonour  Jesus 
Christ  more  ;  he  would  never  grieve  the  Spirit  of  grace  more  ;  he  would 
yield  unsinning  obedience  ;  he  would  obey  in  this  lower  world,  as  the 
angels,  and  as  the  '  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,'  Heb.  xii.  22,  23, 
do  obey  in  that  upper  world.  The  weakest  Christian  has  his  eye  to  the 
highest  round  in  Jacob's  ladder,  and  fain  would  he  be  at  the  top  of  it, 
Luke  xvii.  5 ;  and  oh,  how  sweet  is  every  providence,  and  every  ordi- 
nance, and  every  duty,  and  every  mercy,  and  every  opportunity,  that 
helps  his  soul  more  Christ-wards,  and  heaven- wards,  and  holiness-wards  ! 
Sincere  desires,  and  serious  endeavours  to  grow  in  grace,  is  an  infallible 
evidence  of  the  truth  of  grace,  2  Peter  iii.  18,  1  Peter  ii.  2,  1  John  v. 
11,1  John  iii.  9.  Look,  as  a  man  may  have  grace  and  not  know  it,  so 
a  man  may  grow  in  grace  and  yet  not  discern  it.  As  in  the  lopping  of 
a  tree  there  seems  to  be  a  kind  of  diminution  and  destruction,  yet  the 
end  and  issue  of  it  is  better  growth  ;  and  as  the  weakening  of  the  body 
by  physic  seems  to  tend  to  death,  yet  it  produceth  better  health  and 
more  strength ;  and  as  the  ball  by  falling  downward  riseth  upward  ;  and 
water  in  pipes  descends  that  it  may  ascend,  so  the  Christian's  spiritual 
growth,  when  seemingly  dead  and  declining,  and  to  stand  at  a  stay,  is 
still  carried  on  by  the  hidden  method  of  God  to  increase  ;  for  every  true 
Christian  is  a  member  of  a  thriving  body,  in  which  there  is  no  atrophy, 
but  a  continual  issuing  of  spirits  from  the  head  ;  so  that  life,  being 
wrought  by  the  Spirit  of  life,  never  dieth,  but  is  always  upon  the  growing 
hand, — except  in  the  dark  winter  night  of  desertion  and  temptations, — 
ripening  and  increasing  even  in  the  midst  of  all  ordinary  troubles  and 
trials.^  The  apostle  tells  us,  that  the  whole  body  of  Christ,  whereof 
every  true  Christian  is  a  limb,  is  so  compact  together  in  itself,  and  so 
firmly  fastened  with  certain  spiritual  nerves  and  ligaments  to  the  head, 
that  from  it  there  is  by  them  conveyed  to  each  part  a  continual  supply 
of  spiritual  grace,  both  sufficient  to  furnish  it,  and  to  further  the  growth 

'  Mark  xii.  40  ;  Luke  xviii.  12  ;  Mat.  vi.  2  ;  Luke  xi.  42  ;  Mat.  xxiii.  1,  seq^. 

*  '  The  righteous  shall  flourish  like  the  palm-tree,'  Ps.  xci.  12-14.  The  palm-tree 
never  loseth  his  leaf  or  fruit. — Pliny.  Grace  grows  not  alike  in  all  saints.  In  the  parable. 
some  brought  forth  thirty,  some  sixty,  and  some  an  hundred  fold. 

VOL.  in.  A  a 


370  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

of  it.  Let  me  give  a  little  further  light  into  this  particular,  by  this 
similitude  :  A  man  is  bound  for  the  East  Indies,  and  shapeth  his  course 
thitherward,  but  by  the  ^vay  is  put  often  off  by  cross  winds  to  the  west- 
ward ;  ho  is  by  contrary  winds  compelled  to  put  into  divers  harbours, 
and  to  make  some  stay  by  the  way  there,  eitiier  to  shift  off  stormy 
weather,  or  to  take  in  fresh  water,  or  to  stop  a  leak,  or  to  get  some 
fresh  provisions  ;  and  yet  all  this  while  we  truly  say,  he  is  going  on  in 
his  way  in  his  voyage,  because  his  settled  purpose  and  constant  resolu- 
tion is  to  make  to  his  port,  his  haven,  whither  he  is  bound,  and  all  these 
seeming  lets'  shall  help  forward  his  voyage.  It  is  so  in  spiritual  things ; 
for  our  very  growth  in  grace  consists  much  in  sincere  desires,  in  fixed 
resolutions,  and  in  faithful  endeavours  to  grow  in  grace.  Aristotle  makes 
it  the  mark  of  a  good  man,  that  he  studicth  how  he  may  grow  better  than 
he  is,  not  contenting  himself  with  any  degree  or  measure  of  goodne-ss. 
And  another  heathen  observes,  that  '  the  earnest  desire  of  what  men 
would  have,  maketh  them  forgetful  of  what  they  have."  *  I  forget  what 
is  past,'  saith  the  apostle,  '  and  press  on  to  what  is  before,'  Philip,  iii.  13. 
Their  eye  is  more  upon  what  they  want  than  upon  what  they  have. 
It  is  with  oood  Christians  in  this  case  as  it  is  with  rich  worldlings,  that, 
like  men  in  a  race,  have  their  eye  on  those  that  be  before  them,  not  on 
those  that  come  after  them ;  they  are  ever  eyeing  those  that  seem  to 
outstrip  and  outgo  them  in  wealth,  and  think  they  have  nothing,  and 
that  they  are  but  poor  men,  so  long  as  they  come  short  of  such  and 
such,  who  are  rich  and  great  in  the  world.  And  so  it  is  with  many 
precious  Christians  ;  they  have  still  their  eye  fixed  upon  those  whose 
examples  they  cither  read  of,  or  whose  courses  and  graces  they  are  eye- 
witnesses of ;  and  hereupon  they  think  that  they  have  no  grace,  or  else 
that  the}^  make  no  progress  in  grace,  at  least  worth  speaking  of,  so  long 
as  they  come  behind  and  fall  short  of  such  and  such,  who  are  very  emi- 
nent, or  most  eminent,  in  grace  and  holiness  ;  and  upon  this  account  it 
is,  that  they  make  such  sore  complaints  of  their  spiritual  wants,  and  of 
their  slow  progress  in  grace  and  holiness,  and  that  they  can  hardly  per- 
ceive but  that  they  stand  still  at  a  stay.  Now  mark,  these  sad  complaints 
of  theirs,  and  their  serious  desires  to  grow  in  grace,  is  a  sure  and  infal- 
lible evidence  of  the  truth  of  grace  in  them  ;  yea,  it  is  a  sure  argument 
that  they  love  grace  as  it  is  grace,  that  they  love  grace  for  grace's  sake, 
which  none  can  do  but  such  as  have  grace.  It  is  a  sure  sign  that  he 
was  never  truly  good,  that  desireth  not  to  be  better ;  ille  non  est  bonus 
qui  non  viilt  esse  melior  ;  yea,  he  has  very  great  cause  to  fear,  that  his 
heart  is  naught,  very  naught,  if  not  stark  naught,  that  desireth  not  to 
be  as  good  as  the  best,  to  be  as  gracious  as  he  that  is  most  gracious,  and 
to  be  as  holy  as  he  that  is  most  holy.  Well,  sirs  !  this  will  be  found  an 
everlasting  truth,  viz..  That  no  man  can  sincerely  desire,  and  habitually 
endeavour  after  the  highest  pitches  of  grace,  but  he  that  hath  true  grace. 
[11.]  Elevcntldy,  No  man  can  ahvays  desire  (/race,  hut  he  that  has  ' 
true  grace.  Constant  desires  after  grace  argues  the  reality  of  grace  ; 
constant  desires  after  grace  speaks  out  a  state  of  grace :  Ps.  cxix.  20, 
'  My  soul  brcaketh  for  the  longing  that  it  hath  unto  thy  judgments  at 
all  times.'    Isa.  xxvi.  7-9,  Cant.  iii.  1-4,  Ps.  cvi.  3.    Pliny  speaks  of  a 

'  '  Hindrances.'     Cf.  Sibbos,  Works,  vol.  i.  page  101,  note  d. — G. 
^  Aristotle,  Rliet.  lib.  i.  cap.  xi. ;  Seneca,  lib.  ii.  cap.  xxvii. 


I 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  371 

golden  vine  which  never  withereth.  All  gracious  desires  are  such  golden 
desires  as  never  wither.  Take  a  Christian  when  you  wiJl,  and  where 
you  will,  and  among  whom  you  will,  and  in  what  condition  you  Avill, 
and  still  3'^ou  shall  find  his  heart  full  of  gracious  desires.  Oh  that  I  had 
grace  !  Oh  that  I  had  much  grace  !  &c.  Balaam  in  a  fit,  in  a  good 
mood,  desires  to  die  the  death  of  the  righteous,  but  his  desires  were 
fleeting  and  flashy,  they  were  transient,  not  permanent.  Num.  xxiii.  1  (X 
Some  poor  sinners,  when  they  are  in  a  good  mood,  or  under  some  dis- 
tress of  conscience,  or  under  some  grievous  trials,  or  when  they  see  the 
handwriting  upon  the  wall,  Dan.  v.  6  ;  and  when  death,  which  is  the 
king  of  terrors,  and  the  terror  of  kings,  knocks  at  their  doors,  oh  then 
they  cry  out,  Oh  that  we  had  grace  !  Oh,  what  shall  we  do  for  grace  ! 
Oh,  send  to  such  a  minister,  and  to  such  a  Christian,  whom  we  have 
hated,  scorned,  reproached,  and  opposed,  and  desire  them  to  be  earnest 
with  God,  that  he  would  give  us  grace  ;,  for  now  we  see,  that  without 
grace  there  is  no  escaping  of  hell,  nor  no  coming  to  heaven.  But  all 
these  desires  of  theirs  are  but  like  the  morning  cloud,  or  the  early  dew, 
that  quickly  passeth  away,  Hosea  vi.  4,  Ps.  Ixxviii.  37,  Ps.  v.  9>  But 
now  if  you  look  upon  the  weak  Christian,  as  you  shall  commonly  And 
a  tear  in  his  eye,  a  sigh  in  his  breast,  and  a  complaint  in  his  mouth  ;  so 
you  shall  always  find  desires  in  his  heart  after  grace,  Oh  that  I  had 
grace  !  Oh  that  I  had  much  grace  !  Oh  that  I  did  but  excel  in  grace  ! 
Oh  that  I  had  as  much  grace  as  such  a  Christian  !  Oh  that  I  had  a 
greater  exercise  of  grace !  Ps.  xlii.  1-3,  and  Ixiii.  1,  2,  3,  8.  Whatever 
outward  or  inward  changes  may  attend  a  Christian  in  this  world,  yet 
you  shall  still  find  him  full  of  holy  desires,  and  breathings,  and  hanker- 
ings, and  longings  after  God,  and  Christ,  and  grace,  and  holiness.  Oh 
that  I  had  more  of  these  !  Oh,  when  shall  I  have  more  of  these !  Oh 
that  God  would  cut  noe  short  in  anything,  yea,  in  everything,  rather 
than  cut  me  short  in  these  things,  that  the  desires  of  my  soul  are  so 
much  running  after !  These  desires  of  theirs  may  further  be  set  forth 
by  a  spring  between  a  couple  of  hills ;  the  spring  will  always  run  through 
those  lets'  that  stop-  it,  or  else  it  will  run  over  those  lets,  for  it  cannot 
cease  running  if  it  be  a  living  spring  ;  so  the  desires  of  a  gracious  soul 
will  still  be  running  after  God,  and  Christ,  and  grace.  The  good  desires 
of  bad  men  after  God,  and  Christ,  and  grace,  and  holiness,  are  like  water 
in  a  cistern,  that  quickly  runs  out ;.  but  the  desires  of  a  godly  man  after 
God,  Christ,  grace,  holiness,  are  like  water  in  a  fountain  that  is  still 
a-running.  An  unsound  Christian  is  never  good  at  all  times;  he  is  only 
good  by  fits,  and  starts,  and  turns,  sometimes  when  he  is  sermon-sick, 
or  under  a  smarting  rod,  or  a  galled  conscience,  or  when  he  is  under 
some  heavy  cross  or  sad  loss.  Oii,  then  he  will  be  good  !  Oh,  then  he 
will  have  God,  and  he  will  have  Christ,  and  he  will  have  grace,  and  he 
will  have  heaven  ;  but  this  good  frame,  this  good  temper  of  his,  is  not 
lasting,  it  is  not  abiding ;  it  is  like  a  vapour  that  quickly  vanishes,  or  like 
a  windmill  that  goes  as  long  as  the  wind  fills  the  sails,  but  no  longer. 
These  are  like  Sigismund  the  emperor,  who,,  when  he  was  sick,  would 
be  very  godly,  but  when  he  was  well,  none  more  wicked.     But, 

[12.]  Twelfthly,  No  man  can  sincerely  desire  to  abound  and  excel 
most  in  those  particular  graces  which  are  most  opposite  and  contrary 
1  '  Hindrances,'  as  before,  page  370. — G. 


372  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

fo  those  'particular  sins  which  his  natural  temper,  constitution,  com- 
plexion, calUiuj,  or  condition,  does  most  expose  him  and  incline  him 
to,  but  he  that  has  true  (jrace,  hut  Ice  whose  heart  is  sincere  with  God. 
Ps.  xviii.  23,  '  I  was  upright  before  him,  and  I  kept  myself  from  mine 
iniquity.'  If  passion  be  a  sincere  Christian's  head-lust,  then  his  desires 
run  most  out  for  meekness  ;  if  pride,  then  his  desires  are  most  for 
humility  ;  if  earthliness,  then  his  <iesires  are  most  for  heavenly-minded- 
ness  ;  if  unbelief,  tiien  his  desires  are  most  for  faith.  You  shall  then 
find  him  with  the  disciples,  crying  out,  '  Lord,  increase  our  faith,'  Luke 
vii.  5.  But  now,  though  a  wicked  man's  heart  rise  against  every  grace, 
yet  it  rises  most  strongly  against  those  particular  graces  which  are 
most  opposite  and  contrary  to  those  particular  lusts  which  are  a  wicked 
man's  bosom  lusts,  his  darling  sins,  -Sec.  Hence  the  covetous  heart  rises 
and  swolls  most  against  liberality,  as  you  see  in  Judas,  '  What  need 
this  waste  V  Mat.  xxvi.  8,  9.  Flesh  and  blood  looks  upon  all  as  lost 
that  is  laid  out  upon  Christ,  his  servants  and  services.  And  the  luke- 
warm Christian's  heart  rises  and  swells  most  against  zeal  and  fervency. 
Rev.  iii.  15-17,  Luke  xix. ;  smd  the  griping  usurer's  heart  rises  and 
swells  most  against  restitution  ;  and  the  adulterer's  heart  rises  and 
swells  most  against  purity,  chastity,  continency;  and  the  ignorant  man's 
heart  rises  and  swells  most  against  light  and  knowledge.  The  ignorant 
man  is  willing  to  go  to  h-ell  in  the  dark,  and  ready  and  bold  enough  to 
conclude  that  ^ye  never  had  such  sad  and  bad  times  as  we  have  had 
since  there  hath  been  so  much  preaching,  and  so  much  hearing,  and  so 
much  fasting,  and  so  much  praying,  and  so  much  light  and  knoAvledge 
in  the  world.  But  now  it  is  quite  otherwise  with  a  true  child  of  God  ; 
for  his  heart  rises  and  swells  most  against  the  toad  or  toads  that  are  in 
his  own  bosom,  Rom.  vii.  22,  23  ;  and  the  daily  and  earnest  desires  of 
his  soul  are,  that  God  would  make  him  eminent  in  every  grace,  yea, 
that  God  would  make  him  most  eminent  in  those  particular  graces 
which  are  most  -opposite  and  contrary  to  those  particular  lusts  and  cor- 
ruptions which  more  peculiarly,  more  especially  he  hath  cause  to  call 
his  iniquity,  or  the  iniquities  of  his  heart,  and  of  his  heels,  Ps.  xHx.  5. 
Look,  as  we  have  some  dirt,  more  or  less,  that  will  still  cleave  to  our 
heels  whilst  we  are  in  a  dirty  world,'  so  there  is  some  defilements  and 
pollutions  that  will  still  be  cleaving  to  all  our  duties,  services,  ways, 
and  walkings  in  this  world,  which  we  may  well  call  the  iniquity  of  our 
heels.     Now,  a  gracious  heart  rises  most  against  these,  &c. 

[13.]  Thirteenthly,  No  man  can  truly  love  grace  in  another,  hut  he 
that  hits  true  grace  in  his  own  soul,  1  John  iii.  10.  No  man  can  love 
a  saint  as  a  saint  but  he  that  is  a  real  saint.  No  man  can  love  holiness 
in  another  but  he  that  has  hoHness  in  his  own  soul.  No  man  can  love 
a  good  man  for  goodness'  sake  but  he  that  is  really  good.  '  We  know 
that  we  have  passed  from  death  to  life,  because  we  love  the  brethren,' 
1  John  iii.  14.^  Sincere  love  to  the  brethren  is  a  most  evident  sign  of 
a  Christian's  being  already  passed  or  translated  from  death  to  life,  that 
is,  from  a  state  of  nature  into  a  state  of  grace.  Such  a  poor  soul  that 
dares  not  say  that  he  has  grace  in  his  own  heart,  yet  dares  say  before 
the  Lord  that  he  loves,  delights,  and  takes  pleasure  to  see  the  holy 
graces  of  the  Spirit  sparkling  and  shining  in  the  hearts,  lives,  and  lips 
'  Qu.  '  road  '  ? — Ed.         '■'  This  text  you  bavo  opened  in  the  first  maxim  of  tliis  book. 


1 


Chap.  II.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  873 

of  other  saints,  secretly  wishing  in  himself  that  his  soul  were  but  in 
tbeir  case ;  and  that  dares  say  before  the  Lord  that  there  are  no  men 
in  all  the  world  that  are  so  precious,  so  lovely,  so  comely,  so  excellent, 
and  so  honourable  in  his  account,  in  his  eye,  as  those  that  have  the 
image  of  God,  of  Christ,  of  grace,  of  holiness,  most  clearly,  most  fairly, 
and  most  fully  stamped  upon  them.  When  a  poor  Christian  can  re- 
joice in  every  light,  in  every  sun  that  outshines  his  own  ;  when  he  sees 
wisdom  sand  knowledge  shining  in  one  saint,  and  faith  and  love  shining 
in  another  saint,  and  humility  and  lowliness  shining  in  another  saint, 
and  meekness  and  uprightness  shining  in  anot.her  saint,  and  zeal  and 
courage  shining  in  another  saint,  and  patience  and  constancy  shining 
in  another,  and  then  can  make  his  retreat  to  his  closet,  admiring  and 
blessing  of  the  Lord  for  the  various  graces  of  his  Spirit  shining  in  his 
children,  and  be  frequent  and  earnest  with  God,  that  those  very  graces 
might  shine  as  so  many  suns  in  his  soul ;  doubtless  such  a  poor  soul  has 
true  grace,  and  is  happy,  and  will  be  happy  to  all  eternity.^  In  Ter- 
tullian's  time,  the  heathen  would  point  out  the  Clii'istians  by  this  mark, 
'  See  how  they  lave  one  another.'  Now,  to  prevent  mistakes,  I  shall 
shew  you  the  several  properties  of  sincere  love  to  the  saints. 

(1.)  First,  True  love  to  the  saints  is  spiritual ;  it  is  a  love  for  the 
image  of  God  that  is  stamped  upon  the  soul.  1  John  v.  1,  '  Every  one 
that  loveth  him  that  begp^t,  loveth  him  also  that  is  begotten  of  him;' 
1  John  iv.  7.  A  soul  that  truly  loves,  loves  the  fatlier  for  his  own  sake, 
and  the  children  for  the  fathers  sake.  If  the  image  of  God  be  the  load- 
stone that  draws  out  our  love  to  the  saints,  then  our  love  is  real  to  them. 
He  that  does  not  love  the  saints  as  saints,  he  that  does  not  love  them 
under  a  spiritual  notion,  he  hath  no  true  affection  to  them.  Naturally 
we  hate  God,  because  he  is  a  holy  God  ;  and  his  law,  because  it  is  an 
holy  law  ;  and  his  people,  because  they  are  a  holy  people.  Gen.  iii.  15  ; 
1  John  iii.  12.  It  is  only  the  Spirit  of  God  that  can  enable  a  man  to 
love  a  saint  for  the  image  of  God  that  is  in  him.  Many  there  are  which 
love  Christians  for  their  goods,  not  for  their  good  ;  they  love  them  for 
the  money  that  is  in  their  purses,  but  not  for  the  grace  that  is  in  their 
hearts.  Many,  like  the  Bohemian  cur,  fawn  upon  a  good  suit.^  Love 
to  the  saints,  for  the  image  of  God  stamped  upon  them,  is  a  flower  tha.t 
does  not  grow  in  nature's  garden.  No  man  can  love  grace  in  another 
man's  heart,  but  he  that  hath  grace  in  his  own.  Men  do  not  more 
naturally  love  their  parents,  and  love  their  children,  and  love  themselves, 
than  they  do  naturally  hate  the  image  of  God  upon  his  people  and  ways, 
Prov.  xxix.  10;  Ezek.  xxv.  15.  I  have  read  of  one  who  was  so  lusty 
and  quarrelsome,  that  he  was  ready  to  fight  with  hisown  image  so  often 
as  he  saw  it  in  a  glass.  Oh  how  many  are  therein  these  days,  that  are 
still  a-quarrelling  and  fighting  with  the  image  of  God  wherever  they  see  it  i 
True  love  is  for  what  of  the  divine  nature,  for  what  of  Christ  and  grace 
shines  in  a  man.  It  is  one-  thing  to  love  a  godly  man,  and  another  thing  to 
love  him  for  godliness.  Many  love  godly  men  as  they  are  politicians, 
or  potent,  or  learned,  or  of  a  sweet  nature,  or  affable,  or  related,  or  as 
they  have  been  kind  to  them  ;  but  all  this  is  but  natural  love  ;  but  to 
love  them  because  they  are  sjjiritually  lovely,  because  of  the  seed  of  God 

'  Ps.  XV.  1,  4,  xvi.  3.  He  that  loves  his  brother,  saith  Augustine,  better  knows  his 
love  wherewith  he  loves  than  his  brother  whom  he  loves.  ^  Dress, — G. 


37-4  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS,  [ChAP.  II. 

in  them,  because  they  are  all  glorious  within,  is  to  love  them  as  becometh 
saints  ;  it  is  to  love  them  at  a  liinlier  and  nobler  rate  than  any  hypo- 
crite in  the  world  can  rcacii  to,  John  iii.  9,  Ps.  xlv.  13.  The  wasps  liy 
about  the  tradesman's  shop,  not  out  of  love  to  him,  but  the  honey  and 
fruit  that  is  there.     But, 

(2.)  Secondly,  True  love  to  the  saints  is  appreciating.  A  gracious 
soul  sets  the  highest  price  and  the  greatest  value  and  esteem  upon  those 
tl)at  are  gracious,  Ps.  xv.  4.  He  honours  them  that  fear  the  Lortl ;  he 
looks  upon  the  wicked  as  lumber,  but  upon  the  saints  as  jewels  ;  he  looks 
upon  the  wicked  as  dross,  but  upon  the  saints  as  the  gold  of  Ophir;  he 
looks  upon  the  wicked  as  chafi"  but  upon  the  saints  as  wheat ;  he  looks 
upon  tlie  saints  as  sons,  but  upon  the  wicked  as  slav-es  ;  he  looks  upon 
tlie  saints  as  heirs  of  salvation,  but  upon  the  wicked  as  heirs  of  damna- 
tion, Ps.  cxix.  119;  Ps.  i.  4  ;  John  i.  12;  Heb.  i.  14.  Gracious  souls  do  not 
vahie  persons  by  their  great  places,  offices,  names,  professions,  arts,  parts, 
gifts,  gay  clothes,  gold  chains,  honours,  riclies,  but  by  what  they  are  worth 
for  another  world.  As  the  great  God,  so  gracious  souls  look  not  how 
rational  men  are,  but  how  religious  ;  not  how  great,  but  how  gracious; 
not  how  high,  but  how  holy  ;  and  accordingly  they  value  them.  '  My 
goodness  extends  not  to  thee,  but  to  the  saints  that  are  in  the  earth,  and 
to  the  excellent,  in  whom  is  all  my  delight,'  Ps.  xvi.  >3.  'The  righteous 
is  more  excellent  than  his  neighbour,'  Prov  xii.  26.  It  is  grace  that 
differences  one  man  from  another,  and  that  exalts  one  man  above  another. 
A  gracious  man,  though  never  so  poor,  and  low,  and  contemptible  in  the 
world,  is  a  better  man  than  his  wicked  neighbour,  though  he  be  never 
so  great  or  rich  in  the  world;  in  the  eye,  account,  and  esteem  ofOod, 
angels,  and  saints,  there  is  no  man  to  the  gracious  man.  The  sun  doth 
not  more  excel  and  outshine  the  stars,  than  a  righteous  man  dotli  excel 
and  outshine  his  unrighteous  neighbour.  'Better  is  the  poor  that 
walketh  in  his  uprightness,  tlian  he  that  is  perverse  in  his  ways,  though 
he  be  rich,'  Prov.  xxviii.  6.  A  gracious  man  prefers  a  holy  Job  upon 
the  dunghill,  before  a  wicked  Ahal)  upon  the  throne.  He  sets  a  higher 
price  upon  a  gracious  Lazarus,  though  clothed  with  rags  and  full  of 
sores,  tlian  upon  a  rich  and  \\Tetclied  Dives,  though  he  be  clothed 
gloriously,  and  fares  sumptuously  every  day,  Luke  xvi.  This  is,  and 
this  must  be  for  a  lamentation,  that  this  poor,  blind,  mad,  besotted 
world  rates  and  values  men  according  to  their  worldly  interest,  greatness, 
glory,  and  grandeur;  but  gracious  souls,  they  rate  and  value  men  by 
their  graces,  by  their  inward  excellencies,  and  by  what  they  are  worth  for 
eternity.  In  the  eye  of  a  gracious  man,  there  is  no  wife  to  a  gracious 
wife,  no  child  to  a  gracious  child,  no  friend  to  a  gracious  fiiend,  no 
neighbour  to  a  gracious  neighbour,  no  magistrate  to  a  gracious  magis- 
trate, no  minister  to  a  gracious  minister,  no  master  to  a  gracious  master, 
nor  no  servant  to  a  gracious  servant.  Internal  excellencies  carries  it 
with  a  gracious  man  before  all  external  glories.'  The  Jews  say,  that 
those  seventy  souls  that  went  with  Jacob  into  Egypt,  were  as  much 
worth  as  all  the  seventy  nations  in  the  world.  Doubtless,  seventy 
gracious  persons,  in  the  esteem  and  judgment  of  those  that  are  gracious, 

'  Pa.  xlv.  13.  Wicked  men  may  higlily  prize  and  admire  at  the  common  gifts  of  the 
saints,  as  Pharaoli  admired  at  the  wisdom  of  Joseph,  and  Nebuchadnezzar  admired  at 
the  wisdom  of  Daniel  ;  but  tliey  never  prize  nor  admire  at  their  graces.  '  Every  one  that 
duth  evil  hateth  the  liuht.'    John  iii  20. 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  375 

are  more  worth  than  a  whole  world,  yea,  than  seventy  worlds  of  graceless 
persons.  Well  sirs,  remember  this:  No  man  can  truly  prize,  and  highly 
value  grace  in  another,  but  he  that  hath  grace  in  his  own  heart.  Some 
prize  Christians  for  their  wit,  others  prize  them  for  their  wealth ;  some 
prize  them  for  their  birth  and  breeding,  others  prize  them  for  their 
beauty  and  worldly  glory ;  some  prize  them  for  the  great  things  that 
have  been  done  by  them,  others  prize  them  for  the  good  things  that 
they  have  received  from  them  ;  some  prize  them  for  their  eagle  eyes, 
others  prize  them  for  their  silver  tongues,  and  others  prize  them  for 
their  golden  parts;  but  he  that  is  truly  gracious,  he  prizes  them  for  the 
grace  of  God  that  is  in  them,  he  sets  the  highest  value  upon  them  for 
their  holiness,  &c.     But, 

(3.)  Thirdly, .  True  love  to  the  saints  is  universal,  to  one  Christian 
as  well  as  another,  to  all  as  tvell  as  any;''-  to  poor  Lazarus  as  well  as 
to  rich  Abraham,  to  a  despised  Job  as  well  as  to  an  admired  David,  to 
an  afflicted  Joseph  as  well  as  to  a  raised  Jacob,  to  a  despised  disciple 
as  well  as  to  an  exalted  apostle :  Eph.  i.  15,  '  Wherefore  I  also,  after  I 
heard  of  your  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  love  unto  all  the  saints" ; 
Col.  i.  4,  '  Since  we  heard  of  your  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  of  the  love 
which  ye  have  to  all  the  saints.'  Faith  in  Christ  Jesus  maketh  love  to 
all  the  saints  ;  therefore  they  go  commonly  coupled  in  Paul's  Epistles. 
It  was  the  glory  of  the  Ephesians  and  Colossians  that  their  faith  and 
love  reached  to  all  the  saints.  Their  love  was  not  a  narrow  love,  a  love 
confined  to  some  particular  saints,  but  it  was  universal  to  all  saints : 
Philip,  iv.  21,  'Salute  every  saint  in  Christ  Jesus;'  the  meanest  as  well 
as  the  richest,  the  weakest  as  well  as  the  strongest,  the  lowest  as  well 
as  the  highest,  and  those  that  have  many  infirmities  as  well  as  those 
that  have  fewer  infirmities,  and  those  that  have  but  mean  parts  and 
gifts  as  well  as  those  that  have  the  strongest  parts  and  the  most  raised 
gifts,  Eph.  i.  21-23 ;  1  Pet.  ii.  17.  All  saints  have  the  same  Spirit, 
the  same  Jesus,  the  same  faith,  &c. ;  they  are  all  fellow-members,  fel- 
low-travellers, fellow-soldiers,  fellow-citizens,  fellow-heirs,  and  therefore 
must  they  all  be  loved  with  a  sincere  and  cordial  love.  Love  is  set 
upon  the  brotherhood,  upon  the  whole  fraternity  of  believers,  and  not 
here  and  there  upon  one.  Divine  love  casts  an  eye  of  favour  upon 
grace  in  rags,  upon  a  dunghill,  in  a  dungeon,  a  den,  a  prison,  a  fiery 
furnace.  Grace  is  as  lovely  in  the  illiterate  as  in  the  greatest  scholar, 
in  the  servant  as  in  the  master,  in  the  maid  as  in  the  mistress,  in  the 
child  as  in  the  father,  in  the  subject  as  in  the  prince,  in  the  buyer  as  in 
the  seller,  &c.  Look,  as  all  our  delight  must  be  in  the  saints,  so  our 
delight  must  be  in  all  the  saints.  It  is  sad  and  sinful  to  contemn  our 
poor  brethren ;  and  yet  this  was  the  very  case  of  the  Corinthians,  for 
they  in  their  love-feasts  carried  it  so  unequally,  '  that  one  was  hungry,' 
to  wit,  the  poor,  '  and  another  was  drunken,'  to  wit,  the  rich.  And  this 
made  the  apostle  put  that  question  to  them,  '  What !  have  ye  not 
houses  to  eat  and  drink  in  ?  or  despise  ye  the  church  of  God,  and  shame 
them  that  have  not?'  1  Cor.  xi.  21,  22,  or  put  them  to  shame  that  have 
nothing.     And  the  apostle  James  doth  very  roundly  reprove  and  con- 

'  No  unregenerate  person  hath  a  love  to  all  the  saints,  for  though  he  seems  to  love 
some,  yet  he  loathes  others ;  he  is  guilty  of  sinful  partiality,  having  the  faith  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  in  respect  of  persons.  They  seem  to  love  the  rich,  and  despise  the  poor, 
James  ii. 


S7G  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

deran  that  partial  love  that  was  generally  among  the  Jews  in  his  days: 
James  ii.  1-4,  '  My  brethren,  have  not  the  faith  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Lord  of  glory,  with  respect  of  persons  ;  for  if  there  come 
unto  your  assembly  a  man  with  a  gold  ring,  in  goodly  apparel,  and 
there  come  in  also  a  poor  man  in  vile  raiment,  and  ye  have  respect  to 
him  that  weareth  the  gay  clothing,  and  say  unto  him.  Sit  thou  here  in 
a  good  place,  and  say  to  the  poor.  Stand  thou  there,,  or  sit  here  under 
my  footstool,  are  ye  not  then  partial  in  yourselves,  and  are  become 
iudo-es  of  evil  thoughts  X     Not  that  the  apostle  doth  simply  or  abso- 
lutely prohibit  a  civil  differencing  of  men  in  pLoce  from  others;  for  it 
cannot  be  denied  but  that  there  is  a  holy  and  warrantable  respect  of 
persons  in  respect  of  their  age,  callings,  gifts,  graces,  and  greatness  in 
the  world  ;  but  when  the  rich  man's  wealth  is  more  regarded  than  the 
poor  man's  godUness,  and  when  men  carry  it  so  to  the  rich  as  to  cast 
scorn,  contempt,  disgrace,  and  discouragement  upon  the  godly  poor ; 
they  that  respect  a  rich  man  that  has  but  a  little  grace,  before  a  poor 
man  that  is  rich  in  grace,  are  worthy  of  blame.     All  true-born  sons 
love  to  see  the  image  and  picture  of  their  father,  though  himg  in  never 
so  poor  a  frame,  and  in  never  so  mean  a  cottage ;  so  the  true-bom  sons 
of  God,  they  love  to  see  the  image  of  God,  the  picture  of  God,  upon  the 
poorest  saints.     It  is  sad  to  pi'efer  a  worldly  lustre  before  heavenly 
grace,  a  gold  ring  before  a  rich  faith,  a  chain  of  gold  before  a  chain  of 
grace.     Ver.  5,  '  Hearken,  my  beloved  brethren,  hath  not  God  chosen 
the  poor  of  this  world  rich  in  faith,  and  heirs  of  the  kingdom  f     It  is  a 
vile  thing,  saith  one  of  the  ancients,  to  have  the  faith  of  Christ  in 
respect  of  persons.     We  do  not  judge  of  faith  by  persons,  but  of  per- 
sons by  faith.*     It  is  the  great  wisdom  of  a  Christian  not  to  judge  of 
men  by  their  outwards,  but  by  their  inwards ;  not  by  their  externals, 
but  by  tlieir  internals  ;  not  by  what  they  are  worth  for  this  world,  but 
by  what  they  are  worth  for  that  other  world.     The  poore.st  saints  are 
God's  portion,  Deut.  xxxii.  9;  they  are  his  pleasant  portion,  Jer.  xii. 
10;  they  are  his  peculiar  treasure,  Exod.  xix.  5;  they  are  his  jewels, 
Mai.  iii.  17 ;  they  are  the  apple  of  his  eye,  Zech.  ii.  8 ;  they  are  his 
glory,  Isa,  iv.  5 ;  they  are  the  crown  of  his  glory  and  royal  diadem,  Isa. 
Ixii.  3  ;  and  therefore  it  is  a  dangerous  thing  to  slight  them,  to  disown 
them,  to  look  frowningly  upon  them,  or  to  carry  it  unworthily  towards 
them.     Pompey  told  his  Cornelia,  It  is  no  praise  to  thee  to  have  loved 
Portvpeium  Magnum,  Pompey  the  Great,  but  if  thou  \ove.Bt  Pompeiwm, 
miserum,  Pompey  the  miserable,  thou  shalt  be  a  pattern  for  imitation 
to  all  posterity.     So  I  say.  It  is  no  great  matter  to  love  those  that  are 
rich  and  pious,  great  and  gracious,  high  and  holy;  but  to  love  the  poor 
saints  of  God  in  their  lowest  and  most  miserable  condition,  when  they 
have  not  a  rag  to  cover  them,  nor  a  crust  to  refresh  tliem,  nor  a  fire  to 
warm  them,  nor  a  friend  to  stand  by  them,  nor  a  penny  to  help  them, 
this  is  praiseworthy,  this  speaks  out  much  of  God,  of  Christ,  of  grace 
within.     Romanus   the   martyr,  who  was   born   of  noble   parentage, 
entreated  his  persecutors  that  they  would  not  favour  him  for  his  nobi- 
lity ;  for  it  is  not,  said  he,  the  blood  of  my  ancestors,  but  my  Christian 
faith,  that  makes  me  noble.     It  is  not  race  nor  place,  but  grace,  that 
makes  a  man  truly  noble.     Without  a  peradventure,  he  that  loves  one 
^  Non  ex  persom'a  fidem,  sed  ex  fide  personas. — TertuUian. 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  377 

saint  for  the  image  of  God  that  is  upon  him,  he  cannot  but  fall  in  love 
with  every  saint  that  bears  the  lovely  image  of  the  Father  upon  him  ; 
he  cannot  but  love  a  saint  in  rags  as  well  as  a  saint  in  robes ;  a  saint 
upon  the  dunghill  as  well  as  a  saint  upon  the  throne.  Usually,  those 
Christians  that  have  least  of  the  world  have  most  of  Christ.  Commonly, 
those  Christians  that  have  least  of  the  world  have  most  of  heaven  in 
their  hearts,  houses,  and  lives.     But, 

(4.)  Fourthly,  True  love  to  the  saints  wdll  extend  to  those  that  are 
most  remote  in  respeet  of  place,  as  ivell  as  to  those  that  are  near.  They 
of  Macedonia  and  Achaia  made  a  contribution  for  the  poor  saints  at 
Jerusalem,  Rom.  v.  26.  The  saints  of  Macedonia  and  Achaia  did  freely 
and  cheerfully  contribute  to  the  poor  saints  at  Jerusalem,  whose  faces 
probably  they  had  never  seen.  And  Gains  is  commended  for  his  love  to 
strangers,  3  John  5.  A  gracious  man  that  has  an  estate,  a  treasury,  an 
inheritance,  he  is  like  a  common  fountain,  that  freely  gives  out  to 
strangers  as  well  as  to  near  neighbours.  A  great  fire  will  warm  those 
that  sit  far  from  it,  as  well  as  those  that  sit  near  unto  it.  feo  sincere 
love  will  extend  and  stretch  out  itself  to  those  saints  that  are  most  re- 
mote. Gracious  souls  do  dearly  love  and  highly  value  those  saints  whose 
faces  they  have  never  seen,  nor  are  like  to  see  in  this  world,  and  from 
whose  hands  they  have  not  received  the  least  civility  ;  and  all  upon  the 
serious  reports  that  they  have  had  of  the  grace  of  God  that  has  been 
-  sparkling  and  shining  in  them,  whose  habitations  are  at  a  great  distance 
from  them.  A  sincere  love,  an  unfeigned  love,  a  hearty  love,  will  be 
running  out  towards  those  that  live  most  remote  from  us,  if  we  do  but 
understand  that  God  is  in  them  and  with  them  of  truth,  E,om.  xii.  9, 
1  Peter,  i.  22,  1  John  iii.  18.     But, 

(5.)  Fifthly,  Our  love  to  the  saints  is  right,  tuhen  we  love  them  best 
and  most  in  whom,  the  spiritual  and  sup^i^natural  causes  of  love  are 
nnost  sparJding  and  shining.  Where  grace  draws  the  affections,  there 
the  more  grace  we  see,  the  more  we  shall  love  :  Ps.  xvi.  3,  '  My  goodness 
extendeth  not  to  thoe,  but  to  the  saints  that  are  in  the  earth,  and  to  the 
excellent,  in  whom  is  all  my  delight.'  There  are  saints,  and  there  are 
excellent  saints.  The  Hebrew  woixi  that  is  here  rendered  eoccellent, 
signifies  magnificent  ones,  noble  ones,  glorious  ones^  wonderful  ones. 
O  sirs !  there  are  some  saints  that  are  magnificent  in  grace,  noble  in 
grace,  glorious  in  grace,  wonderful  in  grace.  Now  this  is  certain,  if 
grace  be  the  true  reason  why  we  love  any,  then  the  more  excellent,  the 
more  magnificent  any  are  in  grace,  the  more  highly  we  shall  prize  them, 
and  the  more  dearly  we  shall  love  them,  and  the  more  abundantly  in 
our  hearts  we  shall  honour  them,  Ps.  xv.  4.  Look,  as  grace  rises  liigher 
and  higher  in  the  same  person,  so  we  shall  rise  higher  and  higher  in  our 
love  to  the  same  person.  Daniel  was  greatly  beloved,  Dan.  ix.  23,  and 
John  was  singularly  beloved,  John  xxi.  20.  And  why,  but  because  they 
were  more  eminently  gracious  than  others  were  ?  Where  there  is  most 
grace,  there  God  is  most  honoured,  and  there  Christ  is  most  exalted,  and 
there  the  Spirit  is  best  pleased,  and  there  religion  is  most  adorned,  and 
there  Satan  is  most  dethroned,  and  there  the  world  is  most  conquered,  and 
there  sin  is  most  subdued,  and  there  duties  are  most  exactly  performed  ; 
and  therefore  there  the  gracious  soul  can't  but  love  best  and  most. 
There  are  some  that  seem  to  love  such  and  such   godly  men,  whose 


378  .  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

judgments  are  weak,  aiul  light  little,  and  parts  low,  and  grace  small, 
who  yet  look  with  a  squint  eye,  an  envious  eye,  upon  every  sun  that  out- 
shines their  own,  upon  every  one's  graces  and  excellencies  that  are  more 
sparkling  than  their  own.  Though  pride  and  envy  have  received  their 
death's  wound  at  the  soul's  first  conversion,  yet  they  are  not  quite  slain 
in  a  believer.  There  is  an  aptness  even  in  real  saints  to  grudge  and 
repine  at  those  gifts,  graces,  and  excellencies  in  others  that  outshine 
their  own.  John's  disciples  muttered  and  murmured  l)ecause  Christ 
had  more  followers  and  admirers  than  John,  Luke  vii.  lG-23,  and  that 
spirit  that  lived  in  John's  disciples  is  still  alive  to  this  very  day.  This 
is,  and  this  must  be,  for  a  lamentation.  Well,  sirs,  look,  as  the  fairest 
day  hath  its  clouds,  the  finest  linen  its  spots,  the  richest  jewels  their 
flaws,  the  sweetest  fruits  their  worms,  so  when  many  precious  Christians 
are  not  themselves,  when  they  are  in  an  hour  of  temptation,  when  their 
corruptions  are  up  and  their  graces  down,  they  may,  and  too  often  do, 
envy  and  repine  at  tliose  gnices,  excellencies,  and  abilities,  that  do 
overcast,  cloud,  darken,  and  outshine  their  own.  Num.  xi.  29.  The  best 
of  men  are  but  men  at  the  best,  and  there  is  still  those  bitter  roots  of 
pride,  vain-glory,  self-love,  envy,  &c.,  remaining  in  them  that  occasions 
their  hearts  to  rise  and  swell,  yea,  sometimes  to  cast  disgrace  upon  those 
excellencies  in  others  that  themselves  want,  Hob.  xii.  15,  as  that  great 
man  that  could  not  write  his  own  name,  and  yet  called  the  liberal 
arts  a  public  poison  and  pestilence.^  This  spiritual  disease  is  mostly  to 
be  found  among  Christians  that  are  got  into  some  of  the  highest  forms 
in  Christianity.  Take  your  ordinary  common  Christians,  and  they  com- 
monly rejoice  most  where  they  see  most  grace.  And  so  do  your  Christians 
in  a  higlier  form  too,  when  they  come  to  themselves,  and  to  make  up 
their  accounts,  and  have  wept  over  those  cursed  roots  of  bitterness  that 
are  so  apt  to  be  sprouting  out.  Now,  there  is  no  greater  argument  that 
our  grace  is  true,  and  that  we  do  love  others  for  grace's  sake,  than  our 
loving  them  best  that  have  most  grace,  though  they  have  but  little  of 
the  world.  A  pearl  is  rich  if  found  on  a  dunghill,  though  it  may  glister 
more  when  set  in  a  ring  of  gold  ;  so  many  a  poor  believer  is  rich  in 
grace,  and  precious  and  glorious  in  the  eye  of  Christ,  and  should  be  so 
in  ours,  though  like  Job  he  sits  upon  a  dunghill.  Though  in  the  eyes 
of  the  world  he  may  seem  to  glister  most  when  adorned  with  riches, 
honour,  and  outward  pomp,  if  grace  be  the  true  reason  why  we  love  any 
person,  then  the  more  grace  that  person  hath,  the  more  we  shall  love 
him.  A  godly  man  loves  all  that  are  godly,  but  he  loves  them  most 
that  excel  most  in  the  power,  purity,  and  practice  of  godliness,  &c.  But, 
(G.)  Sixthly  and  lastly.  True  love  to  the  saints  is  constant,  it  is  per- 
rtianent:  1  Cor.  xiii.  8,  'Love  never  faileth;'  Heb.  xiii.  1,  'Let 
brotherly  love  continue.'  It  is  a  love  like  that  of  Christ's,  who  loved 
his  to  the  end  :  I  John  iv.  16,  '  He  that  dwelleth  in  love,  dwelleth  in 
God,  and  God  in  him.'  John  xiii.  1,  and  xv.  12,  &c..  Our  love  to  our 
brother  must  not  only  lodge  with  us  a  night  and  away,  but  we  must 
divell  in  brotherly  love.  Look,  as  our  love  must  be  sincere  without 
hypocrisy,  so  it  must  be  constant  without  deficiency.  That  love  was 
never  true  that  is  not  constant.     True  love,  like  the  i^ulse,  will  still  be 

'  Eiischiiis  speaks  of  liim  in  bis  Ecclesiastical  History,  &c.  [Namely,  Licinus,  as  before: 
see  iuckx,  sub  nomine — G] 


J 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  379 

beating,  it  will  still  be  workiDg  and  running  out  to  the  person  beloved. 
True  love  will  not  fawn  upon  a  Christian  when  high,  and  frown  upon 
him  when  low  ;  it  will  not  kiss  him  upon  the  throne  and  kick  him  upon 
the  dunghill.     The  grounds  and  causes  of  their  love  are  coustant,  viz., 
God's  commands,  their  spiritual  relations,  and  the  truth  of  grace  in  their 
souls ;  and  therefore  their  love  cannot  but  be  constant.     '  A  friend,'  saith 
Solomon,  Moves  at  all  times,  and  a  brother  is  born  for  adversity,'  Pro  v. 
vii.  17.     Euripides  hit  it  when  he  said,  '  That  a  faithful  friend  in  ad- 
versity, is  better  than  a  calm  sea  to  a  weather-beaten  mariner.'^     He 
that  truly  loves,  will  love  in  adversity  as  well  as  in  prosperity,  in  storms 
as  well  as  in  calms,  in  winter  nights  as  well  as  in  summer  days.     He  that 
sincerely  loves  the  saints,  he  will  love  them  as  well  when  men  frown  upon 
them,  as  when  they  smile  upon  them ;  as  well  when  men  strike  them, 
as  when  they  stroke  them  ;  as  well  when  men  cast  them  down,  as  when 
they  lift  them  up  ;  as  well  when  men  cry,  '  Crucify  them,  crucify  them,' 
as  when  they  cry,  '  Hosanna,  hosanna,'  to  them.     Consalvus,  a  Spanish 
bishop  and  inquisitor,  wondered  how  the  Christians  had  that  command- 
ment, '  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself,'  so  indelibly  printed 
in  their  hearts,  that  no  torture  could  blot  it  out,  and  make  them  confess 
and  betray  one  another,  or  cease  from  loving  one  another.     I  have  read 
of  one  [in  Jerome]  Ursiuus,  a  Christian  physician,  who  being  to  suffer 
martyrdom  for  the  gospel  of  Christ,  began  to  waver  and  faint ;  which, 
when  Vitahs,  a  holy  man,  saw,  he  stepped  to  him,  and  though  he  knew 
it  would  cost  him  his  life,  yet  he  thus  comforted  and  encouraged  him, 
saying.  What !  have  ye  been  heretofore  so  industrious  to  preserve  men's 
bodies,  and  will  you  now  shrink  at  the  saving  of  your  own  soul  ?     Be 
courageous,  fear  not,  &c.     For  which  faithful  counsel,  he  also  was  con- 
demned to  death,  and  suffered  accordingly.     A  true  friend  is  neither 
known  in  prosperity,  nor  hid  in  adversity.     True  love  is  like  that  of 
Ruth's  to  Naomi,  tliat  of  Jonathan's  to  David,  permanent  and  constant. 
Many  there  be  whose  love  to  the  saints  is  like  Job's  brooks,  which  in 
the  winter,  when  men  have  no  need  of  them,  overflows  with  tenders  of 
service  and  shows  of  love ;  but  when  the  season  is  hot  and  dry,  and  the 
poor  thirsty  traveller  stands  in  most  need  of  water  to  refresh  him,  then 
the  brooks  are  quite  dried  up.     They  are  like  the  swallow,  that  will 
stay  by  you  in  the  summer  of  prosperity,  but  fly  from  you  in  the  winter 
of  adversity.     It  is  observed  by  Josephus  of  the  Samaritans,  that  when- 
ever the  Jews'  affairs  prospered,  they  would  be  their  friends,  and  profess 
much  love  to  them ;  yea,  they  would  vaunt  of  their  alliance,  saying, 
that  they  were  near  akin,  and  of  the  race  of  Ephraim  and  Manasseh, 
the  sons  of  Joseph.     But  when  the  Jews  were  in  trouble  and  affliction, 
and  brought  to  an  under,  then  they  would  not  own  them,  nor  have  any 
thing  to  do  with  them ;  yea,  then  they  would  set  themselves  with  all 
their  might  against  them,  as  the  same  historian  tells  us.^     This  age  is 
full  of  such  Samaritans  ;  yet  certainly,  such  as  truly  love,  they  will  al- 
ways love  ;  such  as  truly  love  the  people  of  God,  they  will  love  them  to 
the  end.     In  the  primitive  times  it  was  very  much  taken  notice  of  by 

'  Christian  friendship  makes  such  a  knot,  that  great  Alexander  cannot  cut,  &c. 
[Allusion  to  the  Gordian  knot. — G.] 

2  Joseph  Antiq.  lib.  xi  {bis)  lib.  xii.,  lib.  xiii.  {his).  [Cf.  Sibbes,  vol.  iii.  pp.  536,  537, 
note  eeee. — G.] 


380  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

the  very  heathen,  that  in  the  depth  of  misery,  when  fathers  and  mothers 
forsook  their  cliildron,  Christians,  otherwise  strangers,  stuck  close  one 
to  another.  Their  love  of  religion  and  one  of  another,  proved  firmer 
than  that  of  nature.  They  seem  to  take  away  the  sun  out  of  the  world,  -j 
said  tiie  orator,'  who  take  away  friendship  from  the  life  of  man  ;  for  we 
do  not  more  need  fire  and  water  than  constant  friendship.  Though 
wicked  men  may  pretend  great  love  to  the  saints,  yet  their  love  is  not 
constant.  God  sometimes  indeed  overrules  their  spirits  with  a  very 
strong  hand,  as  he  did  Laban's  and  Esau's,  or  as  he  overruled  the  spirits 
of  the  lions  to  preserve  Daniel ;  and  of  the  ravens  to  feed  Elijah,  Gen. 
xxxi.  24,  29,  xxxiii.  1-5 ;  Dan.  vi. ;  but  so  soon  as  that  overruling  pro- 
vidence is  over,  they  are  as  they  we-re  before.  God  for  a  time  gave  the 
Israelites  favour  in  the  eyes  of  the  Egyptians,  but  before  and  after  they 
were  their  utter  enemies.  But  now  a  gracious  soul,  he  loves  the  saints 
at  all  times,  his  love  to  them  is  constant.     But, 

[14.]  Fourteenth ]y,  That  soul  that  dares  not  say  that  he  has  grace, 
yet  can  truly  say  before  the  Lord,  that  he  prizes  the  least  dram  of 
grace  above  ten  thousand  thousand  luorlds,  certainly  that  soul  has 
true  grace  in  him.  Doubtless  there  are  none  that  can  prize  grace  in 
their  understandings  and  judgments  above  all  the  world,  but  such  as  are 
first  taken  out  of  the  world  by  grace,  Micah  vi.  6,  7  ;  Philip,  iii.  18,  19; 
Mat.  xix.  lG-2.5  ;  Ps.  ii.  21.  There  is  no  man  on  earth  whose  heart  is 
void  and  empty  of  grace,  but  sets  a  higher  value  and  price  upon  his 
lusts,  or  upon  his  relations,  or  upon  his  honours,  or  riches,  or  pleasures, 
or  upon  this  or  that  worldly  enjoyment,  than  he  does  upon  grace,  or  the 
fountain  of  grace  ;  yea,  how  many  thousands  are  there  that  set  a  higher 
price  or  value  upon  a  hound,  a  hawk,  a  horse,  a  harlot,  a  good  trade,  a 
fair  estate,  a  rich  inhei-itance,  yea,  upon  the  very  toys  and  trifles  of  this 
world,  than  they  do  upon  God,  or  Christ,  or  grace  !  It  was  never  yet 
known  in  the  world,  that  ever  God  sent  such  a  man  to  hell,  who  prized 
grace  above  heaven  itself,  who  had  rather  have  grace  and  holiness  with- 
out heaven,  than  heaven  itself  without  grace  and  holiness. 

[1.5.]  Fifteenthly,  That  soul  'that  dares  not  say  that  his  condition  is 
good,  yet  can  say  in  truth  of  heart  before  the  Lord,  that  he  tvould  not 
change  his  condition  with  the  vain,  carnal,  formal,  and  j)rofane  men 
of  the  world,  for  ten  thousand  worlds;  that  man  is  certainly  for. 
heaven,  and  heaven  is  certainly  for  that  man.  We  may  be  very  highly 
and  groundedly  confident,  that  God  will  never  cast  that  man  to  heU, 
among  devils  and  damned  spirits,  at  the  great  day,  who  in  his  day  of 
life  would  not  choose  to  be  in  the  condition  of  the  men  of  the  world, 
for  as  many  worlds  as  there  be  men  in  the  world.  Look,  as  none  meet 
in  heaven,  but  such  as  are  like  to  like  in  their  renewed  natures,  princi- 
ples, and  practices ;  so  none  meet  in  hell  but  such  as  are  like  to  like  in 
their  old  natures,  principles,  and  practices.  That  God  that  would  not 
suffer  an  ox  to  be  yoked  Avith  an  ass  in  this  world,  Deut.  x.xii.  10  ;  nor 
a  believer  with  an  infidel,  2  Cor.  vi.  14-18  ;  will  never  suffer  such  to  be 
yoked  with  devils  and  damned  reprobrates  in  that  lower  world,  who 
would  not,  to  gain  many  worlds,  be  willingl}'-  yoked  with  wicked  men 
in  this  world.  Certainly  they  shall  never  be  a  Christian's  companions 
in  that  other  world,  whose  society  and  company,  and  whose  wickedness 

^  Cicero,  de  AmicUia. — G. 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  381 

and  baseness  have  been  a  grief,  a  torment,  a  hell  to  him  in  this  world, 
Ps.  cxix.  53,  136  ;  Jer.  ix.  1,  2  ;  Ezek.  ix.  4,  6  ;  2  Peter  ii.  7,  8.  When 
Mrs  Catherine  Brettergh  was  upon  her  dying  bed,  and  most  grievously 
assaulted  by  temptations,  in  the  midst  of  her  sore  conflicts,  this  was  no 
small  support  and  comfort  to  her,  that  surely  God  would  not  send  her  to 
hell,  to  live  for  ever  among  such  wicked  persons,  whose  company  and 
whose  sin  was  a  burden  to  her  in  this  world,'  &c.     But, 

[16.]  Sixteenthly,  That  soul  that  dares  not  say  that  he  does  not  sin, — 
'  For  in  many  things  we  offend  all ;'  '  and  there  is  not  a  just  mau  upon 
the  earth  that  doeth  good,  and  sinneth  not ;'  and  who  can  say,  '  I  have 
made  my  heart  clean,  I  am  pure  from  sin  ?'  '  And  if  we  say  we  have  no 
sin,  we  deceive  ourselves,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  us,'- — yet  can  say  in 
uprigJdness  before  the  Lord,  that  he  would  not  willingly,  resolutely, 
maliciously,  wilfully,  wickedly,  a7id  habitually  sin  against  the  Lord 
to  gain  a  ivorld  ;  that  soul  that  don't  or  won't,  through  grace  assisting, 
allow  himself,  or  indulge  himself  in  a  course  of  sin,  or  in  a  trade  of 
sin,  or  in  the  common  practice  of  any  known  sin,  that  soul  is  cer- 
tainly a  gracious  soul.  '  The  evil  that  I  do  I  allow  not,'  Rom.  vii.  15. 
It  is  one  thing  for  a  man  to  sin,  it  is  another  thing  for  a  man  to  allow 
himself  in  sin  ;  it  is  one  thing  for  a  godly  man  to  step  into  a  sin,  and  it  is 
another  thing  to  keep  the  road  of  sin.  '  Search  me  and  try  me,  and  see 
if  there  be  any  way  of  wickedness  in  me,'  or  as  the  Hebrew  runs,  '  any 
way  of  pain,  or  of  grief,  or  of  provocation,'  Ps.  cxxxix.  24,  that  is,  any 
course  of  sin  that  is  grievous  or  provoking  to  the  eyes  of  divine  glory. 
A  real  saint  can  neither  allow  of  sin,  nor  wallow  in  sin,  nor  be  trans- 
formed into  the  image  of  sin,  nor  mix  itself  with  sin.  It  is  possible  for 
a  sincere  Christian  to  step  into  a  sinful  path,  or  to  touch  upon  sinful 
facts,  and  now  and  then  in  an  hour  of  temptation,  to  slide,  to  trip,  and 
to  be  overtaken  unawares ,;  but  his  main  way,  his  principal  work,  is  to 
depart  from  iniquity.  Gal.  vi.  1,  Pro  v.  xvi.  17,  as  a  true  traveller  may 
now  and  then  step  a  few  steps  out  of  his  way,  who  yet  for  the  main 
keeps  his  way,  keeps  the  road  ;  or  as  a  bee  may  now  and  then  light 
upon  a  thistle,  but  her  main  work  is  to  be  gathering  at  the  flowers  ;  or 
as  a  sheep  may  now  and  then  slip  into  the  dirt,  or  into  a  slough,  but  its 
main  work  is  to  be  grazing  upon  the  mountains.  Certainly,  O  soul,  if 
sin  be  now  thy  greatest  burden,  it  shall  never  hereafter  prove  thy  eternal 
bane.  God  never  yet  sent  any  man  to  hell  for  sin,  to  whom  sin  has 
commonly  been  the  greatest  hell  in  this  world,  God  has  but  one  hell, 
and  that  is  for  those  to  whom  sin  has  been  commonly  a  heaven  in  this 
world.  That  man  that  hates  sin,  and  that  daily  enters  his  protest  against 
sin,  that  man  shall  never  be  made  miserable  by  sin.  Sin  in  a  wicked 
man  is  like  poison  in  a  serpent ;  it  is  in  its  natural  place,  it  is  delight- 
ful to  a  sinner ;  but  sin  in  a  saint  is  like  poison  in  a  man's  body,  it  is 
offensive,  and  the  heart  ri«es  against  it,  and  is  carried  forth  to  the  use 
of  all  divine  antidotes  wlierebyit  maybe  expelled  anddestroyed.  Nothing 
will  satisfy  a  gracious  soul,  but  the  heart  blood  of  his  lusts.  Now,  he  shall 
never  be  damned  for  his  sins,  whose  heart  is  set  upon  killing  his  sins. 

[17.]  Seventeenthly,  Such  a  poor  soul  that  dares  not  say,  that  God 
is  his  God,  or  that  Christ  is  his  redeemer,  or  that  he  has  a  work  of 

'  See  Index  for  other  notices  of  this  excellent  lady. — G. 
2  James  iii.  2 ;  Eccles.  vii.  20  ;  Prov.  xx.  7  ;  John  i.  1,  8. 


382  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

grace  upon  his  heart,  yet  can  say  with  some  integrity  of  heart  before 
the  Lord,  that  if  God  and  Christ,  grace  and  glory,  holiness  and  happi- 
ness, were  offered  to  him  on  the  one  liand,  and  all  the  honours,  pleasures, 
profits,  delights,  and  carnal  contents  of  the  world  were  offered  him  on 
the  other  hand,  he  liad  infinitely  rather  ten  thousand  thousand  times 
choose  God  and  Christ,  grace  and  glory,  holhiess  and  harppiness,  than 
the  contrary  ;  certainly  such  a  soul  has  true  grace  in  him,  and  a 
saving  luork  passed  upon  him;  for  none  can  freely,  seriously,  habitually, 
resolutely,  choose  God  and  Christ,  grace  and  glory,  holiness  and  happi- 
ness, as  their  summun  bonuTii,  chiefest  good,  but  such  who  are  really 
good.  Look,  as  our  love  to  God  is  but  an  effect  of  his  love  to  us, — *  We 
love  him  because  he  first  loved  us,'  1  John  iv.  19, — so  our  choosing  of 
God  for  our  God,  is  but  an  effect  of  God's  choosing  us  for  his  people  ;  we 
choose  him  because  he  first  chose  us,  Deut.  vii.  G-9,  xxvi.  17-19.  Such 
who,  in  their  serious  choice,  set  up  God  and  Christ  above  all  other  per- 
sons and  things,  such  God  will  certainly  make  happy  and  blessed  for 
ever.  God  never  did,  nor  never  will,  reject  those,  or  damn  those,  who 
really  choose  him  for  their  God,  and  for  their  great  all.  The  greatest 
part  of  the  world  choose  their  lusts  rather  than  God,  and  the  creatures 
rather  than  Christ ;  they  choose  rather  to  be  great  than  gracious,  to  be 
rich  in  this  world  than  to  be  rich  towards  God,  Luke  xii.  21,  to  be  out- 
wardly happy  than  to  be  inwardly  holy,  to  have  a  heaven  on  earth  than 
to  have  a  heaven  after  death,  and  so  they  miscarry  for  ever,  Mat.  x.  42. 
That  soul  that  with  Mary  has  chosen  the  better  part,  that  soul  M'ith 
Mary  shall  be  happy  for  ever  ;  every  man  must  stand  or  fall  for  ever  as 
his  choice  has  been.     But, 

[18.]  Eighteenthly,  Canst  thou  truly  say,  in  the  presence  of  the  great 
and  glorious  God,  that  is  the  searcher  of  all  hearts,  that  thou  hast 
given  up  thy  heart  and  life  to  the  rule,  authority,  and  government  of 
Jesus  Christ  ?  and,  that  thou  hast  chosen  him  to  be  thy  sovereign  Lord 
and  King,  and  art  truly  willing  to  submit  to  his  dominion,  as  the 
only  precious  and  righteous  government,  and  as  the  only  holy  and 
heavenly,  s^veet  and  pleasant,  profitable  and  comfortable,  safe  and  best 
dominion  in  all  the  world,  and  to  resign  up  thy  heaH,  thy  will,  thy 
aff^ections,  thy  life,  thy  all,  really  to  Ch^t,  wholly  to  Christ,  and  only 
to  Christ  ?     Canst  thou,  0  poor  soul !  look  up  to  heaven  and  truly  say, 

0  dear  Lord  Jesus!  other  lords,  viz.,  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil, 
have  had  dominion  too  long  over  me  ;  but  now  these  lords  I  do  heartily 
renounce,  I  do  utterly  renounce,  I  do  for  ever  renounce,  and  do  give  up 
myself  to  thee  as  my  only  Lord,  beseeching  thee  to  rule  and  reign  over 
me  for  ever  and  ever !  O  Lord  !  though  sin  rages,  and  Satan  roars,  and 
the  world  sometimes  frowns,  and  sometimes  fawns,  yet  I  am  resolved  to 
own  thee  as  my  only  Lord,  and  to  serve  thee  as  my  only  Lord  ;  and  my 
greatest  fear,  by  divine  assistance,  shall  be  of  offending  thee,  and  my 
chiefest  care  shall  be  to  please  thee,  and  my  only  joy  shall  be  to  be  a 
praise,  a  name,  and  an  honour  to  thee„Isa.  xxvi.  13,  xxxiii.  22.    O  Lord! 

1  can  appeal  to  thee  in  the  sincerity  of  my  heart,  that  though  I  have 
many  invincible  sins,  weaknesses,  and  infirmities  that  hang  upon  me  ; 
and  though  I  am  often  worsted  by  ray  sins,  and  overcome  in  an  hour 
of  temptation  ;  yet  thou  that  knowest  all  thoughts  and  hearts,  thou  dost 
know  that  I  have  given  up  ray  heart  and  life  to  the  obedience  of  Jesus 


Chap.  II.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  383 

Christ,  and  do  daily  give  them  up  to  his  rule  and  government ;  and  it 
is  the  earnest  desire  of  my  soul,  above  all  things  in  this  world,  that 
Jesus  Christ  may  still  set  up  his  laws  in  my  heart,  and  exercise  his 
dominion  over  me,  Ps.  Ixv.  3,  Rom.  vii.  23.  Now  certainly,  there  is  not 
the  weakest  Christian  in  all  the  world  bat  can  venture  himself  upon 
such  an  appeal  to  God  as  this  is  ;  and  without  all  peradventure,  where 
such  a  frame  and  temper  of  spirit  is,  there  the  dominion  of  Jesus  Christ 
is  set  up ;  and  where  the  dominion  of  Christ  is  set  up,  there  sin  has  no 
dominion  ;  for  the  dominion  of  sin  and  the  dominion  of  Christ  are  in- 
consistent, and  therefore  such  a  soul  is  happy,  and  will  be  happy  to  all 
eternity.     But, 

[19.]  Nineteenthly,  That  riiian  that  tvill  venture  his  soul  wpon  Christ, 
and  tltat  tvill  lean  upon  Christ,  and  cleave  to  Christ  vjith  full  purpose 
of  heart,^  and  that  will  cleave  to  his  blood,  and  cleave  to  his  right- 
eousness, and  cleave  to  his  riierits  and  satisfaction,  in  the  face  of  all 
fears,  doubts,  disputes,  cavils,  and  objections ;  and  though  it  cannot 
clear  its  title  to  Christ,  yet  will  stay  and  hang  itself  upon  Christ  for 
life  and  happiness;  thai  man  is  certainly  a  believer,  and  will  be  ever- 
lojStingly  saved.  '  Though  he  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  him,'  Job 
xiii.  15;  if  I  must  die,  I  will  die  at  his  feet,  and  in  the  midst  of  death 
expect  a  better  life.  That  man  acts  faith  to  purpose  that  can  love  a 
frowning  God,  and  hang  upon  an  angry  God,  and  follow  hard  after  a  with- 
drawing God,  yea,  and  trust  in  a  killing  God,  as  here.  Mat.  xv.  22-28. 
Job  had  his  feverish  fits,  and  his  impatient  slips,  and  yet  he  kept  up 
his  heroical  resolution  to  lean  upon  the  Lord,  whilst  he  had  but  one 
minute  to  live  ;  and  this  speaks  out  not  only  the  truth,  but  also  the 
strength  of  Job's  faith  in  the  midst  of  his  extraordinary  combats. 
When  the  soul  is  peremptorily  and  habitually  resolved  to  cleave  to  the 
person  of  Christ,  and  to  cleave  to  the  merits  of  Christ,  and  to  cleave  to 
the  transactions  of  Christ  with  the  Father  for  the  salvation  of  sinners, 
as  the  wife  cleaves  to  her  husband,  or  as  the  child  cleaves  to  the  father, 
or  as  Ruth  cleaved  to  Naomi,  or  as  the  ivy  cleaves  to  the  oak,  with  an 
'  If  I  perish,  I  perish,'  Ruth  i.  14-17,  Esther  iv.  16,  then  it  is  safe,  then 
it  is  happy,  then  it  is  out  of  the  danger  of  hell,  then  it  is  within  the 
suburbs  of  heaven.  God  never  did,  nor  never  will  cast  such  a  man  to 
hell,  whose  soul  is  drawn  forth  to  a  secret  resting,  staying,  leaning,  and 
relying  alone  upon  Christ,  for  the  obtaining  of  all  that  good,  and  all  that 
glory  that  he  has  purchased,  and  his  Father  has  promised.     But, 

[20.]  Lastly,  That  man  that  makes  it  his  'principal  care,  his  main 
business,  his  %oorh  of  works,  to  look  to  his  heart,  to  watch  his  heart, 
and  to  reforr)i  his  heart,  that  man  doubtless  has  a  saving  ivork  of  God 
upon  his  heart.  There  are  two  things  which  a  gracious  soul  most  looks 
at,  his  God  and  his  heart.  Though  a  gracious  man  looks  to  the  cleans- 
ing of  his  hands,  yet  his  principal  care  is  the  reformation  of  his  heart, 
the  cleansing  of  his  heart,  according  to  that  of  the  apostle  James  : 
'  Cleanse  your  hands,  ye  sinners,  and  purify  your  hearts,  ye  double- 
minded,'  James  iv.  8.  And  that  of  the  prophet  Jeremiah :  0  Jerusalem, 
wash  thine  heart  from  wickedness,  that  thou  mayest  be  saved,'  Jer.  iv. 
14.  Man  must  labour  after  a  clean  inside,  as  well  as  a  clean  outside. 
The  conversation  must  not  be  only  unspotted  before  the  world,  but  the 
•  Cant.  viii.  5  ;  Acts  xi.  21-23  ;  Ps.  Ixxi.  16  ;  Isa.  Ixi.  10. 


384  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

heart  also  must  be  unspotted  before  God  ;  the  heart  is  as  capable  of  in- 
ward defilements  as  the  l)ody  is  of  outward  defilements,  2  Cor.  vii.  1. 

0  sirs  !  though  heart  defilement  is  least  taken  notice  of,  yet  heart 
defilement  is  the  worst  defilement,  and  the  most  dangerous  defilement 
in  tlie  world.  Heart  defilement  is  spiritual  defilement,  and  spiritual 
defilement  is  the  defilement  of  devils,  which  of  all  defilement  is  the 
most  hateful,  odious,  and  pernicious  defilement,  Eph.  vi.  12,  [vide  Beza.] 
The  hypocrite's  only  care  is  to  keep  his  life  from  defilement,  but  the 
sincere  Christian's  care  is  mainly  to  keep  his  heart  from  defilement ; 
for  lie  very  well  knows,  that  if  he  can  but  keep  his  heart  clean,  he  shall 
with  more  case  keep  his  life  clean ;  if  the  fountain  be  kept  pure,  the 
streams  will  run  pure.  The  heart  is  the  spring  of  ail  actions,  and  there- 
fore every  action  is  as  the  spring  is  from  whence  it  flows ;  if  the  spring 
be  o-ood,  the  action  is  good  that  flows  from  it ;  if  the  spring  be  evil,  the 
action  is  evil  that  flows  from  it :  '  A  good  man,  out  of  the  good  treasure 
of  his  heart,  bringeth  forth  good  things ;  and  an  evil  man,  out  of  the  evil 
treasure  of  his  heart,  bringeth  fortli  evil  things,'  Mark  xii.  35.  Cer- 
tainly, the  great  work  of  a  Christian  lieth  with  his  heart.  The  refor- 
mation of  the  heart  is  the  highest  and  choicest  part  of  reformation,  be- 
cause it  is  the  reformation  of  the  noblest  part  of  man,  and  is  that  which 
God  looks  most  after,  Prov.  xxiii.  26.  The  reformation  of  the  heart  is 
indeed  the  heart  of  reformation.  There  is  nothing  reformed  to  purpose 
till  the  heart  be  reformed ;  if  the  heart  be  naught,  all  is  naught ;  if  that 
be  very  naught,  all  is  very  naught ;  if  that  be  stark  naught,  all  is  stark 
nauo-ht ;  but  if  that  be  reformed,  all  is  reformed.  A  gracious  man's 
watch  is  mainly  about  his  heart  :^  '  Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  0  God  ! 
and  renew  a  right  spirit  within  me.'  *  Unite  my  heart  to  fear  thy  name.' 
'  Incline  my  heart  unto  thy  testimonies.'  '  Let  my  heart  be  sound  in  thy 
statutes,  that  I  be  not  ashamed.'  '  When  thou  saidst,  Seek  my  face,  my 
heart  answered,  Thy  face,  Lord,  will  I  seek.'   '  With  my  whole  heart  have 

1  souo-ht  thee.'  '  Thy  word  have  I  hid  in  my  heart,  that  I  might  not 
sin  ao^ainst  thee.'  '  Incline  my  heart  unto  thy  testimonies,  and  not  unto 
covetousness.'  The  heart  of  man  is  the  fountain  of  life  or  death,  and 
therefore  sin  in  the  heart,  in  some  respects,  is  worse  and  more  dangerous 
than  sin  in  the  life .;  and  hence  it  is  that  the  sincere  Christian  doubles 
his  o-uard  about  his  heart.  Luther  hit  it  when  he  said,  '  I  more  fear 
what  is  within  me  than  what  comes  from  without.'  The  storms  and 
winds  without  do  never  move  the  earth  ;  it  is  only  vapours  within  that 
causeth  earthquakes,  as  philosophers  observe.  Hypocrites,  as  our 
Saviour  testifies,  are  all  for  the  out.side ;  they  wash  the  platters  and  the 
cups,  and  beautify  the  tombs,  like  an  adulteress  whose  care  is  to  paint 
and  set  a  fair  ffice  upon  a  foul  matter.  Mat.  xxiii.  25-30  ;  but  now  a 
sincere  Christian,  though  he  has  a  special  respect  to  the  well  ordering 
of  his  life,  yet  his  main  business  and  work  is  about  his  heart,  Ps.  1.  23. 
Oh  that  tliis  ignorant  heart  were  but  more  enlightened  !  Oh  that  this 
proud  heart  were  but  moi>e  humble  !  Oh  that  this  profane  heart  were 
but  more  holy  !  Oh  that  this  earthly  heart  were  but  more  heavenly  ! 
Oh  that  this  unbelieving  heart  were  but  more  believing!  Oh  that 
this  passionate  heart  were  but  more  meek  !     Oh  that  this  carnal  heart 

'  Ps.  li.  10,  Ixx.wi.  11,  cxix.  36,  cxix.  80,  xxvii.  8,  cxix.  2, 10;  Acts  viii.  36;  Ileb.  viii. 
10 ;  Jer.  xxxi.  33. 


t 


I 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  385 

were  but  more  spiritual  !  Oh  that  this  lukewarm  heart  were  but  more 
zealous  for  God,  and  Christ,  and  the  gospel,  and  the  great  concernments 
of  eternity!  Oh  that  this  slight  heart  were  but  more  serious!  Oh  that 
this  dull  heart  were  but  more  quickened  !  Oh  that  this  dead  heart 
were  but  more  enlivened  !  &c.  The  highest  and  hardest  work  of  a 
Christian  lieth  with  his  heart.  Mark,  common  light,  common  convic- 
tion, education,  enforcement  of  conscience,  principles  of  common  honesty 
and  morality,  the  eye  of  man,  the  fear  of  man,  the  examples  of  man, 
the  laws  of  man,  and  the  rewards  of  man,  with  a  hundred  other  things, 
may  be  very  prevalent  to  reform  the  life,  to  regulate  the  outward  con- 
versation, and  to  keep  that  in  some  due  decorum  ;  and  yet  all  these 
things  will  be  found  too  weak,  too  low  to  change  the  heart,  to  reform 
the  heart,  to  mend  the  heart,  to  purify  the  heart.  To  this  great  work 
there  are  principles  of  a  higher  nature  required  :  '  Purifying  their  hearts 
by  faith,'  Acts  xv.  9.  It  is  not  a  guard  of  moral  virtues,  but  a  guard  of 
saving  graces  that  can  keep  the  heart  in  order  ;  to  reform  the  heart,  to 
keep  the  heart  in  a  gracious  frame,  is  one  of  the  best  and  hardest  works 
in  the  world  :  Prov.  iv.  23,  '  Keep  thy  heart  with  all  diligence,  for  out 
of  it  are  the  issues  of  life.'  The  text  is  about  matter  of  life  and  death. 
The  words  are  mandatory,  for  all  counsels  in  Scripture  carry  in  them 
the  force  of  a  command.  In  the  words  you  have  two  things  observable : 
(1.)  A  duty  enjoined,  '  Keep  thy  heart  with  all  diligence.'  (2.)  The 
reason  or  motive  enforcing  it,  '  For  out  of  it  are  the  issues  of  life.'  In 
the  duty  there  are  two  things  considerable  :  (1.)  Here  is  the  subject 
matter,  the  thing  that  is  to  be  done,  and  that  is,  '  keep  thy  heart.' 
This  duty  is  charged  upon  all  in  peremptory  and  undispensable  terms. 
(2.)  Here  is  the  manner  how  it  must  be  done,  and  that  is,  '  with 
all  diligence.' 

(1.)  '  Keep!  The  Hebrew  word  "iV3,  natsar,  to  keep,  hath  various 
significations,  but  the  main  is  to  keep  in  safe  custody ;  we  should  keep 
our  hearts  as  under  lock  and  key,  that  they  may  be  always  at  hand 
when  the  Lord  shall  call  for  them,  &c. 

(2.)  '  Th}^  heart'  By  the  heart  we  are  not  to  understand  that  par- 
ticular vital  member  of  the  body  that  in  common  speech  we  call  the 
heart.  Heart  is  not  here  taken  properly  for  that  noble  part  of  the  body 
which  philosophers  call  the  primum  vivens  et  ultimum  Tnoriens, 
the  first  that  lives  and  the  last  that  dies.  But  by  heart,  in  a  metaphor, 
the  Scripture  sometimes  understands  some  particular  noble  faculty  of 
the  soul.  Sometimes  the  heart  is  put  for  the  understanding  :  Rom.  i. 
21,  '  Their  foolish  heart  was  darkened,'  that  is,  their  understanding  was 
darkened.  Sometimes  it  is  put  for  the  will  and  affections  :  Mat.  xxii. 
37,  '  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all 
thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind,'  that  is,  with  thy  will  and  with  all  thy 
affections.  So  Prov.  xxiii.  26,  Deut.  x.  12.  The  will  is  the  chiefest 
power  of  the  soul,  as  the  heart  is  the  principal  part  of  the  body  ;  and 
it  commands  all  the  affections,  as  the  centurion  did  his  servants.  Mat. 
viii.  Sometimes  it  is  put  for  the  conscience  :  1  John  iii.  20,  '  If  our 
heart  condemn  us,  God  is  greater  than  our  heart,  and  knoweth  all  things,' 
that  is,  if  our  conscience  condemn  us  justly,  then  our  case  must  be 
assuredly  sad,  because  God  knows  much  more  by  us  than  we  know  by 
ourselves,  and  can  charge  us  with  many  sins  that  conscience  is  not  privy 

VOL.  III.  B  b 


386  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

to,  Ps.  xix.  12.  Sometimes  it  is  put  for  tlic  memory:  Ps.  cxix.  11, 
'  Tiiy  word  have  I  hid  in  my  heart,'  that  is,  in  my  memory.  So  Luke 
ii.  19.  But  here  it  is  taken  comprehensively  for  the  whole  soul,  witli 
all  its  powers,  noble  faculties,  and  endowments,  together  with  their 
several  operations, — all  which  are  to  be  watched  over. 

(3.)  '  With  all  diligence,'  or  as  the  Hebrew  runs,  '  with  all  keeping.' 
The  Hebrew  Avord  noc,  shainar,  signifies,  to  keep  with  watch  and  ward.^ 
A  Christian  is  to  keep  a  perpetual  guard  about  his  heart.  A-Lapide 
notes,  that  the  Hebrew  word  is  borrowed  from  military  affairs.  We 
should  keep  our  hearts  as  soldiers  keep  a  garrisom,  with  watch  and  ward. 
Lavater  jumps  with  him,  and  tells  us  that  the  word  shamar  is  taken 
from  a  besieged  garrison,  begirt  by  many  enemies  without,  and  in  danger 
of  being  betrayed  by  treacherous  citizens  within  ;  in  which  danger  the 
soldiers  upon  pain  of  death  are  commanded  to  watch.  Junius  reads  the 
word  thus,  'Keep  thy  heart,'  supra  omiiein  custodiam, above  all  keeping. 
So  Jerome  reads,  2)tw  omne  custodia,  above  all  keeping  keep  thy  heart, 
that  is,  keep,  keep,  watch,  watch,  &c.  So  lihodolphus  reads  it,  j^rce 
ovmi  custodia  ;  and  so  we  read  it  in  the  margin  of  our  Bibles.  And 
the  Syriac  reads  it  in  the  same  manner  that  our  English  doth,  cum 
omni  caidlonc,  with  all  caution  and  wariness  we  are  to  keep  our  hearts. 
Oh  what  guards  and  double  guards  !  Oh  what  watches  and  double 
watches,  should  men  put  upon  their  hearts  !  These  words,  heeping,  keep, 
import  both  a  universal  watchfulness  over  the  heart,  and  a  diligent 
watchfulness  over  the  heart,  and  a  constant  watchfulness  over  the  heart; 
and  thrice  happy  are  those  persons  who  keep  such  a  watch  upon  their 
hearts.  A  man  is  to  keep  his  eye,  and  keej)  his  mouth,  and  keep  his 
feet ;  but  above  all  keeping,  he  is  to  keep  his  heart.  It  is  a  duty  incum- 
bent upon  every  Christian  to  keep  his  own  heart, '  Keep  thy  heart  thyself.' 
Thou  mayest  make  another  thy  park-keeper,  or  thy  house-keeper,  or 
thy  shop-keeper,  or  thy  cash-keeper,  or  thy  horse-keeper,  or  thy  nurse- 
keeper;2  but  thou  must  be  thy  own  heart-keeper.  '  Keep  thy  heart  with 
all  diligence.'  Some  understand  this  of  all  kind  of  watchfulness.  The 
Hebrew  word  is  applied  to  several  sorts  of  keeping.     As, 

First,  It  is  applied  to  those  that  are  the  keepers  of  a  prison,  where 
dangerous  felons  or  malefactors  are  to  be  looked  to,  that  they  do  not 
break  away.  1  Kings  xx.  39,  '  Keep  this  man,'  So  Joseph  was  made 
the  keeper  of  the  prison.  Gen.  xxxix.  21-23;  so  Job,  vii.  12.  The 
Hebrew  word  is  the  same  with  that  in  Pro  v.  iv.  23.  Now,  oh  how 
diligent,  how  vigilant  are  men  in  looking  after  their  prisoners!  Even 
so  should  we  be  in  looking  after  our  hearts,  &c. 

Secondly,  It  signifies  to  keep,  as  men  would  keep  a  besieged  garrison, 
or  city,  or  castle,  in  time  of  war.  So  it  is  used  in  that  Hab.  ii.  1.  Now 
what  strong  guards,  what  watchful  guards  do  men  keep  up  at  such  a 
time !  A  gracious  heart  is  Christ's  fort-royal.  Now,  against  this  fort 
Satan  will  employ  the  utmost  of  his  strength,  art,  and  craft ;  and  there- 
fore how  highly  does  it  concern  every  Christian  to  keep  a  strong  guard,  a 
constant  guard  about  his  heart !     But, 

Thirdly,  It  signifies  to  keep,  as  the  priests  and  Levites  kept  the  sanc- 

*  Cato,  Cicero,  Seneca,  Socrates,  and  otliprs,  have  laid  down  excellent  rules  for  the 
government  of  the  outward  man  ;  but  none  for  the  government  of  the  heart. 

*  Qu.  '  purse-keeper  '  ? — Eu. 


I 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels,  S87 

tuary  of  God,  the  temple  of  God,  and  all  the  holy  things  that  were 
committed  to  their  charge;  so  the  word  is  often  used  by  the  prophet, 
Ezek.  xliv.  8,  15,  16,  &c.  The  temple,  and  all  the  vessels  of  the  temple, 
were  to  be  kept  pure,  and  clean,  and  sweet.  Our  hearts  are  the  temples 
of  God,  the  temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  therefore  we  should  always 
keep  a  strong  and  diligent  guard  about  them,  that  nothing  may  pass  in  or 
out,  that  may  be  either  displeasing,  provoking,  or  grieving  to  them.    But, 

Fowrthly,  The  word  signifies  to  keep,  as  a  man  keeps  his  life.  Job  x. 
12,  '  Thy  visitation  hath  preserved,' here  is  shamar,  'my  life.'  Now 
with  what  care,  with  what  diligence,  with  what  labour,  with  what 
watchfulness  do  men  labour  to  preserve  their  natural  lives !  What  a 
guard,  what  a  watch  do  men  daily  set  about  their  lives ;  the  same  they 
should  set  about  their  hearts.     But, 

Fifthly,  Men  should  keep  their  hearts,  as  they  keep  a  rich  treasure  of 
money,  or  jewels,  or  plate.  Now,  to  preserve  a  rich  treasure,  what  locks, 
what  bolts,  what  bars,  what  chains  are  made  use  of!  Our  hearts  are  jewels 
more  worth  than  all  the  kingdoms,  crowns,  and  sceptres  of  this  world. 
There  are  few  men  that  know  how  to  value  a  God,  a  Christ,  a  gospel,  a 
covenant  of  grace,  a  heaven,  or  their  own  hearts  as  they  should.  What 
are  mountains  of  gold,  and  rocks  of  pearl,  to  the  heart,  the  soul  of  man  ! 
The  heart  is  that  pearl  of  price  for  which  a  man  should  venture  his  all, 
and  lay  down  his  all.  Oh  then,  what  a  guard,  what  a  watch  should  a 
man  continually  keep  upon  his  heart !  The  heart  is  camera  omnipotentis 
Regis,  the  presence-chamber  of  the  King  of  heaven ;  and  upon  this 
account  it  becomes  a  Christian  always  to  keep  a  guard  upon  his  heart. 
He  keeps  his  heart  best  who  keeps  it  as  his  choicest  treasure,  &c,'    But, 

Sixthly,  Men  should  keep  their  hearts,  as  a  fond  father  keeps  his  only 
child.  The  fond  father  will  still  keep  his  child  within  doors,  he  will  still 
have  him  under  his  eye,  and  in  his  presence,  that  so  no  hurt,  no  harm 
may  befall  him  day  or  night.  Our  eye  should  be  still  upon  our  hearts, 
or  else  they  will  give  us  the  slip,  and  play  the  wanton  with  us.     But, 

Seventhly,  Men  should  keep  their  hearts,  as  lovers  keep  the  love- 
tokens  that  are  mutually  sent  one  to  another.  They  love  to  be  often 
a-looking  upon  them,  and  a-thinking  of  them,  and  a-talking  of  them  ; 
and  will  be  sure  to  keep  the  strictest  and  the  strongest  guard  upon  them. 
So  a  Christian  should  still  be  a-looking  upon  his  heart,  and  a-thinking 
upon  his  heart,  and  a-speaking  of  his  heart,  either  of  the  badness  of  it,  or 
of  the  wants  of  it,  and  a-keeping  of  the  strictest  and  strongest  guard  upon 
his  heart.     But, 

Eighthly,  A  man  should  keep  his  heart  as  a  man  keeps  his  house, 
when  he  is  afraid  and  in  danger  of  being  robbed  by  thieves  in  the  night. 
Oh  how  wakeful,  and  watchful,  and  active  will  a  man  now  be  !  But 
what  is  a  man's  house  to  his  heart  ?  A  man's  heart  is  in  ten  thousand 
times  more  danger  than  his  house,  and  accordingly  his  guard  should  be 
most  about  his  heart.     But, 

NintJily,  A  man  should  keep  his  heart,  as  men  keep  their  gardens 
that  are  full  of  choice,  rich,  rare,  ripe  fruits  and  flowers.  Now,  what  care, 
cost,  and  pains  men  are  at  to  keep  such  gardens,  you  well  know.  And 
oh  that  you  did  but  every  day  more  and  more  experimentally  know 

^  All  our  spiritual  riches  are  in  our  hearts.  A  good  man  may  say  with  Bias,  Omnia 
mea  mecum  porta,  all  my  goods  I  carry  about  with  me. 


388  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  II. 

what  it  is  to  spend  your  greatest  care  and  pains  about  your  hearts, 
which  are  Christ's  garden,  his  bed  of  spices,  where  all  graces  flourish  ! 
Cant.  iv.  J  6. 

Tenthly,  and  last,  A  man  should  keep  his  heart  as  spruce  men  and 
women  do  their  fine  clothes.  Oh  they  won't  endure  a  speck,  a  spot 
upon  them  !  It  is  your  wisdom,  and  oh  that  you  would  more  and  more 
make  it  your  work,  to  keep  your  hearts  from  all  sinful  .specks  and  spots! 
Let  not  others  be  more  careful  to  keep  their  outsides  clean,  than  you 
are  to  keep  your  insides  clean ;  for  what  are  clean  clothes  to  a  clean 
heart?  It  is  better  to  go  to  heaven  in  ragged  clothes  with  a  clean 
heart,  than  to  gfo  to  hell  in  fine  clothes  with  an  unclean  heart.  Doubt- 
less  that  man  that  makes  it  his  business  to  keep  his  heart  as  men  keep 
dangerous  felons  or  traitors,  or  as  soldiers  keep  their  garrisons  or  castles 
when  closely  besieged,  or  as  the  priests  and  Levites  kept  the  sanctuary 
of  God,  or  as  a  man  keeps  his  natural  life,  or  as  a  man  keeps  a  rich 
treasure,  or  as  a  fond  father  keeps  an  only  child,  or  as  lovers  keep  their 
love-tokens,  or  as  a  man  keeps  his  house  when  he  is  in  danger  to  be 
robbed,  or  as  a  man  keeps  his  pleasant  garden,  or  as  spruce  men  and 
women  keep  their  fine  clothes,  that  man  is  doubtless  a  true  Nathanael, 
a  man  that  has  a  work  of  God  passed  in  power  upon  his  soul ;  yea,  that 
man  whose  sincere  desires,  and  whose  gracious  purposes,  and  fixed 
resolutions,  and  faithful  endeavours,  is  to  guard  and  watch  his  heart, 
according  to  the  particulars  we  have  now  hinted,  that  man,  without  a 
peradventure,  is  a  gracious  man,  and  one  that  has  the  root  of  the  matter 
in  him,  and  shall  be  happy  to  all  eternity.  Look,  as  no  man  can  hear  as 
he  would  and  should,  nor  pray  as  he  would  and  should,  nor  believe 
as  he  would  and  should,  nor  repent  as  he  would  and  should,  nor  walk  as 
he  would  and  should,  so  no  man  can  keep  his  heart  as  he  would  and 
should ;  but  if  a  man  makes  it  his  great  business  and  work  to  keep  his 
heart,  to  watch  his  heart,  to  reform  his  heart,  to  better  his  heart,  he  is 
accepted  of  God,  and  shall  be  blessed  for  ever.  It  is  one  of  the  greatest 
and  clearest  evidences  of  grace  for  a  man  to  make  it  his  greatest  busi- 
ness, work,  and  concernment  in  this  world  to  keep  his  heart  always  in 
a  gracious  frame,  to  keep  his  heart  always  in  a  wakeful  frame,  in  a 
watchful  frame,  in  a  tender  frame,  in  a  believing  frame,  in  a  repenting 
frame,  in  an  lumible  frame,  in  a  patient  frame,  in  a  serious  frame,  in  a 
heavenly  frame,  and  in  a  jealous  frame;  for  the  more  gracious  the  heart 
is,  the  more  suspicious  it  will  be.^  Satan  has  a  strong  party,  a  nume- 
rous party,  an  old  party,  a  subtle  party,  in  all  our  hearts,  and  therefore 
it  highly  concerns  us  to  watch  our  hearts  with  a  holy  jealousy.  O  sirs! 
God  liath  never  said.  Above  all  keepings,  keep  your  shops;  or  above  all 
keepings,  keep  your  estates  ;  or  above  all  keepings,  keep  your  flocks  ; 
or  al)ove  all  keepings,  keep  your  bags;  or  above  all  keepings,  keep  your 
Iriends;  or  above  all  keepings,  keep  your  bodies;  or  above  all  keepings, 
keep  your  names  ;  or  above  all  keepings,  keep  your  conversations  ;  but 
he  hath  said,  Above  all  keepings,  keep  your  hearts.  Look,  as  the  heart 
is  the  fountain  of  natural  life,  and  if  it  fail,  life  fails;  and  therefore  it 
is  strongly  secured  with  ribs  about  it,  it  is  guarded  in  a  castle  of  flesh 
and  bones ;  so  is  the  soul  the  fountain  of  spiritual  life,  and  runs  in- 

'  Cant.  V.  2;  2  Kinp;8  xxii.  19;  2  Chron.  xxxii.  2G;  James  v.  11  ;  Ecclcs.  v.  1,  2;  Col. 
iii.  1,2;  2  Cor.  vii.  11. 


Chap.  II.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  389 

visibly  through  all  the  body.  Fountains  were  to  be  kept  pure,  by  the 
Roman  laws  of  the  twelve  tables/  and  the  heart,  that  is  the  spring  and 
fountain  of  all  actions,  is  to  be  kept  pure,  by  the  laws  of  the  great  God, 
2  Cor.  vii.  1  ;  1  Thes.  v.  23,  &c.  Men  keep  the  heart  principally  from 
hurt,  because  every  wound  there  is  mortal.  Oh  that  men  were  as  wise 
for  their  souls  !  God's  eye  is  mainly  upon  the  heart.  The  heart,  well 
guarded  and  watched,  keeps  all  in  security.  Alexander  was  safe  while 
Antipater  kept  the  watch,  so  all  within  that  little  world  Man  will  be 
safe  while  the  heart  is  strongly  guarded.  The  heart  is  the  fountain, 
the  root,  the  store-house,  the  primuTn  mobile,  the  great  wheel  that  sets 
all  a-going,  and  therefore,  above  all  keepings,  keep  your  hearts.  It  is 
a  foolish  thing  to  watch  the  outworks,  and  leave  the  fort-royal  without 
a  guard  ;  so  it  is  a  foolish  thing  to  watch  the  out-works,  the  eye,  the  ear, 
the  tongue,  the  hand,  the  feet, — though  these  must  all  be  watched, — 
and  to  leave  the  heart,  which  is  a  Christian's  fort-royal,  without  a  guard. 

Omnia  si  perdas,  animam  servare  memento.^ 
'  If  all  things  else  must  needs  be  lost, 
Yet  save  thy  soul,  whate'er  it  cost.' 

He  that  makes  it  his  business  to  watch,  and  weep,  and  sigh,  and 
groan  most   over  his  own  heart,  he  doubtless  is  in  a  gracious  estate. 
He  that  makes  it  his  work,  his  daily  work,  his  greatest  work,  his  work 
of  works,  to  keep  a  continual  guard  upon  his  heart,  he  certainly  is  in  a 
blessed  estate.    He  that  lamentingly  cries  out.  Oh  that  my  soul  did  but 
prosper  as  my  body !    Oh  that  my  inward  man  were  but  in  as  good  a 
frame  as  my  outward  man !  Oh  that  this  proud  heart  were  but  more 
humble  !  Oh  that  this  hard  heart  were  but  more  softened  !  Oh  that  this 
carnal  heart  were  but  more  spiritual !  Oh  that  this  earthly  heart  were 
but  more  heavenly !  Oh  that  this  unbelieving  heart  were  but  more  be- 
lieving !  Oh  that  this  passionate  heart  were  but  more  meek !  Oh  that 
this  slight  heart  were  but  more  serious  !  Oh  that  this  blind  heart  were 
but  more  enlightened !  Oh  that  this  dull  heart  were  but  more  quick- 
ened !  Oh  my  heart,  my  heart !  when  wilt  thou  be  better  ?  Oh  my  God, 
my  God  !  when  shall  my  heart  be  better  ?    Oh  bring  it  into  a  gracious 
frame,  and  for  ever  keep  it  in  a  gracious  frame  !    He  that  thus  lament- 
ingly cries  out  of  his  heart,  he  certainly  has  an  honest  heart,  and  will  be 
happy  for  ever.    O  Lord,  my  memory  is  weak,  and  my  utterance  is  bad, 
and  my  understanding  is  dark,  and  my  gifts  are  low,  and  my  affections 
are  flat,  and  my  temptations  are  strong,  and  my  corruptions  are  preva- 
lent, Ps.  xxxix.  22-24;  but  thou,  who  art  the  great  heart-searcher,  thou 
k  no  west  that  I  would  fain  have  my  heart  in  a  better  temper ;  I  had 
rather  have  my  heart  brought  into  a  gracious  frame,  and  kept  in  a 
gracious  frame,  than  to  have  all  the  riches  of  the  Indies,  than  to  be  an 
emperor,  yea,  than  to  be  king  over  all  the  earth.     If  it  be  indeed  thus 
with  thee,  thou  art  blessed,  and  shalt  be  blessed  for  ever :  2  Cor.  viii. 
]  2,  '  For  if  there  be  first  a  willing  mind,  it  is  accepted  according  to  that 
a  man  hath,  and  not  according  to  that  he  hath  not.'    I  know  the  apostle 
speaks  this  in  point  of  alms,  but  it  is  applicable  to  the  case  in  hand,  and 
to  a  hundred  other  cases.    God  measures  his  people  not  by  their  works, 

'  Fron.,  lib.  ii. 

2  Brooks  substitutes  '  animam'  for  'famam,'  =  good  name,  in  the  anonymous  couplet, 
'  Omnia  si  perdas,  famara  servare  memento 
Qua  semel  amissa  postea  nuUus  eris.' — G. 


•>0()  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

but  by  their  wills.    If  tlicir  wills  be  to  be  more  holy,  humble,  heavenly, 
and  to  have  their  hearts  always  in  a  most  gracious  frame,  then  they 
are  accepted  of  God  ;  for  every  good  man  is  as  good  in  the  eye  of  God, 
in  the  judgment  of  God,  and  in  the  account  of  God,  as  he  would  be. 
.Not  long  before  famous  Mr  Baynes  died,  some  friends  that  were  with 
him  in  his  library,  which  was  an  excellent  one,  fell  a-commendingof  it; 
'  Ay,'  saith  he,  '  there  stand  my  books,  but  the  Lord  knows  that  for 
many  years  last  past  I  have  studied  my  heart  more  than  books.^     Oh 
no  minister  to  him,  no  scholar  to  him,  who  studies  his  heart  more  than 
his  books ;  nor  no  Christian  to  him  who  studies  his  heart  more  than 
his  day-books,  or  more  than  his  shop  books,  or  that  studies  his  heart 
more  than  his  counting-house,  or  that  studies  his  heai-t  more  than  a 
good  bargain,  &c.    That  man  is  for  heaven,  and  heaven  is  for  that  man, 
who  makes  it  his  greatest  business  in  this  world  to  watch  his  heart,  to 
guard  his  heart.     The  hypocrite  looks  most  to  externals,  but  the  sincere 
Christian  looks  most  to  internals.    The  hypocrite's  main  watch  is  about 
his  lips,  but  a  sincere  Christian's  main  w^atch  is  about  his  heart.     The 
liypocrite's  main  work  lies  without  doors,  but  the  sincere  Christian's 
main  work  lies  within  doors.    All  know,  that  know  anything,  that  both 
nature  and  grace  begin  at  the  heart,  but  art  begins  at  the  face.     A 
painter  doth  not  begin  a  picture  at  the  heart ;  a  picture  hath  but  a  face, 
but  an  outside.    And  as  nature  begins  at  the  heart,  but  art  at  the  face, 
so  grace  begins  at  the  heart,  but  hypocrisy  at  the  face,  at  the  outside 
of  religion.     Every  man  is  that  really  that  he  is  inwardly:  '  He  is  not 
a  Jew  which  is  one  outwardly,  neither  is  that  circumcision  which  is  out- 
ward in  the  flesh;  but  he  is  a  Jew  which  is  one  inwardly;  and  circum- 
cision is  that  of  the  heart,  in  the  spirit,  and  not  in  the  letter,  whose 
praise  is  not  of  men,  but  of  God,'  Rom.  ii.  28,  29.     Certainly  that  man 
that  makes  it  his  great  business  to  watch  his  heart,  and  to  keep  his 
heart  always  in  a  gracious  frame,  that  man  is  a  gracious  man.     It  is 
true  our  hearts  are  like  our  watches,  seldom  got  to  go  well ;  and  when 
they  do  go  well,  how  hard  a  work  is  it  to  keep  them  going  well !     The 
motions  of  our  watches  are  not  constant;  sometimes  they  go  faster, 
and  sometimes  they  go  slower,  and  often  they  stand  in  need  of  mend- 
ing.    Though  in  these,  and  many  other  respects,  our  hearts  are  like 
our  watches,  yet  if  we  make  it  our  grand  work  to  keep  a  constant  guard 
upon  our  hearts,  and  our  main  design  in  this  world  to  have  our  hearts 
brought  and  kept  in  a  gracious  frame,  our  spiritual  estate  is  good,  and 
we  shall  be  happy  for  ever,  &c. 

In  my  other  writings  there  are  variety  of  special  evidences,  which  the 
Christian  reader,  if  he  please,  and  if  need  require,  may  make  use  of,  in 
order  to  the  further  clearing  up  of  his  gracious  estate,  and  therefore  let 
these  twenty  suffice  at  this  time.     And  thus  much  for  this  chapter,  &c. 

CHAPTER  III. 

Now,  in  this  chapter  I  shall  treat  of  sound,  saving  repentance,  of 
repentance  unto  life  ;  yea,  of  that  evangelical  repentance  that  hath 

*  Paul  Baync  or  Baynes,  whose  Exposition  of  Ephesians  forms  one  of  the  reprinted 
Commentaries  of  Mr  Michel's  Series. — G. 


Chap.  III.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  391 

the  precious  promises  of  remission  of  sin  and  salvation  running 
out  unto  it.  My  purpose  at  this  time  is  not  to  handle  the  doctrine 
of  repentance  at  large,  but  only  to  speak  so  far  of  it  as  may  speak 
it  out  to  he  evidential  of  the  goodness  and  happiness  of  a  Chris- 
tiam's  spiritual  and  eternal  condition. 

Now,  before  I  come  to  open  myself  more  particularly,  give  me  leave 
to  premise  this  in  the  general,  viz.,  tJtat  there  is  a  repentance  that  does 
accompany  salvation :  2  Cor.  vii.  10,  '  For  godly  sorrow  worketh 
repentance  to  salvation  not  to  be  repented  of :  but  the  sorrow  of  the 
world  worketh  death.'  Jer.  iv,  14,  '  0  Jerusalem,  wash  thy  heart  from 
wickedness,  that  thou  mayest  be  saved.'  Acts  xi.  18,  '  When  they 
heard  these  things,  they  held  their  peace,  and  glorified  God,  saying. 
Then  hath  God  also  to  the  Gentiles  granted  repentance  unto  life.' 
Mat.  xviii.  8,  '  And  Jesus  said,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Except  ye 
be  converted,  and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  not  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.'  Acts  iii.  19,  'Repent  ye,  therefore,  and  be  con- 
verted, that  your  sins  may  be  blotted  out,  when  the  times  of  refreshing 
shall  come  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord.' 

Having  premised  thus  much  in  the  general,  give  me  now  leave  to 
say.  That  there  are  three  parts  of  true,  sound,  saving  repentance,  unto 
all  luhich  forgiveness  of  sin  is  promised.     And  the 

1 .  First,  is  contrition  or  grief  of  heart  for  sins  committed.  Now 
this  is  called  sometimes  godly  sorrow,  2  Cor.  vii.  10  ;  and  sometimes  a 
contrite  spirit,  Isa.  Ixvi.  2  ;  and  sometimes  a  broken  and  contrite  heart, 
Ps.  li.  17 ;  and  sometimes  the  afflicting  of  our  souls.  Lev.  xvi.  29 ;  and 
sometimes  the  humbling  of  the  heart,  2  Chron.  vii.  14,  Lam.  iii.  20  ; 
and  sometimes  a  mourning,  Zech.  xii.  10  ;  and  sometimes  a  weeping, 
Mark  xiv.  72.  All  repenting  sinners  are  mourning  sinners.  David 
repents,  and  waters  his  couch  with  his  tears,  Ps.  vi.  6.  Hezekiah 
repents,  and  humbles  himself  for  the  pride  of  his  heart,  2  Chron.  xxxii.  26. 
Ephraim  repents,  and  Ephraim  bemoans  himself  and  smites  upon  his 
thigh,  and  is  even  confounded,  Jer.  xxxi.  18,  19.  Mary  Magdalene 
repents,  and  weeps,  and  washes  Christ's  feet  with  her  tears,  Luke  vii.  38. 
The  Corinthians  repented,  and  they  were  made  sorry  after  a  godly 
manner,  2  Cor.  vii.  9.  Repentance  in  the  Hebrew  is  called  Dnj,  an 
irking  of  the  soul ;  and  in  Greek,  (^sra/nsXna,  after-grief,  and  //.irdvoia, 
after-Avit ;  and  in  the  Latin,  poenitentia ;  all  which  do  import,  that 
contrition  or  sorrow  for  sin  is  one  part  of  true  repentance.  Oh  the 
sighs,  the  groans,  the  sobs,  the  tears,  that  are  to  be  found  among 
repenting  sinners,  &c.  Luther  hit  the  mark  when  he  said,  '  What  are 
all  the  palaces  of  the  world  to  a  contrite  heart ;  yea,  heaven  and  earth, 
seeing  it  is  the  seat  of  divine  majesty  ?'' 

2.  Secondly,  It  is  very  observable,  that  all  mourning  i^ersons  for 
their  sins,  are  tuithinthe  compass  of  the  promise  of  forgiveness  of  sins  : 
Zech.  xii.  11,  '  In  that  day  there  shall  be  a  great  mourning  in  Jeru- 
salem, as  the  mourning  of  Hadadrimmon  in  the  valley  of  Megiddo.' 
Zech.  xiii.  1,  '  In  that  day  there  shall  be  a  fountain  opened  to  the  house 
of  David,  and  to  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  for  sin  and  for  unclean- 
ness.'     Jer.  xxxi.  18,  '  I  have  surely  heard  Ephraim  bemoaning  of  him- 

'  Luther,  torn.  iii.  457. 


392  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

self,'  &c.  Ver.  20,  '  I  will  surely  have  mercy  on  liim  ;'  or,  as  the  Hebrew 
has  it,  I  will,  having  mercy,  have  mercy  on  him.  As  soon  as  Ephraim's 
heart  is  troubled  for  his  sins,  God's  bowels  are  troubled  for  Ephraira  ; 
as  soon  as  Ephraim,  like  a  penitent  child,  falls  a-weeping  at  God's  foot, 
God,  like  a  tender  indulgent  father,  falls  a-bemoaning  of  Ephraim. 
Ephraim  could  not  refrain  from  tears,  and  God  could  not  refrain  from 
opening  his  bowels  of  mercy  towards  him.  So  Isa.  Ivii.  1.5.  And  how 
can  the  contrite  heart  be  indeed  revived  and  cheered  without  forgive- 
ness of  sins,  without  a  pardon  in  the  bosom?  Melancthon  makes  mention 
of  a  godly  woman,  who  having  upon  her  deathbed  been  in  much  conflict, 
and  afterwai'ds  much  comforted,  brake  out  into  these  words  :  Now,  and 
not  till  now,  did  I  understand  the  meaning  of  these  words,  '  Thy  sins 
are  forgiven.'  There  is  no  comfort  to  that  which  arises  from  the  sense 
of  forgiveness  :  Isa.  xl.  1,  2,  '  Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye  my  people,  saith 
your  God  ;  speak  ye  comfortably  to  Jerusalem,  and  cry  unto  her  that 
her  iniquities  are  pardoned.'  And  Avhy  is  the  mourning  soul  pro- 
nounced the  blessed  soul :  Mat.  v.  4,  *  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn,  for 
they  shall  be  comforted  :'  but  because  the  mourning  soul  is  the  par- 
doned soul  ? 

Quest.  But  what  is  that  sorrow  or  inourning  for  sin,  that  is  a  part 
of  true  repentance  ?  The  resolution  of  this  question  is  very  necessary 
for  the  preventing  of  all  soul-deceits  and  mistakes,  and  for  the  quiet- 
ing, settling,  and  satisfying  of  souls  truly  jDenitent,  and  therefore  I 
shall  give  these  eight  following  answers  to  it. 

[1.]  First,  It  is  a  sorrow  or  grief  that  is  spiritual,  that  is,  super- 
natural. No  man  is  born  with  godly  sorrow  in  his  heart,  as  he  is  born 
with  a  tongue  in  his  mouth.  Godly  sorrow  is  a  plant  of  God's  own 
planting  ;  it  is  a  seed  of  his  own  sowing  ;  it  is  a  flower  of  his  own  set- 
ting ;  it  is  of  a  heavenly  offspring ;  it  is  from  God,  and  God  alone. 
The  spirit  of  mourning  is  from  above  ;  it  is  from  a  supernatural  power 
and  principle.  There  is  nothing  that  can  turn  a  heart  of  stone  into 
flesh,  but  the  Spirit  of  God,  Ezek.  xxxvi.  25,  26.  Godly  sorrow  is  a  gift 
from  God  :  Job  xxiii.  ]  6,  '  God  makes  my  heart  soft.'  No  hand  but  a 
divine  hand  can  make  the  heart  soft  and  tender  under  the  sight  and 
sense  of  sin.  Nature  may  easily  work  a  man  to  mourn,  and  melt,  and 
weep,  under  worldly  losses,  crosses,  and  miseries,  as  it  did  David's  men, 
1  Sam.  XXX.  4  ;  but  it  must  be  grace,  it  must  be  a  supernatural  prin- 
ciple, that  must  work  the  heart  to  mourn  for  sin. 

[2.]  Secondly,  Godly  sorrow  is  a  sorroiu  for  sin  as  sin,  it  is  a  mourn- 
ing rather  for  sin  than  for  smart ;  it  is  not  so  much  for  loss  of  goods, 
lands,  wife,  child,  credit,  name,  &c.,  but  for  that  a  holy  God  is  offended, 
a  righteous  law  violated,  Christ  dishonoured,  the  Spirit  grieved,  and  the 
gospel  blemished,  &c.  Peter's  sorrow  was  godly,  but  Judas  his  sorrow 
was  worldly  ;  Peter  mourns  over  the  evil  of  sin,  but  Judas  mourns  over 
the  evil  of  punishment.  David  mourns  over  his  sin,  '  Against  thee, 
thee  only  have  I  sinned,  and  done  this  evil  in  thy  sight,'  Ps.  li.  4.  And 
so  2  Sam.  xxiv.  10,  '  And  David's  heart  smote  him  after  he  had  num- 
bered the  people;  and  David  said  unto  the  Lord,  I  have  sinned  greatly 
in  that  I  have  done,  and  now  I  beseech  thee,  O  Lord  !  take  away  the 
iniquity  of  thy  servant,  for  I  have  done  foolishly.'  David  does  not  cry 
out,  Take  away  the  threatened  famine,  but/lake  away  the  iniquity  of  thy 


Chap.  III.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  393 

servant ;  nor  he  does  not  cry  out,  Take  away  the  enemies  of  thy  servant, 
but.  Take  away  the  iniquity  of  thy  servant ;  nor  he  does  not  say,  Take 
away  the  pestilence  from  the  land,  but,  Take  away  the  iniquity  of  thy 
servant.  But  now  when  Pharaoh  was  under  judgments,  be  never  cries 
to  the  Lord  to  take  away  his  sins,  his  pride,  his  hardness,  his  obdurate- 
ness,  his  envy,  his  malice,  his  hatred,  &c.,  but  he  cries  out.  Take  away 
the  judgment,  take  away  the  judgment,  take  away  the  frogs,  take  away 
the  lice,  take  away  the  caterpillers,  &c.  But  under  all  these  dreadful 
and  amazing  judgments  that  he  was  under,  such  a  word  as  this  never 
fell  from  his  lips.  Take  away  my  sin,  O  Lord  !  take  away  my  sins ;  thy 
judgments  do  terrify  me,  but  my  sins  will  damn  me,  and  therefore  what- 
ever becomes  of  my  life,  kingdom,  and  crown,  take  away  my  sins  and 
save  my  soul.  David  saw  sin  to  be  a  greater  evil  than  flying  before  his 
enemies,  or  than  famine  or  pestilence  was ;  and  therefore  he  desires 
rather  to  be  rid  of  his  sins,  than  to  be  rid  of  the  punishment  that  was 
due  to  his  sin ;  but  Pharaoh  saw  no  such  evil  in  sin,  and  therefore  he 
cries  out,  Take  away  the  plague,  take  away  the  plague.  And  Job  upon 
the  dunghill  cries  out,  *  I  have  sinned,  what  shall  I  do  unto  thee,  O 
thou  preserver  of  men  !'  Job  vii.  20.  Job  does  not  cry  out.  Oh,  I  have 
lost  all  my  substance,  I  am  bereaved  of  all  my  children,  I  am  set  as 
naked  upon  the  dunghill  as  ever  I  was  born  !  My  friends  reproach  me, 
my  wife  tempts  me  to  curse  my  God,  which  is  ten  thousand  times  worse 
than  to  curse  myself;  Satan  persecutes  me,  and  God  has  not  only  for- 
saken me,  but  is  also  become  a  severe  enemy  to  me,  &c.  Job  cries  out 
of  his  sin,  and  not  of  his  sufferings.  A  deep  sense  of  his  sins  swallows 
up  as  it  were  all  sense  of  his  suft'erings. 

And  so  that  great  apostle  Paul  does  not  cry  out,  0  wretched  man  that 
I  am !  that  bonds  attend  me  in  every  place,  and  that  I  have  neither 
house  nor  home  to  go  to,  and  that  I  am  despised,  scorned,  reproached, 
and  persecuted,  and  that  I  am  accounted  factious,  seditious,  rebellious, 
erroneous,  and  that  I  am  looked  upon  as  the  offscouring  of  the  world, 
&c.  Oh  no  !  but  he  cries  out  of  his  sin  :  '  0  wretched  man  that  I  am  ! 
who  shall  deliver  me  from  this  body  of  death  V  Rom.  vii.  23,  2-i. 

So  the  prophet  Micah,  '  I  will  bear  the  indignation  of  the  Lord,  be- 
cause I  have  sinned,'  Micah  vii.  9.  Though  of  all  burdens  the  indigna- 
tion of  the  Lord  be  the  greatest  burden,  yet  divine  indignation  is  but  a 
light  burden  in  comparison  of  sin.  A  gracious  soul  can  better  stand 
under  the  burden  of  God's  indignation  for  sin,  than  it  can  stand  under 
the  burden  of  sin  itself,  which  hath  kindled  that  indignation,  &c. 

[3.]  Thirdly,  Godly  sorrow  is  a  great  sorrow,  it  is  a  sujjerlative 
sorrow,  it  is  a  sad  and  serious  sorrow.  A  sincere  mourning  is  a  deep 
mourning,  it  springs  from  serious  and  deep  apprehensions  of  the  great 
anger  and  deep  displeasure  of  God,  and  of  the  woful  nature,  demerit, 
burden,  bitterness,  vileness,  and  filthiness  of  sin,  &c.  The  blessed  Scrip- 
ture seems  to  make  godly  sorrow  a  superlative  sorrow,  calling  it  a  great 
mourning,  like  the  mourning  of  Hadadrimmon  in  the  valley  of  Megiddo, 
and  a  bitterness,  as  one  is  in  for  his  first-born,  Zech.  xii.  10,  11.  And 
so  the  church,  '  My  bowels  are  troubled  within  me,  mine  heart  is  turned 
within  me  ;  for  I  have  grievously  rebelled,'  Lament,  i.  20.  And  David 
watered  his  couch  with  his  tears,  Ps.  vi.  6.  And  Mary  Magdalene  wept 
much,  as  well  as  she  loved  much,  Luke  vii.     And  Peter  went  out  and 


394-  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

wept  bitterly,  Mat.  xxvi.  15.  Clement  observes,  that  all  the  time  that 
Peter  lived  after  this  great  fall,  he  would  every  night,  when  he  heard 
the  cock  crow,  fall  upon  his  knees  and  weep  bitterly.  Look,  as  shallow 
brooks  make  the  greatest  noise,  so  hypocrites  and  formalists  may  howl, 
and  roar,  and  cry,  and  make  more  noise  than  the  true  penitent ;  but 
yet  the  sorrow  of  a  true  penitent  is  more  inward,  secret,  solid,  still,  and 
deep,  Hosea  vii.  14.  As,  you  know,  the  deepest  rivers  run  most  silently, 
and  make  least  noise,  so  the  deepest  sorrow  makes  least  noise.  The 
mourning  of  repenting  souls,  under  the  apprehensions  of  their  sins,  is 
like  the  mourning  of  doves ;  but  the  mourning  of  wicked  men  under 
the  apprehension  of  their  sins,  is  like  the  bellowing  of  bulls  and  roar- 
ing of  bears,  Ezek.  vii.  16  ;  Isa.  li.  20,  lix.  11. 

[4.]  Fourthly,  A  sincere  mourning  is  an  extensive  mourning,  it  is 
an  universal  mourning.  Godly  sorrow  and  grief  extends  itself,  not 
only  to  some  sins,  but  to  all  sins,  great  and  small.  Look,  as  a  holy  heart 
hates  all  sin,  so  a  holy  heart  mourns  over  all  sin  that  it  sees  and  knows 
to  be  sin.  God  hates  one  sin  as  well  as  another,  and  he  has  forbid  one 
sin  as  well  as  another,  and  he  has  revealed  his  wrath  from  heaven 
against  one  sin  as  well  as  another,  and  he  is  provoked  by  one  sin  as 
well  as  another,  and  Christ  is  crucified  by  one  sin  as  well  as  another, 
and  the  Spirit  is  grieved  as  well  by  one  sin  as  by  another,  and  the  gospel 
is  reproached  by  one  sin  as  well  as  another,  and  the  conscience  is  wounded 
by  one  siu  as  well  as  another,  and  Satan  is  gratified  by  one  sin  as  well 
as  another,  and  wicked  men's  mouths  are  opened  by  one  sin  as  well  as 
another,  and  young  comers  on  in  religion  are  stumbled,  grieved,  and 
offended  by  one  sin  as  well  as  another,  and  the  soul  is  endangered  by 
one  sin  as  well  as  another.  An  unsound  heart  may  mourn  for  great 
sins,  that  make  great  wounds  in  his  conscience  and  credit,  and  that 
leave  a  gi-eat  blot  upon  his  name,  or  that  Avaste  or  rot  his  body,  or  de- 
stroy his  estate,  or  that  expose  him  to  public  scorn  and  shame,  &c.,  but 
for  sins  of  omission,  for  wandering  thoughts,  idle  words,  deadness,  cold- 
ness, slightness  in  religious  duties  and  services,  unbelief,  secret  pride, 
self-con Hdence,  and  a  thousand  more,  such  gnats  as  these  he  can  swallow 
without  any  remorse,  Pro  v.  v.  8-14. 

But  now  godly  sorrow  is  of  a  general  extent,  it  mourns  as  well  for 
small  sins  as  for  great.  David's  heart  smote  him,  as  well  for  cutting  off 
the  lap  of  Saul's  garment,  as  it  did  for  killing  of  Uriah  with  the  sword. 
A  gracious  soul  weeps  over  many  sins  that  none  can  charge  upon  him  but 
God  and  his  own  conscience :  Ps.  xix.  12,  '  Oh  cleanse  thou  me  from 
secret  faults.' 

Yea,  let  me  say  that  godly  sorrow  and  grief  extends  not  only  to  a 
man's  own  sins,  but  also  to  the  sins  of  others  as  well  as  his  own,  Ezek. 
ix.  4,  5.  And  this  you  may  see  also  in  David,  Ps.  cxix.  53,  13G,  158  ; 
and  in  Jeremiah,  Jer.  ix.  1-3 ;  and  in  Paul,  Philip,  iii.  18 ;  and  in 
Lot,  2  Peter  ii.  7,  8.  And  if  you  please  to  turn  to  my  treatise  on  holi- 
ness, you  may  see  seven  special  arguments  for  this  their  joractice,  page 
139  to  page  145,  and  therefore  a  touch  in  this  place  ma}^  suffice.' 

[5.]  Fifthly,  Godly  sorrow  is  a  lasting  sorrow,  it  is  a  durable  sorroiv. 
As  long  as  a  Christian  continues  sinning,  he  cannot  but  continue  mourn- 
ing.    David's  sins  were  always  before  him,  Ps.  li.  3,  though  his  Absalom 

>  Vol.  IV.— G. 


Chap.  III.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  395 

nor  his  Bathsheba  were  not  ever  before  him.  Godly  sorrow  will  every 
day  follow  sin  hard  at  heels.  Look,  as  a  wicked  man,  in  respect  of  his 
desire  and  will  to  sin,  would  sin  for  ever,  if  he  should  live  for  ever ;  so 
I  may  say,  if  a  godly  man  should  live  for  ever,  he  would  sorrow  for 
ever.  After  Paul  had  been  converted  many  years,  some  think  fourteen, 
you  shall  find  him  a-mourning  and  lamenting  over  his  sins,  Rom.  vii. 
An  ingenuous  child  will  never  cease  mourning,  till  he  ceases  from 
offending  an  indulgent  father.  Though  sin  and  godly  sorrow  were 
never  born  together,  yet  whilst  a  believer  lives  in  this  world,  they  must 
live  together.  And  indeed  holy  joy  and  godly  sorrow  are  no  ways  in- 
consistent, Ps.  ii.  11 ;  yea,  a  godly  man's  eyes  are  always  fullest  of  tears, 
when  his  heart  is  fullest  of  holy  joy,  &c.  A  man  may  go  joying  and 
mourning  to  his  grave,  yea,  to  heaven,  at  the  same  time. 

But  now  the  sorrow,  the  grief  of  wicked  men  for  sin,  it  is  like  a 
morning  cloud,  or  the  early  dew,  or  the  crackling  of  thorns  under  a  pot, 
or  a  post  that  quickly  passeth  by,  or  a  dream  that  soon  vanisheth,  or 
like  a  tale  that  is  told,  &c.,  their  sorrowful  hearts  and  mournful  eyes 
soon  dry  up  together,  as  you  may  see  in  Esau,  Ahab,  Pharaoh,  and 
Judas  ;  but  the  streams  of  godly  sorrow  will  last  and  run  as  long  as  sin 
hangs  upon  us,  and  dwells  in  us  :  1  Cor.  xv.  9,  '  I  am  the  least  of  the 
apostles,  that  am  not  meet  to  be  called  an  apostle,  because  I  persecuted 
the  church  of  God.'  Ps.  xxv.  7,  *  Remember  not  the  sins  of  my  youth, 
nor  my  transgressions.''  David  prayeth  to  the  Lord,  not  only  to  forgive, 
but  also  to  forget,  both  the  sins  of  his  youth  and  the  sins  of  his  age. 
David  remembered  all  his  faults,  both  of  former  and  of  later  times. 
David  was  well  in  years  when  he  defiled  himself  with  Bathsheba  ;  and 
this  he  remembers  and  mourns  over,  Ps.  li.  And  it  is  very  observable, 
that  God  charged  his  people  for  to  remember  old  sins  :  Deut.  ix.  7,  '  Re- 
member, and  forget  not,  how  thou  provokedst  the  Lord  thy  God  to  wrath 
in  the  wilderness.'  Repentance  is  a  grace,  and  must  have  its  daily 
operation  as  well  as  other  graces ;  witness  the  very  covenant  of  grace 
itself:  Ezek.  xvi.  62,  63,  '  I  will  establish  my  covenant  with  thee  ;  and 
thou  shalt  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  :  that  thou  mayest  remember,  and 
be  confounded,  and  never  open  thy  mouth  any  more  because  of  thy 
shame,  when  I  am  pacified  towards  thee  for  all  that  thou  hast  done.' 
Certainly  a  true  penitent  can  no  more  satisfy  himself  with  one  act  of 
repentance,  than  he  can  satisfy  himself  with  one  act  of  faith,  or  with  one 
act  of  hope,  or  with  one  act  of  love,  or  with  one  act  of  humility,  or  with 
one  act  of  patience,  or  with  one  act  of  self-denial.  Godly  sorrow  is  a 
gospel  grace  that  will  live  and  last  as  well  and  as  long  as  other  graces  ; 
it  is  a  spring  that  in  this  life  can  never  be  drawn  dry. 

[6.]  Sixthly,  Godly  sorrow  is  a  divorcing  sorrow ;  it  divorces  the 
heart  from  sin,  it  breaks  that  ancient  league  that  has  been  between  the 
heart  and  sin.  There  is  a  strong  firm  league  between  every  sinner  and 
his  sin,  Isa.  xxviii.  15,  18;  but  when  godly  sorrow  enters,  it  dissolves 
that  league,  it  separates  between  a  sinner  and  his  sin,  it  sets  the  soul 
at  an  everlasting  distance  from  sin.^  The  union  between  the  root  and 
the  branches,  the  foundation  and  the  building,  the  head  and  the  mem- 
bers, the  father  and  the  child,  the  husband  and  the  wife,  the  body  and 

•  It  is  an  excellent  saying  of  Austin,  He  doth  truly  bewail  the  sins  he  hath  committed 
■who  never  commits  the  sins  he  hath  bewailed. 


396  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

the  soul,  are  all  near,  very  near  unions  ;  yet,  that  between  a  sinner  and 

his  sin  seems  to  be  a  nearer  union,  Observable  is  the  story  of  Phaltiel. 
You  know  when  David  had  married  Michal,  Saul  injuriously  gave  her 
to  another ;  but  when  David  came  to  the  crown,  and  sent  forth  his 
royal  commands  that  his  wife  should  be  brought  to  him,  her  husband 
dares  not  but  obey,  brings  her  on  her  journey,  and  then  not  without  great 
reluctancy  of  spirit  takes  his  leave  of  her,  2  Sam.  iii.  14-lG.  But  what, 
was  Phaltiel  weary  of  his  wife,  that  he  now  forsakes  her  ?  Oh  no,  he  was 
enforced,  and  though  she  was  gone,  yet  he  had  many  a  sad  thought 
about  parting  with  her,  and  he  never  leaves  looking  till  he  sees  her  as 
far  as  Bahurim,  weeping  and  bemoaning  her  absence.  Just  thus  stands 
the  heart  of  every  unregenerate  man  towards  his  sins,  as  Phaltiel's  heart 
stood  towards  his  wife.  But  when  the  springs  of  godly  sorrow  rise  in 
the  soul,  the  league,  the  friendship,  the  union  that  was  between  the 
sinner  and  his  sins,  comes  to  be  dissolved  and  broken  in  pieces,  Ho.sea 
xiv.  8.  All  godly  sorrow  sets  the  heart  against  sin.  He  that  divinely 
mourns  over  sin,  cannot  live  in  a  course  of  sin.  When  of  all  bitters 
God  makes  sin  to  be  the  greatest  bitter  to  the  soul,  then  the  soul  bids 
an  everlasting  farewell  to  sin  ;  now  the  soul  in  good  earnest  bids  adieu 
to  sin  for  ever.  O  sirs !  this  is  a  most  certain  maxim,  to  live  and  die 
with,  that  either  a  man's  sins  will  make  an  end  of  his  mourning,  or  else 
his  mourning  will  make  an  end  of  his  sin  ;  for  he  that  holds  on  sinning, 
will  certainly  leave  off  mourning.  No  man  can  make  a  trade  of  sin, 
and  yet  keep  his  heart  in  a  mourning  frame.  But  he  that  holds  on 
mourning  for  sin,  will  certainly  leave  off  the  trade  of  sin.  Holy  grief 
for  sin  will  sooner  or  later  break  off  all  leagues  and  friendships  with 
sin.  As  sin  makes  a  separation  between  God  and  a  man's  soul,  so  godly 
sorrow  makes  a  separation  between  a  man's  soul  and  his  sin,  Isa.  lix.  1,  2. 
All  holy  mournings  over  sin  will  by  degrees  issue  in  the  wasting  and 
weakening  of  the  strength  and  power  of  sin  ;  nothing  below  the  death 
and  desti-uction  of  sin  will  satisfy  that  soul  that  truly  mourns  over  sin. 
But  now,  though  you  may  find  an  unsound  heart  sometimes  a-lamenting 
over  his  sins,  yet  you  shall  never  find  him  a-leaving  of  his  sins.  Pharaoh 
lamented  over  his  sin,  crying  out,  '  I  have  sinned,  the  Lord  is  righteous, 
and  I  and  my  people  are  wicked.'  And  again,  '  Then  Pharaoh  called 
for  Moses  and  for  Aaron  in  haste,  and  he  said,  I  have  sinned  against  the 
Lord  your  God,  and  against  you,'  Exod.  ix.  27,  x.  16.  But  though  you 
find  him  here  lamenting  and  complaining  over  his  sin,  yet  you  never 
find  him  leaving  or  forsaking  of  liis  sin.  So  Saul  could  cry  out,  he  had 
sinned,  but  yet  he  still  continued  in  his  sin  ;  he  acknowledged  that  he  did 
evil  in  persecuting  of  David,  and  yet  he  still  held  on  persecuting  of  him. 
An  unsound  heart  mourns  over  sin,  and  yet  he  holds  on  in  a  course  of 
sin  ;  he  sins  and  mourns,  and  mourns  and  sins,  and  commonly  all  his 
mourning  for  sin  does  but  the  more  embolden  him  in  a  way  of  sin ;  but 
the  gracious  soul  says  with  Job,  '  If  I  have  done  iniquity,  I  will  do  it  no 
more,'  Job  xxxiv.  32.  He  laments  over  sin  and  leaves  it ;  he  confesses 
it,  and  forsakes  it,  and  he  is  as  willing  to  forego  it  as  he  is  willing  that 
God  should  forgive  it. 

[7.]  Seventhly,  All, — and  if  you  j)lease  I  shall  give  you  many  things 
in  one, — godly  sorroiv  is  the  fruit  and  effect  of  evangelical  faith.  It 
flows  from  faith  as  the  stream  from  the  fountain,  the  branch  from  the 


Chap.  III.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  397 

root,  and  the  effect  from  the  cause  :  Zech.  xii.  10,  '  They  shall  look  upon 
him  whom  they  have  pierced,  and  shall  mourn  for  him,  as  one  mourneth 
for  his  only  son,  and  shall  be  in  bitterness  for  him,  as  one  that  is  in 
bitterness  for  his  first-born.'  Look,  as  all  legal  sorrow  flows  from  a  legal 
faith,  as  you  may  see  in  Ahab's  and  the  Ninevites,  so  all  evangelical 
sorrow  flows  from  an  evangelical  faith  :  '  They  shall  look  upon  him 
whom  they  have  pierced,  and  mourn.'  All  gracious  mourning  flows 
from  looking,  from  believing.  Nothing  breaks  the  heart  of  a  sinner  like 
a  look  of  faith.  All  tears  of  godly  sorrow  drop  from  the  eye  of  faith. 
Godly  sorrow  rises  and  falls,  as  faith  rises  and  falls.  Faith  and  godly 
sorrow  are  like  the  fountain  and  the  flood,  which  rise  and  fall  together. 
The  more  a  man  is  able  by  faith  to  look  upon  a  pierced  Christ,  the  more 
his  heart  will  mourn  over  all  the  dishonours  that  he  has  done  to  Christ. 
The  more  deep  and  wide  the  wounds  are  that  faith  shews  me  in  the 
heart  and  sides  of  Christ,  the  more  my  heart  will  be  wounded  for  sinning 
against  Christ. 

Again,  godly  sorrow  is  not  an  enemy,  but  a  friend  to  holy  joy.  I  have 
read  of  a  holy  man,  who  lying  upon  his  sick-bed,  and  being  asked  which 
were  his  joyfullest  days  that  ever  he  had,  cried  out,  *  Oh  give  me  my 
mourning  days,  give  me  my  mourning  days  again,  for  they  were  the 
joyfullest  days  that  ever  I  had.'  The  higher  the  springs  of  godly  sorrow 
rise,  the  higher  the  tides  of  holy  joy  rise.  His  graces  will  flourish  most, 
who  evangelically  mourns  most.  Grace  always  thrives  best  in  that 
garden,  that  heart,  that  is  watered  most  with  the  tears  of  godly  sorrow. 
He  that  grieves  most  for  sin,  will  rejoice  most  in  God  ;  and  he  that  re- 
joices most  in  God,  will  grieve  most  for  sin. 

Again,  the  more  a  man  apprehends  of  the  love  of  God,  and  of  the  love 
of  Christ,  and  the  more  a  man  tastes  and  is  assured  of  the  love  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  love  of  the  Son,  the  more  that  person  will  grieve  and 
mourn  that  he  has  offended,  provoked,  and  grieved  such  a  Father,  and 
such  a  Son.  Remember  this,  as  a  man's  assurance  of  peace  and  re- 
conciliation with  God  rises,  so  his  grief  for  sin  rises.  The  more  clear 
and  certain  evidences  a  man  has  of  the  love  and  favour  of  God  to  his 
soul,  the  more  that  man  will  grieve  and  mourn  for  sinning  against  such 
a  God.  There  is  nothing  that  thaws  and  melts  the  heart,  that  softens 
and  breaks  the  heart,  like  the  warm  beams  of  divine  love ;  as  you  may 
see  in  the  case  of  Mary  Magdalene,  Luke  vii.  ;  she  loved  much,  and  she 
wept  much,  for  much  was  forgiven  her.  A  sight  of  the  free  grace  and 
love  of  Christ  towards  her,  in  an  act  of  forgiveness,  broke  her  heart  all 
in  pieces.  A  man  cannot  stand  under  the  shinings  of  divine  love  with 
a  frozen  heart,  nor  yet  with  dry  eyes.  The  more  a  man  sees  of  the  love  of 
Christ,  and  the  more  a  man  tastes  and  enjoys  of  the  love  of  Christ,  the 
more  that  man  will  grieve  and  mourn  for  all  the  dishonours  that  he  has 
done  to  Christ.  The  more  an  ingenuous  child  sees,  and  tastes,  and  enjoys 
of  his  father's  love,  the  more  he  grieves  and  mourns  that  ever  he  should 
offend  such  a  father,  or  provoke  such  a  father,  who  has  been  so  loving 
and  indulgent  towards  him.  Injuries  done  to  a  friend  cut  deep,  and  the 
more  near,  and  dear,  and  beloved  a  man's  friend  is  to  him,  the  more  a 
man  is  afflicted  and  troubled  for  any  wrongs  or  injuries  that  are  done 
to  him  ;  and  just  so  it  is  between  God  and  a  gracious  soul. 

The  free  love  and  favour  of  God,  and  his  unspeakable  goodness  and 


398  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

mercy  manifested  in  Jesus  Christ  to  poor  sinners,  is  the  very  spring  and 
fountain  of  all  evangelical  sorrow.  Nothing  breaks  the  heart  of  a  poor 
sinner  like  the  sight  of  God's  free  love  in  a  redeemer.  A  man  cannot 
seriously  look  upon  the  firstness,  the  freencss,  the  greatness,  the  un- 
changeableness,  the  evcrlastingness,  and  the  matchlessncss  of  God's  free 
favour  and  love  in  Christ,  with  a  hard  heart,  or  with  dry  eyes  :  Ezek. 
xxxvi.  31,  compared  with  verses  25,  26.  Oh  !  who  is  there  that  has  but 
one  spark  of  ingenuity,  that  can  read  over  that  heart-breaking  scripture 
with  dry  eyes  ?  Isa.  xliii.  22-24,  '  But  thou  hast  not  called  upon  me, 
O  Jacob  ;  but  thou  hast  been  weary  of  me,  0  Israel.  Thou  hast  not 
brought  me  the  small  cattle  of  thy  burnt-ofterings,  neither  hast  thou 
honoured  me  with  thy  sacrifices  :  I  have  not  caused  thee  to  serve  with 
an  offering,  nor  wearied  thee  with  incense.  Thou  hast  bought  me  no 
sweet  cane  with  money,  neither  hast  thou  filled  me  with  the  fat  of  thy 
sacrifices  ;  but  thou  hast  made  me  to  serve  with  thy  sins,  thou  hast 
wearied  me  with  thine  iniquities,'  see  Isa.  Ivii.  17-1 9.  Now  a  man  Avould 
think, after  all  this  horrid  abuse  put  upon  God,  this  would  certainly  follow ; 
therefore  I  will  plague  and  punish  thee  ;  therefore  my  wrath  shall  smoke 
against  thee  ;  therefore  my  soul  shall  abhor  thee  ;  therefore  I  will  shut 
up  my  loving-kindness  in  displeasure  against  thee  ;  therefore  I  will 
shew  no  more  mercy  towards  thee  ;  therefore  I  will  hide  my  face  for 
ever  from  thee ;  therefore  I  will  take  vengeance  on  thee  ;  therefore  I 
will  rain  hell  out  of  heaven  upon  thee,  &c.  Oh  !  but  read  and  wonder, 
read  and  admire,  read  and  stand  amazed  and  astonished,  read  and  re- 
frain from  tears  if  thou  canst :  ver.  25,  '  I,  even  I,  am  he  that  blotteth 
out  thy  transgressions  for  mine  own  sake,  and  will  not  remember  thy 
sins.'  The  prophet's  expression  in  that  Zech.  xii.  10  is  very  observable, 
*  They  shall  look  upon  him  whom  they  have  pierced,  and  they  shall 
mourn  for  him,  as  one  that  mourneth  for  his  only  son.'  Now  it  is 
observable  in  a  father's  mourning  for  an  only  son,  there  is  nothing  but 
pure  love,  sincere  love,  hearty  love  ;  but  in  a  son's  mourning  for  his 
father,  there  may  be,  and  often  is  a  great  deal  of  self-love,  self-respect, 
because  the  child  may  run  and  read  in  his  father's  death,  his  own  loss, 
his  own  ruin,  his  own  undoing  ;  but  in  the  father's  mourning  for  an  only 
son,  a  man  may  run  and  read  the  integrity,  purity,  and  ingenuity  of  the 
father's  love  ;  and  it  is  only  such  a  love  as  this  as  sets  the  soul  a-mourn- 
ing  and  a-lamenting  over  a  crucified  Christ,  The  thoughts  and  fears 
of  wrath,  of  hell,  and  of  condemnation,  works  unsound  hearts  to  mourn  ; 
but  it  is  the  sight  of  a  bleeding,  dying  Saviour  that  sets  ingenuous, 
gracious  souls  a-mourning. 

[8.]  EightJdy,  and  lastly,  Godly  sorrow,  grief,  or  mourning,  may  be 
known  by  the  inseparable  concomitants  or  companions  that  attend 
it  and  wait  on  it,  2  Cor.  vii.  IJ  ;  and  they  are  these  seven  : 

First,  'What  carefulness'  or  study;  the  word  G-~o\jhri  notes  the 
serious  intension  of  the  mind,  and  the  diligence  and  dexterity  of  the 
soul  in  shunning  and  avoiding  sin,  and  arming  of  the  soul  against  all 
occasions  and  temptations  thereunto.  The  great  care  of  the  repenting 
lioul  is  to  leave  all  sin,  to  shake  oft'  all  sin,  to  avoid  all  sin,  and  to  weaken 
and  subdue,  and  bring  under  all  sin.  Oh  !  the  care,  the  caution,  the 
circumspection,  the  vigilancy,  the  strivings  and  the  strugglings  of  the 
repenting  soul  against  temptations  and  corruptions. 


Chap.  III.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  399 

Secondly,  Yea,  '  what  clearing  of  yourselves^  dToXoy/a,  apology  or 
defence ;  which  is  not  done  either  by  denying  of  sin,  or  by  excusing  of 
sin  committed,  but  by  confession  of  sin,  and  disHking  of  sin,  and  bewail- 
ing of  sin,  and  by  walking  quite  cross  and  contrary  to  the  sin  confessed, 
disliked,  and  bewailed ;  as  Zaccheus  did,  Luke  xix.  8  ;  and  as  the  jailor 
did,  Acts  xvi.  13.  The  true  penitent  has  no  ways  to  clear  himself,  but 
by  arraigning,  j  udging,  and  condemning  of  himself:  1  Cor.  xi.  81,  'For 
if  we  would  judge  ourselves,  we  should  not  be  judged.'  When  men 
judge  themselves,  and  condemn  themselves,  God  is  prevented,  and  the 
devil  defeated,  as  having  nothing  to  say  against  them  but  what  they 
have  said  before.  When  men  acknowledge  their  sins,  and  aggravate 
their  sins,  and  pass  the  sentence  of  condemnation  upon  themselves  for 
their  sins,  they  shall  find  their  acquittance  from  them  fairly  drawn  in 
the  blood  of  Christ.  Repentance  for  sin  takes  off  the  guilt  of  sin,  and 
sin  bewailed  is  as  if  it  had  never  been  committed  ;  and  this  becomes  the 
soul's  apology,  Ezek.  xviii.  21,  22.^ 

Thirdly,  '  Yea,  tvhat  indignation,'  or  stomach,  ayavd'/.Trisig,  wrath 
unto  grief.  It  notes  the  very  rising  of  the  stomach  with  rage,  and  a 
being  angry  unto  fretting,  fuming,  and  sickness.  Again,  it  notes  the 
very  height  of  anger  and  rage.  The  true  penitent  is  not  so  exceeding 
angry  with  himself  for  anything,  as  he  is  angry  with  himself  for  his 
sins.  Indignation  here  imports  the  turning  of  all  the  passions  of  the 
soul  wholly  against  sin.  There  are  no  men  in  the  world  so  hot  and 
angry  against  themselves  for  their  sins  as  penitents  are.  Witness  those 
that  polluted  the  idols  that  they  had  perfumed,  Isa.  xxx.  22  ;  witness 
David,  Ps.  Ixxiii.  22  ;  witness  Ephraim,  Hosea  xiv.  8 ;  and  witness  Paul, 
Rom.  vii.  22,  23.  There  are  none  that  fret,  and  fume,  and  chafe  at 
themselves  for  sin,  as  penitent  souls  do ;  there  are  none  that  loathe 
themselves,  that  abhor  themselves,  and  that  are  weary  of  themselves, 
upon  the  account  of  their  sins,  like  penitent  souls.  It  is  not  this  thing 
nor  that,  nor  this  enemy  nor  that,  nor  this  party  nor  that,  nor  this 
design  nor  that ;  but  sin  that  is  the  main,  the  grand  object  of  a  peni- 
tent's hatred,  scorn,  wrath,  rage,  reproach,  disgrace,  and  contempt,  &c. 
He  that  would  be  angry  and  sin  not,  must  be  angry  at  nothing  but  sin. 
If  some  men  would  but  spend  more  of  their  anger  and  indignation  against 
their  sins,  they  would  not  be  so  angry  as  they  are  with  their  brethren, 
that  in  disputable  things  differ  from  them. 

Fourthly,  '  Yea,  what  fear'  of  God's  displeasure,  and  of  doing  any 
more  so  wickedly  before  the  Lord.  Penitent  souls  are  of  all  souls  the 
most  trembling  souls,  the  most  timorous  souls  :  Pro  v.  xxviii.  14,  '  Blessed 
is  the  man  that  feareth  always.'  The  penitent  Christian  has  still  a 
jealous  eye  upon  his  own  heart,  words,  and  ways.  He  is  very  apt  to 
suspect  a  snake  under  every  flower,  and  to  fear  a  snare  in  every  creature- 
comfort.  The  burnt  child  dreads  the  fire.  He  that  has  been  once 
stung  hates  a  snake  ;  he  that  has  been  in  danger  of  drowning,  trembles 
at  the  thoughts  of  going  by  water ;  and  he  that  has  once  broke  his  leg, 
rides  and  walks  with  a  fear  of  diligence  and  vigilancy  all  his  life  after, 
I  have  read  of  the  dove,  that  she  is  afraid  of  every  feather  that  hath 

'  As  the  child  makes  his  defence  and  apology  to  his  father,  not  by  denying  or  defend 
ing  his  faults,  but  by  confessing  and  disclaiming  of  them  ;  so  does  the  penitent  soul  carry 
it  towards  God. 


400  A  C.VBINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

grown  upon  a  hawk ;  the  very  sight  of  any  of  the  hawk's  feathers  brings  as 
much  terror  upon  her  as  if  she  had  seen  the  liawk  herself.  Such  a  native 
dread  is,  it  seems,  implanted  in  her,  that  it  detests  and  abhors  the  very 
sight  of  any  such  feather.  In  every  penitent,  God  implants  such  a  holy 
fear,  such  a  filial  fear,  such  a  reverential  fear,  such  a  fear  of  diligence 
and  vigilancy,  that  the  penitent  Christian's  heart  rises,  detests  and  ab- 
hors, not  only  gross  sins,  but  the  least  motions,  inclinations,  and  temp- 
tations to  sin.  They  that  have  paid  dear  for  past  guilt,  that  have  known 
what  an  aching  heart,  a  wounded  conscience,  and  a  bleeding  soul  means  ; 
that  have  experienced  what  the  frowns  of  God,  the  threatenings  of  God, 
and  the  wrath  of  God  means,  will  certainly  beware  of  sin,  watch  and 
war  against  it,  and  fear  to  fall  into  it. 

Fifthly,  '  Yea,  what  vehement  desire,'  Emrrodriffig.  It  signifies  such  a 
desire  of  fervency  that  can  admit  of  no  delay ;  it  notes  such  a  desire  as 
produces  diligence,  activity,  and  industry.  The  true  penitent  is  full  of 
fervent  and  vehement  desires  to  be  rid  of  his  sins.  Rachel  was  never 
more  vehement  and  fervent  in  her  desires  after  children,  nor  David  after 
the  water  of  the  well  Bethlehem,  nor  the  hunted  hart  after  the  water- 
brooks,  nor  the  betrothed  virgin  for  her  marriage-day,  nor  the  appren- 
tice for  his  freedom,  nor  the  captive  for  his  ransom,  nor  the  soldier  for 
the  conquest,  nor  the  sick  man  for  his  cure,  nor  the  condemned  man  for 
his  pardon,  than  the  true  penitent  is  vehement  and  fervent  in  his  desires 
to  have  his  lusts  subdued,  mortified,  and  destroyed,  Rom.  vii.  22-24. 
Many  a  day  have  I  sought  death  with  tears,  said  blessed  Cowper,  not 
out  of  distrust,  impatience,  or  perturbation,  but  because  I  am  weary  of 
sin,  and  fearful  of  tailing  into  it.*  If  you  ask  the  penitent.  Why  do  you 
hear,  pray,  read,  and  apply  yourself  so  seriously,  so  frequently,  so  un- 
weariedly,  and  so  constantly  to  all  sin-subduing  ministrations  ?  he  will 
tell  you,  it  is  out  of  a  vehement  and  fervent  desire  that  he  has  to  be  rid 
of  his  sins.  If  you  ask  him  again,  why  he  is  so  much  in  complaining 
against  sin,  in  mourning  over  sin,  and  in  warring  against  sin  ?  &c.,  he 
will  tell  you,  out  of  a  vehement  and  earnest  desire  that  he  has  to  be 
fully  and  finally  delivered  from  sin. 

iixtlily,  '  Yea,  what  zeal.'  Zeal  is  an  extreme  heat  of  all  the  affec- 
tions set  against  sin,  and  working  strongly  towards  God.  David's  zeal 
did  eat  up  his  sin  as  well  as  himself.  And  Paul  was  as  zealous  in  pro- 
parrating  the  gospel,  as  he  had  been  furious  in  persecuting  of  it.  Many 
men's  zeal  is  hot  and  burning,  when  scorns  and  reproaches  are  cast  upon 
them  ;  but  the  penitent  man's  zeal  is  most  hot  and  burning,  when 
reli""ion  is  scorned,  saints  persecuted,  truth  endangered,  and  the  great 
and  dreadful  name  of  God  blasphemed,  &c.  The  zeal  of  a  true  penitent 
will  carry  him  on  in  a  course  of  godliness,  and  in  a  course  of  mortifica- 
tion, in  .spite  of  all  the  diversions  and  oppositions  that  the  world,  the 
flesh,  and  the  devil  can  make.  Holy  zeal  is  a  fire  that  Avill  make  its 
way  through  all  things  that  stands  between  God  and  the  soul.  The 
true  penitent  is  unchangeably  resolved  to  be  rid  of  his  sins,  whatever  it 
cost  him.  Whoever  escapes,  whoever  lives,  he  is  fully  determined  his 
lusts  shall  die  for  it.  Only  remember  this,  though  zeal  should  eat  up 
our  sins,  yet  it  must  not  eat  up  our  wisdom,  no  more  than  policy  should 
eat  up  our  zeal. 

*  See  Index,  a.  n.  for  other  references.— G. 


J 


Chap.  Ill]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  401 

Seventldy,  '  Yea,  what  revenge.'  The  true  penitent  revenges  himself 
upon  himself  for  his  sins,  not  by  whips  and  scourges,  as  the  papists  do, 
but  by  buffeting  the  flesh,  and  bringing  it  into  subjection  by  fasting 
and  praj'er,  and  by  crossing  of  his  lusts,  and  loading  of  them  with 
chains,  and  by  drawing  the  sword  of  mortification  against  them,  and 
by  withholding  from  them  that  fuel  that  might  feed  them,  and  by  the 
use  of  all  other  holy  exercises,  whereby  the  old  man,  the  body  of  sin  and 
death,  may  be  subdued  to  the  obedience  and  discipline  of  the  Spirit  of 
God.^  Holy  revenge  will  shew  itself  by  contradicting  of  corrupt  self, 
and  by  a  severe  chastising  and  punishing  of  all  those  instruments  that 
have  been  servants  to  the  flesh  ;  as  you  may  see  by  the  daughters  of 
Israel  in  dedicating  their  looking-glasses,  by  which  they  had  offended, 
to  the  service  of  the  sanctuary,  Exod.  xxxviii.  8  ;  and  as  you  may  see 
by  the  Ephesians'  burning  of  their  costly  and  curious  books  before  all 
men,  Acts  xix.  19  ;  and  by  Mary  Magdalene's  wiping  of  Christ's  feet 
with  her  hair,  wherewith  formerly  her  fond  and  foolish  lovers  were 
enticed  and  entangled,  Luke  vii.  And  the  same  spirit  you  may  see 
working  in  Zaccheus,  Luke  xix.  8,  9  ;  and  in  the  jailor,  Acts  xvi.  23-34. 
And  so  blessed  Cranmer  thrust  his  right  hand  first  into  the  fire,  that 
being  the  hand  by  which  he  subscribed  the  popish  articles,  revengefully 
crying  out,  '  This  unworthy  right  hand,  this  unworthy  right  hand,'  as 
long  as  he  could  speak.^  The  common  language  of  holy  revenge  is  this  : 
Lord,  pour  out  all  thy  wrath,  and  all  thy  fierce  anger,  and  all  thy  fiery 
indignation,  upon  this  lust  and  that  lust ;  Lord,  bend  thy  bow,  and 
shoot  all  the  arrows  of  thy  displeasure,  into  the  very  heart  of  my  strong 
corruptions  ;  Lord,  when  wilt  thou  rain  hell  out  of  heaven  upon  this 
proud  heart,  this  unbelieving  heart,  this  unclean  heart,  this  worldly 
heart,  this  froward  heart,  this  treacherous  heart  of  mine,  &c.  I  have 
read  of  Hannibal,  that  when  he  saw  a  pit  full  of  the  blood  of  his  ene- 
mies, he  cried  out  with  much  content  and  dehght.  Oh  beautiful  sight ! 
So  when  a  penitent  Christian  sees  his  spiritual  enemies,  his  strong  cor- 
ruptions, all  in  a  gore-blood,  oh  how  delightfully  and  rejoicingly  does 
he  cry  out.  Oh  beautiful  sight  !  Oh  blessed  sight,  that  ever  I  have  seen  ! 
When  the  children  of  Israel  saw  the  Egyptians  dead  upon  the  sea- 
shore, then  they  sang  a  song  of  praise,  Exod.  xv.  The  application  is 
easy.  O  sirs  !  let  no  man  deceive  his  own  immortal  soul ;  for  it  is  most 
certain,  that  repentance  to  life  hath  all  these  lively  companions  attend- 
ing of  it.  Sound  repentance,  and  the  companions  of  it,  are  born 
together,  and  will  live  and  continue  together  till  the  penitent  soul 
changes  earth  for  heaven,  grace  for  glory.  And  let  this  much  suffice 
for  the  first  part  of  true  repentance,  &c. 

2.  The  secontZ  part  of  true  repentance  lies  in  confession  of  sin,  which 
flows  out  of  a  contrite  heart.  I  mean,  not  a  bare,  formal,  empty  con- 
fession, such  as  is  common  amongst  the  worst  of  sinners,  as  that  we  are 
all  sinners,  and  stand  in  need  of  a  Saviour,  God  help  us  !  God  be  mer- 
ciful unto  us  !  &c.  ;  but  of  such  a  confession  of  sin  as  ariseth  from  a 
true  sight  and  full  sense  of  sin,  and  from  the  due  apprehensions  of  a 
righteous  law  that  is  transgressed,  and  a  holy  God  that  is  provoked, 

*  1  Cor.  ix.  27.  A  penitent  sinner  loathes  the  very  scars  of  his  sins  after  they  are 
healed. —  Gregory  Nazianzeiu  *  Foxe  and  Clarke,  as  before. — G. 

VOL.  IIL  C  C 


402  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

&c.  When  tongue  and  heart  goes  together  ;  when  the  tongue  speaks 
out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart ;  when  the  tongue  is  the  faithful 
interpreter  of  the  heart,  freely,  ingenuously  and  humbly  acknowledg- 
ing iniquity,  transgression,  and  sin;  and  the  penitent  judging  himself 
worthy  of  death,  of  wrath,  of  hell,  and  vmworthy  of  the  least  mercy  and 
lavour  from  God,  &c. 

Now  such  a  confession  as  this  is  you  shall  find  in  repenting  sinners;  and 
if  you  look  again,  you  siiall  find  those  persons  so  confessing,  to  be  under 
the  capacity  of  the  promise  of  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins,  &c. 

[1.]  First,  You  shall  find  repenting  sinners  confessmg  their  sins  : 
Ezra  ix.  6,  'O  my  God,  I  am  ashamed,  and  blush  to  lift  up  my  face 
unto  thee,  my  God  :  for  our  iniquities  are  increased  over  our  head,  and 
our  trespass  is  grown  up  unto  the  heavens.'  Ver.  10,  'And  now,  O 
our  God,  what  shall  we  say  after  this  ?  for  we  have  forsaken  thy  com- 
mandments,' &c.  Ps.  li.  3,  '  I  acknowledge  my  transgressions,  and  my 
sin  is  ever  before  me.'  Ver.  4,  '  Against  thee,  thee  only  have  I  sinned, 
and  done  this  evil  in  thy  sight.'  Dan.  ix.  4,  5,  '  I  prayed  unto  the 
Lord  my  God,  and  made  my  confession,  and  said,  O  Lord,  the  great 
and  dreadful  God,  &c.  ;  we  have  sinned  and  committed  iniquity,  and 
have  done  wickedly,  and  have  rebelled,  even  by  departing  from  thy 
precepts,  and  from  thy  judgments,'  &c.  Ver.  8,  '  0  Lord,  righteousness 
belongeth  \mto  thee,  but  unto  us  confusion  of  face,  as  at  this  day.' 
Luke  XV.  18,  '  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  father,  and  will  say  unto  him, 
Father,  I  have  sinned  against  heaven  and  before  thee  ;'  ver.  19,  '  And 
am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son,'  &c.  1  Cor.  xv.  9,  '  For  1  am 
the  least  of  all  the  apostles,  that  am  not  meet  to  be  called  an  apostle, 
because  I  jDersecuted  the  church  of  God.'  1  Tim.  i.  13,  'Who  was 
before  a  blasphemer,  and  a  persecutor,  and  injurious,'  &c.  Isa.  liii.  6, 
'  All  we  like  sheep  have  gone  astray,  we  have  turned  every  one  to  his 
own  way,  and  the  Lord  hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all.'  I 
might  easily  produce  a  hundred  other  scriptures  to  prove  that  repent- 
ing sinners  are  confessing  sinners,  but  let  these  suffice,  &c. 

[2.]  Secondly,  If  you  please  to  cast  your  eyes  upon  other  scriptures, 
you  shall  find  these  penitent  confessing  sinners  to  be  expressly  under 
the  pronnises  of  tJie  forgiveness  of  sins  ;'  1  John  i.  9,  '  If  we  confess 
our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins.'  Ps.  xxxii.  5,  '  I 
acknowledged  my  sin  unto  thee,  and  mine  iniquity  have  I  not  hid.  I 
said,  I  will  confess  my  transgressions  unto  the  Loid  ;  and  thou  forgavest 
the  iniquity  of  my  sin.  Selah.'  Lev.  xxvi.  40-42,  '  If  they  shall  con- 
fess their  iniquity,  and  the  iniquity  of  their  fathers,  with  their  trespass 
which  they  trespassed  against  me,  and  that  also  they  have  walked  con- 
trary unto  me  ;  and  that  I  also  have  walked  contrary  unto  them,  and 
have  brought  them  into  the  land  of  their  enemies  ;  if  then  their  un- 
circumci.sed  hearts  be  humbled,  and  they  then  accept  of  the  punish- 
ment of  their  iniquity  :  then  will  I  remember  my  covenant  with  Jacob, 
and  also  my  covenant  with  Isaac,  and  also  my  covenant  with  Abraham 
will  I  remember.'  Jer.  iii.  12,  13,  'Return,  thou  backsliding  Israel, 
saith  the  Lord,  and  I  will  not  cause  mine  anger  to  fall  upon  you  :  for 

'  Confessing  penitents  are  under  the  promises  of  forgiveness,  &c.  Turn  to  that  Job 
xxxiii.  27,  *28,  and  jiondcr  upon  it.  Prov.  xxviii.  13,  '  Ho  tliat  covers  his  sins  shall  not 
prosper ;  but  he  that  confesseth  and  fursaketh  uhall  have  mercy,'  &c. 


Chap.  III.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  403 

I  am  merciful,  saith  the  Lord.  Onl}^  acknowledge  thine  iniquity.' 
And  observable  is  that  prayer  of  Solomon,  1  Kings  viii.  47—50,  '  J  f  they 
shall  bethink  themselves,  and  repent,  and  make  supplication  to  thee, 
saying,  We  have  sinned,  and  have  done  perversely,  we  have  committed 
wickedness  ;  then  hear  thou  their  prayer,  and  forgive  thy  people  that 
have  sinned  against  thee.' 

Quest.  But  ivhat  are  the  properties  07-  qualifications  of  true  peniten- 
tial confession  of  sin  ? 

Ans.  They  are  these  eight  that  follow. 

(1.)  First,  It  is  free,  it  is  voluntary,  not  forced,  not  extorted.  Ne- 
hemiah,  Ezra,  Job,  David,  Daniel,  Paul,  &c,,  were  free  and  voluntary 
in  the  confession  of  their  sins,  as  all  know  that  have  but  read  the 
Scripture.^  The  true  penitent  confesses  his  sins  with  much  candour, 
ingenuity,  and  freedom  of  spirit.  He  is  as  free  in  his  confession  of  sin, 
as  he  has  been  free  in  the  commission  of  sin.  His  confessious  are  like 
water  which  runs  out  of  a  spring  with  a  voluntary  freeness,  but  the 
confessions  of  wicked  men  are  like  water  that  is  forced  out  of  a  still 
with  fire.  Their  confessions  are  forced  and  extracted  merely  from 
sense  of  pain  and  smart,  or  from  fear  of  punishments,  &c.  Pharaoh 
never  confessed  his  sin  till  God  brought  him  to  the  rack,  nor  Saul  till 
he  was  in  danger  of  losing  his  crown  and  kingdom,  nor  Balaam  till  he 
sees  the  angel  stand  with  his  drawn  sword  ready  to  slay  him,  nor  Judas 
till  horror  of  conscience  and  the  pangs  of  hell  had  surprised  him,  and 
taken  fast  hold  on  him.^  Wicked  men  cast  out  their  sins  by  confession, 
as  mariners  do  their  wares  in  a  storm,  wishing  for  them  again  in  a 
calm.  The  confessions  of  wicked  men  are  commonly  extorted  or 
squeezed  out,  either  by  some  outward  trouble,  or  by  some  inward  dis- 
tress ;  but  penitential  confession  is  free  and  ingenuous,  arising  from  an 
inward  detestation  of  sin,  and  from  the  contrariety  of  the  heart  to  sin  ; 
and,  therefore,  were  there  no  rod,  no  rack,  no  wrath,  no  hell,  the  true 
penitent  would  very  freely  and  readily  confess  his  sins.  When  God  is 
most  fi-ee  in  bestowing  of  mercies,  then  are  they  most  free  in  confess- 
ing their  iniquities,  Hosea  xiv.  1-4.  Look,  as  that  is  the  best  wine 
that  flows  from  the  grape  with  least  pressing,  and  as  that  is  the  best 
honey  which  drops  from  the  honeycomb  without  crushing  ;  so  those  are 
the  best  confessions  that  flow,  that  drop  freely,  voluntarily  from  the 
soul,  &c. 

(2.)  Secondly,  True  penitential  confession  is  full  as  well  as  free. 
That  confession  is  not  sincere  that  is  not  full,  Lam.  i.  18,  19.  God 
loves  neither  halting  nor  mincing  confessions.  These  undid  the  phari- 
see,  Luke  xviii.  J 1.  As  penitential  confessions  are  not  extorted,  so 
they  are  not  straitened.  Sin  must  be  confessed  in  its  particular  species 
and  parts  ;  all  known  sins  must  be  confessed  fully,  plainly,  particularly, 
as  you  may  see  by  turning  to  these  scriptures.  Lev.  xxvi.  40—42,  and 
xix.  21  ;  Judges  x.  10  ;  Ps.  li.  ;  1  Sam.  xii.  19  ;  1  Tim.  i.  13  ;  Acts, 
xxvi.  10,  11  ;  Dan.  ix.  5-17  ;  Lev.  xvi.  21,  22,  &c.  Some  there  be  that* 
deny  their  sins,  with  the  harlot :  Prov.  xxx.  20,  '  Such  is  the  way  of  an 
adulterous  woman ;  she  eateth  and  wipeth  her  mouth,  and  saith,  I  have 
done  no  wickedness.'     And  others  there  be  that  father  their  sins  on 

'  Acts  xxvi.  10,  11  ;  Ezra  ix.  9  :  Neh.  ix. ;  Dan.  ix. ;  Ps.  v, ;  Job  xl.  4,  5. 
»  Exod.  X.  16 ;  1  Sam.  xv.  24  ;  Num.  xxii.  23-35 ;  Mat.  xxvii.  3-5. 


401)  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

otliei-s,  as  Adam  did,  Gen.  iii.  12  ;  and  as  Eve  did,  ver.  13  ;  and  as 
Aaron  did,  Exod.  xxxii.  22  ;  and  as  Saul  did,  1  Sam.  xv.  22.  And 
many  there  arc  that  hide  their  wickedness,  that  conceal  their  wicked- 
ness, as  that  proud  pharisee  did,  Luke  xviii.  11,  12.  That  expression 
of  the  prophet  Hosea,  chap.  x.  13,  'You  have  ploughed  wickedness,'  is 
rendered  by  the  Septuagint,  'You  have  concealed  wickedness;'  and, 
indeed,  there  is  nothing  more  common  to  a  wicked  heart,  than  to  keep 
close  his  sin,  than  to  cover  and  hide  his  transgressions.  And,  certainly, 
this  is  that  sore  disease  that  our  fii'st  parents  were  sick  to  death  of, 
almost  six  tiiousand  years  ago  ;  and,  therefore,  it  is  no  wonder  if  we 
are  all  infected  Avith  it.  Man  by  nature  is  a  vain-glorious  creature,  apt 
to  boast  and  brag  of  the  sins  that  he  is  free  of,  but  unwilling  to  confess 
the  sins  that  he  is  guilty  of.  There  are  no  men  so  prone  to  conceal 
their  own  wickedness,  as  those  that  are  most  forward  to  proclaim  their 
own  goodness.  There  are  many  that  are  not  ashamed  to  act  sin,  who 
yet  are  ashamed  to  confess  sin  ;  but  certainly  of  all  shame,  that  is  the 
most  shameful  shame,  that  leads  a  man  to  hide  his  sins.  But  now  the 
true  penitent,  he  makes  conscience  of  confessing  small  sins  as  well 
as  gTeat  sins,  secret  sins  as  well  as  open  sins,  Ps.  xc.  8,  xix.  1 2.  David 
confesses  not  only  his  great  sins  of  murder  and  adultery,  but  he  confesses 
also  his  self-revenge  intended  against  Nabal,  and  of  his  knife  being 
so  near  Saul's  throat,  when  he  cut  off  the  lap  of  Saul's  garment.^  A 
true  penitent  is  much  in  confessing  and  lamenting  over  that  secret 
pride,  that  secret  fleshliness,  that  secret  worldliness,  that  secret  hypo- 
crisy, that  secret  vain  glory,  &c.,  that  is  only  obvious  to  God  and  his 
own  soul.  But  it  is  quite  otherwise  with  wicked  men  ;  for  they  confess 
their  grosser  sins,  but  never  observe  their  lesser  sins  ;  they  confess  their 
open  sins,  but  never  lay  open  their  secret  sins.  Cain  confesses  the 
murdering  of  his  brother,  but  never  confesses  his  secret  enmity,  that 
put  him  upon  washing  his  hands  in  his  brother's  blood.  Pharaoh  con- 
fesses his  oppression  of  the  children  of  Israel,  but  he  does  not  confess 
the  pride  of  his  heart,  nor  the  hardness  of  his  heart.  Judas  confesses 
his  betraying  of  innocent  blood,  but  he  never  confesses  his  covetousness, 
that  put  him  upon  betraying  of  the  Lord  of  glory.  And  others  have 
confessed  their  apostasy,  who  have  never  confessed  their  hypocrisy  that 
hath  led  them  to  apostasy,  &c.  Well,  this  is  certain,  that  those  little 
sins,  those  secret  sins,  that  never  break  a  sinner's  sleep,  do  often  break 
a  believer's  heart. 

(3.)  Thirdly,  As  true  penitential  confession  is  full,  so  it  is  sincere,  it  is 
cordial ;  it  is  not  a  feigned,  nor  a  formal,  nor  a  mere  verbal  confession, 
but  an  affectionate  confession.  It  is  a  confession  that  has  the  mind, 
the  heart,  the  soul,  as  well  as  the  lip  in  it.''  The  penitent  man's  confes- 
sion springs  from  inward  impressions  of  grace  upon  his  soul,  he  feels 
what  he  confesses,  and  his  affections  go  along  with  his  confessions. 
The  poor  publican  smote  upon  his  breast  and  confessed.     Look,  as  the 

'  Job  xxxi.  33^  We  are  but  flesli  and  blood,  says  one  ;  it  is  my  nature,  says  a  second  ; 
I  cauuot  help  it,  says  a  third  ;  I  am  not  the  lirst,  says  a  fourth  ;  it  was  bad  company 
drew  me,  says  a  fifth  ;  if  it  bo  a  sin,  I  am  sorry  for  it,  says  a  sixth  ;  if  it  be  nauf;;ht,  I  cry 
God's  mercy,  says  a  seventh.  AjuI  tlius  wicked  men  are  as  hypocritical  in  their  confes- 
sions as  they  are  in  their  professions,  &c. 

■■^  Ps.  li.  31  ;  Jer.  xviii.  19,  20 ;  Isa.  xxvi.  8,  9  ;  Ezra  ix.  C  ;  Ps.  xxxviii.  4  ;  Job  xlii.  G  ; 
Luke  xviii.  13. 


Chap.  III.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  405 

sick  man  opens  his  disease  to  his  physician,  feelingly,  affectionately  ; 
and  as  the  client  opens  his  case  to  his  lawyer,  feelingly,  affectionately  ; 
so  the  penitent  opens  his  case,  his  heart  to  God,  feelingly,  affectionately. 
Cold,  careless,  verbal,  formal,  customary  confessions  are  no  small  abo- 
minations in  the  eye  of  God,  Jer.  xii.  2.  Such  men's  confessions  will 
be  their  condemnation  at  last,  their  tongues  will  one  day  cut  their 
throats.  Though  confession  to  men  is  a  work  of  the  voice,  yet  con- 
fession to  God  must  be  the  voice  of  the  heart.  Sometimes  the  heart 
alone  is  sufficient  without  the  voice,  as  you  may  see  in  Hannah,  1  Sam. 
i.  13-15  ;  but  the  voice  is  never  sufficient  without  the  hetirt,  as  you 
may  see  in  that  Isa.  xxix.  13.  Such  who  make  confession  of  sin  to  be 
only  a  lip  labour,  such,  instead  of  offering  the  calves  of  their  lips  as  the 
prophet  requires,  Hosea  xiv.  2,  do  but  offer  the  lips  of  calves  !  Heart- 
confessions,  without  words,  shall  be  effectual  with  God,  and  carry  the 
day  in  heaven,  when  all  formal,  verbal  confessions,  though  they  are 
never  so  eloquent  or  excellent,  shall  be  cast  as  dung  in  sinners'  faces, 
Isa.  i.  J  2-16.  Mary  Magdalene  weeps,  and  sighs,  and  sobs,  but  speaks 
never  a  word,  Luke  vii.  38  ;  and  yet  by  her  heart-confessions  she  carries 
it  with  Christ,  as  is  evident  by  his  answer  to  her  :  Luke  vii.  48,  '  He  said 
unto  her.  Thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee.'  Penitent  souls  confess  sins  feel- 
ingly, but  wicked  men's  confessions  make  no  impression  upon  them  ; 
their  confessions  run  through  them  as  water  runs  through  a  pipe,  with- 
out leaving  any  impression  at  all  upon  the  pipe.  Wicked  men  do  no 
more  taste  nor  relish  the  evil  of  sin,  the  poison  of  sin,  the  bitterness  of 
sin  in  any  of  their  confessions,  than  the  pipe  does  taste  or  relish  the 
water  that  runs  through  it.  Such  who  confess  sin  formally,  or  rhe- 
torically, and  yet  love  sin  dearly,  heartily,  shall  never  get  good  by  their 
confessions.  Certainly  such  confessions  will  never  reach  the  heart  of 
God,  that  do  not  reach  our  own  hearts  ;  nor  such  confessions  will  never 
affect  the  heart  of  God,  that  do  not  first  affect  our  own  hearts.  Such  as 
speak  very  ill  of  sin  with  their  tongues,  and  yet  secretly  wish  well  to 
sm  in  their  hearts,  will  be  found  at  last  of  all  men  the  most  miserablest. 
But, 

(4.)  Fourthly,  As  penitential  confession  is  sincere  and  cordial,  so  it  is 
distinct  and  not  confused.  The  true  penitent  has  his  particular  and 
special  bills  of  indictment,  he  knows  his  sins  of  omission,  and  his  sins 
of  commission  ;  he  remembers  the  sins  that  he  hath  most  rejoiced  and 
delighted  in  ;  he  cannot  forget  the  sins  that  have  had  most  of  his  eye, 
his  ear,  his  head,  his  hand,  his  heart ;  the  by-paths  inwhich  he  has  most 
walked,  and  the  transgressions  by  which  God  has  been  most  dishonoured, 
his  conscience  most  wounded,  and  his  corrupt  nature  most  pleased  and 
gratified,  are  always  before  him,  Ezra  x.  3.  An  implicit  confession  is 
almost  as  bad  as  an  implicit  faith  ;  wicked  men  commonly  confess  their 
sins  by  wholesale,  We  are  all  sinners  ;  but  the  true  penitent  confesses 
his  sins  by  retail,  Ps.  li.  3.  Though  it  cannot  be  denied  but  that  in 
some  cases  a  general  confession  may  be  penitent,  as  you  see  in  the 
publican,  '  God  me  merciful  to  me  a  sinner,'  Luke  xviii.  1 3  ;  yet  it  must 
be  granted  that  a  true  penitent  cannot  content  nor  satisfy  himself 
with  a  general  confession.  And  therefore  David  confesses  his  particular 
sins  of  adultery  and  blood-guiltiness,  and  Paul  particularizeth  his  sins 
of  blasphemy,  and  persecution,  and  injuriousness  against  the  saints, 


4-06  A  CABINET  OF  jewp:ls.  [Chap.  III. 

1  Tim.  i.  13.  And  more  you  have  of  this  in  that  Acts  xxvi.  10,  11, 
'  Which  thing  I  also  did  in  Jerusalem,  and  many  of  tlie  saints  did  I 
shut  up  in  prison,  having  received  authority  from  the  chief  priests  ;  and 
when  they  were  put  to  death,  I  gave  my  voice  against  them  ;  and  I 
punished  them  oft  in  every  synagogue,  and  compelled  them  to  blas- 
pheme ;  and  being  exceedingly  mad  against  them,  I  persecuted  them 
even  unto  strange  cities/  ISo  Judges  x.  10,  '  And  the  children  of  Israel 
cried  unto  the  Lord,  saying,  We  have  sinned  against  thee,  both  because 
we  have  forsaken  our  God,  and  also  served  Baalim.'  '  We  have  sinned,' 
there  is  their  general  confession  ;  '  we  have  forsaken  our  God,  and  also 
served  Baalim,'  there  is  their  distinct  and  particular  confession,  both 
of  their  apostasy  and  idolatry.  And  so  1  Sam.  xii.  19, 'And  all  the 
people  said  unto  Samuel,  Pray  for  thy  servants  unto  the  Lord  tliy  God, 
that  we  die  not,  for  we  have  added  unto  all  our  sins  this  evil,  to  ask  us 
a  king.'  They  were  discontented  with  that  government  that  the  Lord 
had  set  over  them,  and  they  would  need  be  governed  by  a  king,  after 
the  mode  of  other  nations  ;  and  this  sin  they  confess  distinctly  and 
particularly  before  the  Lord  and  Samuel.  And  so  David,  in  that  1  Chron. 
xxi.  17,  '  And  David  said  unto  God,  Is  it  not  I  that  commanded  the 
people  to  be  numbered  ?  Even  I  it  is  that  have  sinned  and  done  evil 
indeed  ;  but  as  for  these  sheep,  what  have  they  done  V  Thus  that 
princely  prophet  confesses  that  particular  sin  that  he  then  lay  under 
the  guilt  of.  And  so  Zaccheus  makes  a  particular  confession  ;  he  does 
as  it  were  point  with  his  finger  at  that  wrong  and  inju.stice  that  he  had 
been  guilty  of :  '  Behold,  Lord,  half  my  goods  I  give  to  the  poor  ;  and  if 
I  have  taken  anything  from  any  man  by  false  accusation,  I  restore  him 
fourfold.'  Thus  you  see  that  true  penitents  make  a  particular  confession 
of  their  right-eye  sins,  and  of  their  right-hand  sins  ;  and  indeed,  what 
is  confession  of  sin  but  a  setting  our  sins  in  order  before  the  Lord  ? 
And  how  can  this  be  done  but  by  a  distinct  and  particular  enumeration 
of  them  ?  But  to  prevent  mistakes,  this  must  be  taken  with  a  grain 
of  salt,  this  must  be  understood  with  this  limitation  ;  we  are  to  confess 
our  sins  distinctly,  particularly,  so  far  as  Ave  know  them,  so  far  as  we  are 
acquainted  with  them.  There  are  many  thousand  sins  which  we  commit 
that  we  know  not  to  be  sins,  and  there  are  many  thousand  sins  com- 
mitted by  us  that  cannot  be  remembered  by  us.  Now  certainly  it  is 
impossible  for  us  to  recount  or  confess  those  sins  that  we  know  not,  that 
we  remember  not ;  so  that  our  particular  confessions  can  only  reach  to 
known  sins,  so  far  as  we  can  call  them  to  mind  ;  for  indeed  our  particular 
acts  of  sin  arc  innumerable ;  they  are  '  more  in  number  than  the  hairs 
of  our  head  ;'  and  indeed  we  are  as  well  able  to  tell  the  stars  of  heaven, 
and  to  number  the  sands  of  the  sea,  and  to  recount  all  the  sparing 
mercies,  the  pitying  mercies,  the  preventing  mercies,  the  succouring 
mercies,  the  supporting  mercies,  and  the  delivering  mercies  of  God,  as 
we  are  able  to  tell,  to  rmmber,  to  recount,  the  individual  particular  acts 
of  sin  that  we  are  guilty  of;  yet  so  far  as  the  knowledge  and  memory  vi' 
a  penitent  Christian  reaches,  so  far  his  confession  reaches.  But  now, 
wicked  men  confess  sin  in  the  general,  in  the  lump ;  as  Phaiuoh,  '  I  have 
sinned  ;'  and  their  confessions  are  commonly  confused,  and  at  random. 
When  and  where  do  you  find  wicked  men  confessing  their  sins  distinctly 
or  particularly  before  God  or  man  ?     This  is  none  of  the  least  of  their 


Chap.  Ill]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  407 

miseries,  that  they  have  not  a  clear,  distinct,  particular  view  of  their  own 
corruptions  and  abominations.     But, 

(5.)  Fifthly,  The  true  penitent  does  not  only  distinctly  and  particu- 
larly confess  his  sins,  but  he  does  verif  highly  aggravate  his  sins,  by 
confessing  not  only  the  Jcinds  and  acts,  so  far  as  he  knows  and  remem- 
bers them,  but  the  circumstances  of  them  also,  Ps.  xxxii.  5,  Lev.  xvi.  21. 
There  are  sometimes  some  circumstances  that  may  somewhat  lessen  a 
penitent  man's  sins.  Now  these  he  readily  and  easily  passes  over.  But 
then  there  are  other  circumstances  which  do  exceedingly  heighten  and 
aggravate  his  sins,  and  that  makes  them  more  heinous  and  dangerous  ; 
and  these  he  carefully  and  faithfully  acknowledges.  The  penitential 
confessions  recorded  in  the  Old  and  New  Testament  are  full  of  exagger- 
ating expressions,  as  is  evident  in  these  instances :  Ezra  at  once  height- 
ens and  aggravates  their  sins  by  this  circumstance,  that  they  had  been 
committed  against  manifold  experiments^  that  they  had  had  both  of 
the  severity  and  also  the  mercy  of  the  Lord,  Ezra  ix. ;  and  so  does 
Nehemiah  also,  Neh.  ix.  The  like  instance  you  have  in  Daniel,  chap. 
ix.  5,  6,  '  We  have  sinned,  and  have  committed  iniquity,  and  have  done 
wickedly,  and  have  rebelled,  even  by  departing  from  thy  precepts,  and 
from  thy  judgments  ;  neither  have  we  hearkened  unto  thy  servants  the 
prophets,  which  spake  m  thy  name,  to  our  kings,  our  princes,  and  our 
fathers,  and  to  all  the  people  of  the  land.'  In  these  words  you  have  seven 
circumstances  that  Daniel  useth  in  confessing  of  his  and  the  people's 
sins,  and  all  to  heighten  and  to  aggravate  them.  First,  '  We  have 
sinned  ;'  secondly,  '  We  have  committed  iniquity  ;'  thirdly,  '  We  have 
done  wickedly  ;  fourthly,  'We  have  rebelled  against  thee  ;  fifthly, 
'  We  have  deijarted  from  thy  precepts  ;  sixthly,  '  We  have  not  hearkened 
unto  thy  servants  ;  seventhly,  '  Nor  our  princes,  nor  all  the  people  of 
the  land.'  These  seven  aggravations  which  Daniel  reckons  up  in  his 
confession,  are  worthy  of  our  most  serious  consideration.  The  same 
spirit  you  may  find  working  in  Peter :  Mark  xiv.  72,  '  When  he  thought 
thereon  he  wept ;'  or  nearer  the  original,  '  When  he  cast  all  these  things 
one  upon  another,  he  wept.'  Ah  wretch  !  that  ever  I  was  born,  that 
ever  I  should  deny  the  Lord  that  bought  me  ;  that  ever  I  should  deny 
him  who  hath  not  only  externally,  but  also  internally,  called  me  ;  that 
ever  I  should  deny  him  that  made  me  an  apostle,  that  fed  me  at  his 
table,  that  beautified  me  with  his  grace,  and  that  in  the  mount  shewed 
me  some  glimpses  of  his  glory ;  that  ever  I  should  deny  him  who  has 
brought  me  out  of  a  state  of  death  and  wrath,  into  a  state  of  life 
and  love  ;  that  ever  I  should  deny  him  that  has  been  the  best,  the 
wisest,  the  holiest,  the  tenderest,  the  faithfullest,  and  the  noblest 
master  that  ever  man  served.  Ah  wretch  that  I  am  !  he  forewarned 
me  of  this  sin  beforehand,  that  I  might  be  not  only  cautioned  but  armed 
against  it,  and  yet  I  denied  him.  I  promised  him  beforehand,  that  I 
would  never  deny  him,  that  I  would  never  forsake  him,  that  I  would 
never  turn  my  back  upon  him,  and  yet  like  a  base  coward,  I  have  denied 
the  Captain  of  my  salvation ;  yea,  this  very  night,  and  no  longer  ago, 
did  I  say  again  and  again,  that  I  would  not  deny  him,  and  yet  now, 
even  now,  I  have  most  shamefully  denied  him  ;  yea,  I  told  him,  that 
though  all  others  should  deny  him,  yet  would  not  I  deny  him,  and  yet 

^  '  Experiences,' — G. 


408  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

in  all  tlie  world  there  is  not  such  another  to  be  found,  that  has  so  sadly, 
so  desperately  denied  him,  as  I  have  denied  him,  and  that  before  a  silly 
maid  ;  nay,  more  beast  that  I  am  !  to  my  denying  of  him,  I  have  added 
a  most  incredible  lie,  saying,  I  know  not  the  man,  when  there  was  not  a 
man  in  all  the  world  that  ]  was  so  well  acquainted  witii  as  I  was  with 
Christ,  feeding  constantly  at  his  table,  and  drinking  constantly  of  his 
cup,  and  living  constantly  upon  his  purse,  and  waiting  constantly  npon 
his  person,  and  being  a  constant  eye-witness  of  all  the  famous  miracles 
that  were  wrought  by  him  ;'  nay,  yet  more  monster  that  I  am,  I  did 
not  only  lie,  but  I  also  bound  that  lie  with  a  hideous  oath  ;  I  did  not 
only  say  that  I  knew  not  the  man,  but  I  also  swore  that  I  knew  not 
the  man  ;  nay,  yet  more  than  all  this,  I  did  not  only  basely  deny  him, 
I  did  not  only  tell  an  incredible  lie  against  my  own  light  and  conscience, 
I  did  not  only  bind  a  fearful  lie  Avith  a  hideous  oath,  but  I  also  fell 
a-cursing  and  damning  of  myself : — for  so  much  the  Greek  word  «"«- 
6?(x,ari'{^iiv  imports  ;. — I  wished  that  the  curse,  the  wrath,  or  vengeance  of 
God  might  fall  upon  me  if  I  knew  the  man,  I  wished  myself  separated 
from  the  presence  and  glory  of  God  if  I  knew  the  man  ;  and  woe  and 
alas  to  me  !  all  this  I  did  when  my  Lord  and  Master  was  near  me, 
yea,  when  he  was  upon  his  trial ;  yea,  and  yet  more,  when  all  the  world 
had  forsaken  him  ;  yea,  and  yet  more,  when  I  had  the  greatest  and 
loudest  call  that  ever  I  had  to  have  stood  by  him,  and  to  have  given 
my  testimony  for  him.  And  thus  Peter,  casting  up  all  these  circum- 
stances and  aggravations  together,  and  meditating  seriously  on  themy 
'he  went  out  and  wept  bitterly.'  Another  famous  instance  of  this  you 
have  in  Paul,  Acts  xxvi.  10,  11.  In  these  two  verses  the  apostle  lays 
down  no  less  than  eight  aggravations  of  his  sins,  and  all  to  greaten  and 
heighten  them,  that  his  soul  might  be  the  more  ashamed  and  humbled 
in  him,  &c. 

First,  That  they  were  not  the  worst,  but  the  best  of  men,  viz.,  saints  ; 
that  they  were  not  sinners  but  saints  ;  that  they  were  not  drunkards, 
swearers,  adulterers,  murderers,  oppressors,  Sabbath-breakers,  but  saints; 
saints  by  calling,  saints  by  their  high  and  holy  calling,  saints  by  profes- 
sion, saints  by  a  gospel-conversation.  'The  saints  have  1  cast  into 
prison.' 

Secondly,  To  cast  a  man  into  prison  for  thefts  for  murder,  for  perjury, 
is  no  iniquity.  Ay,  but  says  he,  many  have  I  cast  into  prison  for  ' pro^ 
fessing  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth!  Oh  !  it  is  dreadful  to  persecute 
men  merely  for  professing  of  Christ !  and  yet  this  I  did.  Though  their 
profession  and  practice  went  together ;  though  they  lived  as  they  pro- 
fessed ;  though  I  had  nothing  against  them,  but  in  the  matters  of  their 
God,  yet  upon  that  very  single  account  I  did  persecute  them. 

Thirdly,  If  it  had  been  been  but  one,  or  two,  or  three,  or  five,  or  ten 
saints  that  I  had  persecuted,  the  matter  had  not  been  much.  Oh  ! 
but  they  were  a  great  number  ;  'many  of  the  saints  did  I  cast  into 
pi'ison.'  I  have  been  a  cruel  ravening  wolf,  that  have  sucked  the  blood, 
not  of  a  few,  but  of  many  of  the  precious  lambs  of  Christ ;  I  have  neither 
spared  nor  pitied  any  sex,  but  have  broken  into  every  house,  haling  and 
dragging  both  men  and  women  to  prison.     Acts  viii.  3,  '  As  for  Saul, 

^  Tlii.'re  wna  scarce  nny  Jew  which  knew  not  Christ  by  sight,  he  being  very  famous 
for  the  many  miracles  that  were  wrought  by  him. 


Chap.  Ill]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  409 

he  made  havoc  of  the  church,  entering  into  every  house,  and  haling 
men  and  women,  committed  them  to  prison.' 

Fourthly,  Though  he  had  cast  them  into  prison,  yet  if  he  had  given 
them  but  some  Uberty  in  a  prison,  as  Joseph  had,  and  as  others  have  had, 
and  as  himself  once  had  when  he  begot  Onesiraus  in  his  bonds,  Philem. 
10,  and  when  Onesiphorus  oft  refreshed  him,  and  was  not  ashamed  of 
his  chain,  2  Tim.  i.  16,  &c.,  or  as  the  primitive  Ciiristians  had,  the  matter 
had  not  been  so  great.  Oh  !  but  I  kept  them  close  prisoners  ;  '  Many 
of  the  saints  did  I  shut  up  in  prison.'  I  shut  them  up  from  friends, 
from  relations,  and  from  all  comfortable  accommodations  ;  and  thus  he 
further  aggravates  his  sin.  Acts  ix.  1,  2. 

Fifthly,  If  he  had  rested  there,  if  he  had  proceeded  no  further,  the 
matter  had  not  been  so  bad  ;  Oh  !  '  but  /  gave  my  voice  against  theon 
to  put  them  to  death.'  My  heart  and  my  hand  was  not  only  against 
them,  but  my  tongue  also.  If  I  could  not  kill  them  with  my  hand,  I 
was  ready  and  willing  to  kill  them  with  my  tongue  ;  if  the  casting  voice 
fell  upon  me,  I  would  be  sure  to  give  it  against  them;  I  never  wanted 
a  word  to  do  them  mischief  If  they  wanted  a  word,  instead  of  a  knife, 
to  cut  their  throatvS,  I  would  be  sure  to  lend  them  one. 

Sixthly,  He  rises  yet  higher,  for  he  does  not  only  severely  punish 
their  bodies,  but  he  does  what  he  can  to  damn  their  souls  ;  I  compelled 
them  to  blaspheme,  like  that  Italian,  who  firs-t  made  his  enemy  deny 
God,  and  then  stabbed  him,  and  so  at  once  murdered  both  body  and 
soul.''  As  there  is  no  love  to  soul  love,  so  there  is  no  cruelty  to  soul 
cruelty ;  and  as  there  is  na  mischief  to  soul  mischief,  so  there  is  no 
murder  to  soul  murder  ;  and  yet  in  this  murder  had  Paul  a  hand.  It  is 
sad  to  compel  a  man  to  bear  a  burden  beyond  his  strength,  to  lie  in 
chains,  to  forsake  his  own  country,  &c.,  but  it  is  infinitely  more  sad  to 
compel  a  man  to  sin,  to  the  least  sin  ;  but  saddest  of  all  to  compel  a 
man  to  blaspheme,  '  And  yet  this  I  did,'  says  Paul,  &c. 

Seventhly,  He  yet  further  aggravates  his  sin  by  his  madness,  by  his 
exceeding  madness  against  the  saints,  in  those  words:  'and  I  was 
exceedhig  mad  against  them!  He  was  mad  with  rage  and  w^ath,  he 
was  exceedingly  mad  with  passion  and  fury  against  the  dear  saints  of 
God.  Madmen  think  madly,  and  madmen  speak  madly,  and  madmen 
act  madly  against  those  they  are  mad  with  ;  and  so  did  he  against  the 
saints.  The  Alcoran  saith,  that  God  created  the  angels  of  light,  and 
the  devils  of  flame.  Certainly,  as  God's  children  are  children  of  the 
light,  so  Satan's  children  are  furious  children,  wrathful  children, 
children  of  the  flame,  children  of  madness ;  and  such  a  one  was  Paul, 
&c. 

Eighthly,  and  lastly,  '  I  did  persecute  them  to  strange  cities  ;'  them 
I  did  not  kill  I  did  scatter ;  I  forced  them  to  leave  both  house  and 
home;  them  whom  God  had  joined  together  I  put  asunder:  I  made  the 
husband  run  one  way,  and  the  wife  and  children  another  way,  and  all 
of  them  glad  to  hide  their  heads  in  a  corner. 

And  thus  you  see,  that  true  penitents,  in  the  confession  of  their  sins, 

do   clothe   their  sins  with  the  highest  agoravations  imaginable.      A 

penitent  in  his  confession  of  sin  cries  out.  Oh  the  sparing  mercies,  the 

preventing  mercies,  the  succouring  mercies,  the  supporting  mercies,  the 

^  Told  in  Wanley's  Wonders,  as  before.     See  index  s.  n. — G. 


410  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

renewed'  mercies,  the  delivering  mercies  tliat  I  liave  witli  a  high  hand 
sinned  against !  Oh  tliat  clear  light !  oh  that  free  love  !  oh  that  gospel 
grace  !  oIj  those  bowels  of  mercy  that  I  have  siuned  against !  Oh  the 
fatherly  corrections,  the  dreadful  warnings,  the  high  resolutions,  the 
serious  protestations,  the  frequent  vows  and  promises  that  I  have 
desperately  sinned  against !  Oii  the  checks  of  conscience,  the  rebukes  of 
conscience,  the  lashes  of  conscience,  the  wounds  of  conscience,  and  the 
frequent  motions  of  the  Spirit,  and  strivings  of  the  Spirit,  that  I  have 
sinned  against !  &c.  But  now  wicked  men  confess  their  sins  slightly, 
carelessly,  trifiingly.  They  are  careful  and  skilful  to  hide  their  sins,  to 
cloak  their  sins,  and  to  extenuate  and  lessen  their  sins ;  and  with  the 
unjust  steward,  for  an  hundred  to  set  down  fifty,  Luke  xvi.  6.  All 
wicked  men  do  commonly  flatter  themselves,  that  either  their  sins  are 
not  sins,  when  indeed  they  are,  or  that  they  are  not  great  and  grievous 
sins,  when  indeed  they  are,  or  that  they  are  not  so  great  and  grievous 
as  other  men's  sins  are,  when  indeed  they  are  more  grievous  and 
heinous  than  other  men's  sins  are  ;  so  far  are  they  from  aggravating  of 
their  sins.  The  truth  is,  wicked  men  are  so  far  from  a"<i:ravating  of 
their  sins,  that  they  are  still  extenuating  of  them,  and  that  b}'-  fathering 
of  them,  sometimes  upon  their  constitutions,  sometimes  upon  bad  com- 
pany, sometimes  upon  their  callings,  sometimes  upon  Satan,  and  some- 
times upon  chance,  as  they  call  it,  &c.  But  no  more  of  this;  enough  is 
as  good  as  a  feast. 

(6.)  Sixthly,  The  true  penitent  confesses  his  sins  humbly,  sorrowfully. 
In  his  confessions  he  appears  before  the  Lord  with  ropes  about  his 
neck,  as  Benhadad's  servants,  and  with  tears  in  his  eyes.  His  confes- 
sions savour  of  contrition  of  heart,  and  not  of  ostentation  of  spirit. 
Contrition  of  heart,  and  confusion  of  face,  is  the  common  result  of  a 
penitential  confession,  Lev.  xxiii.  27,  28.  David  waters  his  couch  with 
his  tears,  Ps.  vi,  6  ;  and  he  mingles  his  meat  with  his  tears,  Ps.  xlii.  3  ; 
and  Ezra  and  Daniel  confess  their  sins  with  wet  eyes  and  blushing 
cheeks,  Ezra  ix.,  Daniel  ix.  Confession  without  contrition  neither 
pleaseth  God  nor  profiteth  man.  Confession  is  the  language  of  the 
tongue,  contrition  is  the  language  of  the  heart,  and  God  looks  for  both. 
The  publican  does  not  only  confess  his  sins,  but  he  smites  also  upon  his 
breast,  as  a  man  full  of  grief  and  sorrow,  Luke  xviii.  1 3.  Lymg  in  the 
dust,  and  rending  of  garments,  and  putting  on  sackcloth  and  ashes,  were 
of  old  required  of  those  that  confessed  their  iniquities.  The  spirit  of 
repentance  is  a  spirit  of  mourning.  Penitential  confessions  are  com- 
monly attended  with  grief  in  the  heart,  and  with  shame  in  the  face  : 
Ps.  xxxviii.  18,  '  For  I  avlII  declare  mine  iniquity,  I  will  be  sorry  for  my 
sin.*  He  tells  you  not  only  that  he  will  declare  his  iniquity,  but  he  tells 
you  also,  that  he  will  be  sorry  for  his  sin.  The  same  spirit  you  may 
find  working  in  Jacob,  Hosea  xii.  4;  yea,  he  had  'power  over  the  angel 
and  prevailed,  he  wept  and  made  supplication  unto  him.'  The  people 
of  God,  in  the  day  of  their  confession,  do  not  only  say.  We  have  sinned, 
but  they  also  di'aw  water  and  pour  it  out  before  the  Lord  in  token  of 
contrition,  1  Sam.  vii.  6.     Every  sin  is  as  a  sword  in  a  penitent  man's 

'  Qu.  'renewinp;'? — Ed. 

'■'  Compare  these  scriptures  too;etlicr:  Ps.  li.  17;  Isa.  Ixi.  1,  and  Ivii.  15  ;  Job  xvi.  20  ; 
Tb.  cxix.  1,  36;  Jcr.  ix.  1,  xxxi,  18,  I'J. 


I 


Chap.  III.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  411 

bosom,  and  therefore  whilst  confessions  are  in  his  mouth,  you  shall 
mostly  find  either  tears  in  his  eyes  or  sorrow  in  his  heart.  And  indeed, 
true  confession  of  sin  is  many  times  rather  a  voice  of  mourning  than  a 
voice  of  words.  Sometimes  a  penitent  man's  eyes  will  in  some  sort 
tell  what  his  tongue  can  in  no  sort  utter.  Many  times  the  penitent  is 
better  at  weeping  than  he  is  at  speaking  :  Ps.  xxxix.  12,  'Hold  not  thy 
peace  at  my  tears.'  Tears  hath  a  voice  as  well  as  blood  hath,  and  are 
very  prevalent  orators  with  God  :  Ps.  vi.  8,  '  The  Lord  hath  heard  the 
voice  of  my  weeping.'  Penitent  tears  are  undeniable  ambassadors,  and 
they  never  return  from  the  throne  of  grace  without  an  answer  of  grace. 
Tears  are  a  kind  of  silent  prayers,  which  though  they  say  nothing,  yet 
they  obtain  pardon ;  they  prevail  for  mercy,  and  they  carry  the  day 
with  God,  as  you  may  see  in  that  great  and  clear  instance  of  Peter. 
He  said  nothing,  he  confessed  nothing  that  we  read  of,  but  'went  out  and 
wept  bitterly,'  and  obtained  mercy.  That  prescription  that  God  gave 
to  the  leper  in  the  law  is  worthy  of  your  most  serious  consideration  ;  it 
is  in  that  Lev.  xiii.  45,  'And  the  leper  in  whom  the  plague  is,  his 
clothes  shall  be  rent,  and  his  head  bare,  and  he  shall  put  a  covering 
upon  his  upper  lip,  and  shall  cry,  Unclean,  unclean.'  In  these  words 
the  leper  stands  charged  with  four  things:  (1.)  to  go  in  rent  or  torn 
garments,  to  note  that  there  must  be  brokenness  and  sorrow  of  heart 
joined  with  confession  of  sin;  (2.)  to  go  bareheaded,  and  that  partly  that 
men  might  not  mistake  him,  but  mainly  to  shew  his  humility  under  his 
present  misery  ;  (8.)  to  put  a  covering  upon  his  upper  lip,  some  read  it, 
upon  his  mouchaches}  The  Jews  in  their  mournings  used  this  ceremony 
among  the  rest,  of  covering  their  chin,  mouth,  mouchaches,  all  under 
the  nose.  Now,  the  use  of  this  ceremony  in  lepers,  was  partly  to  pre- 
serve others  from  being  infected  by  his  loathsome  breath,  and  partly  to 
shew  that  God  takes  no  pleasure  nor  delight  in  the  breathings,  the 
prayers  of  spiritual  lepers,  of  wicked  men, — God  loves  not  to  hear  good 
words  drop  from  an  ill  mouth, — and  partly  to  note  that  shame  that  must 
be  mingled  with  his  sorrow.  (4.)  Twice  to  proclaim  his  own  unclean- 
ness,  'Unclean,  unclean.'  And  thus  you  see  that  there  was  to  be  a  close 
connection  between  the  leper's  confession  and  his  contrition ;  and  thus 
it  is  with  the  true  penitent;  he  does  not  only  cry  out,  Unclean,  unclean, 
but  he  also  rents  and  tears  his  garments,  that  is,  he  joins  contrition  to 
his  confession. 

But  to  prevent  mistakes,  and  that  I  may  not  shoot  an  arrow,  instead 
of  giving  a  cordial,  to  the  weak  and  weary  soul,  let  me  only  give  you 
this  short  hint,  viz.,  that  when  the  true  penitent  cannot  pour  out  his  soul 
in  heart-melting  confessions  before  the  Lord,  yet  then  he  can  mourn  over 
his  own  hardness  of  heart.  When  he  is  at  worst  he  can  grieve  that 
he  cannot  grieve,  and  mourn  that  he  cannot  mourn,  and  melt  that  he 
cannot  melt,  and  break  that  he,  cannot  break ;  and  he  can  bless  God  for 
every  rod,  and  every  stroke,  and  every  word,  and  every  work,  and  every 
ordinance,  and  every  frown,  and  every  reproof,  and  every  cross,  and 
every  comfort  that  has  the  least  tendency  to  the  melting  and  mollifying 
of  his  soul.  The  true  penitent  always  sets  a  very  high  price  and  value 
upon  a  broken  heart,  though  he  has  not  the  happiness  always  to  have 
his  heart  broken.  I  know  that  sometimes  the  penitent  soul  is  so  shut 
^  Early  form  of  '  moustaches.' — G. 


412  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

up,  that  if  he  might  have  all  the  world  he  cannot  mourn  ;  he  can  only 
sit  down  and  sigh,  and  groan  ;  nay,  if  all  the  joys  and  delights  of  iieaven 
were  to  be  bought  fur  one  single  tear,  he  cannot  shed  it;  and  yet  all 
this  time  he  can  grieve  that  he  cannot  grieve  for  sin,  and  he  can  be 
sorry  that  he  cannot  be  sorry  for  sin  ;  and  without  all  peradventure 
this  is  in  a  measure  true  godly  gospel  sorrow  for  sin,  &c. 

But  now  wicked  men  confess  their  sins,  but  they  never  grieve  for 
their  sins.  Tliey  confess  their  sins,  but  they  are  not  ashamed  of  their 
sins  ;  they  confess  their  sins,  but  they  cannot  blu.sh  for  their  sins.' 
Thougli  men  of  good  names,  and  of  good  natures,  would  be  ashamed  to 
be  found  doing  of  base  things,  things  that  are  below  them,  that  are  not 
worthy  of  them,  yet  the  generality  of  sinners  are  so  bold  and  base,  so 
ignorant,  arrogant,  and  impudent,  so  frontless^  and  graceless,  &c.,  that 
they  are  no  ways  ashamed,  no,  not  of  those  very  sins  that  has  put  Christ 
to  an  open  shame,  yea,  that  has  put  the  sun  and  moon  to  a  blu.sh. 
IMost  sinners  in  these  days  have  brows  of  brass,  and  whores'  foreheads, 
that  cannot  blush.  They  are  so  far  from  being  ashamed  of  their  sins, 
tliat  they  think  it  a  shame  and  disgrace  not  to  sin,  not  to  swear,  and 
whore,  and  cunse,  and  be  drunk,  and  profane  Sabbaths,  and  despi.se 
ordinances  ;  yea,  there  are  many  that  are  so  far  from  being  ashamed  of 
their  abominations,  that  they  even  glory  in  them,  like  tho.se  in  that 
Philip,  iii.  19.  They  shew  their  sins  as  Sodom,  they  make  both  a  sport 
of  acting,  and  a  jest  of  confessing  their  sin.s.  Thus  Austin  confesseth 
that  it  was  sometimes  with  himself  before  the  Lord  wrought  upon  him; 
I  was  stricken  with  such  blindness,  as  that  I  thouglit  it  a  shame  unto 
me  to  be  less  vile  and  wicked  than  my  companions  whom  I  heard. boast 
of  their  lewdness,  and  glory  so  much  the  more,  by  how  much  they  were 
the  more  filthy ;  therefore,  saith  he,  lest  I  should  be  of  no  account,  I 
was  the  more  vicious ;  and  when  I  could  not  otherwise  match  others,  I 
would  feign  that  I  had  done  those  things  which  I  never  did,  lest  I  should 
seem  so  much  the  more  abject,  by  how  much  I  was  the  more  innocent ; 
and  so  much  the  more  vile,  by  how  much  I  was  the  more  chaste,^  But 
for  a  close  remember  this,  the  true  penitent  knows,  that  the  more  God 
has  been  displeased  with  the  blackness  of  sin,  the  better  he  will  be 
pleased  with  the  blushing  of  the  sinner  ;  and  therefore  he  cannot  but 
blush  when  either  he  looks  upon  sin  within  him,  or  God  above  him. 
But, 

(7.)  Seventhly,  Penitential  confession,  it  is  believing  and  fiducial; 
it  is  mixed  with  sortie  faith,  though  not  always  witli  a  strong  faith, 
Hosea  xiv.  2.  It  is  not  like  the  confession  of  a  malefactor  to  the  judge, 
but  like  the  confession  of  a  child  to  his  father,  or  like  the  confession  of 
a  sick  man  to  his  physician.  As  a  penitent  man  has  one  eye  of  sorrow 
upon  his  sin,  so  he  has  another  eye  of  hope  upon  pardoning  grace. 
Thus  David,  though  he  had  sinned  greatly,  yet  he  hangs  upon  free 
mercy,  and  begs  his  pardon  believingly,  Ps.  li.  Thus  Daniel,  '  To  the 
Lord  our  God  belongs  mercies  and  forgivenesses,  though  we  have  re- 
belled against  him,'  Dan.  ix.  9.  Thus  Shechaniah,  Ezra  x.  2,  '  And 
Shechaniah  the  son  of  Jehiel,  one  of  the  sons  of  Elam,  answered  and 

'  Compare  these  scriptures  together,  Jer.  vi.  15,  viii.  12;  Zepli.  iii.  5;  Isa.  iii.  9,  xlii. 
23 ;  Hfb.  vi.  6.  Cali';;ula  used  to  say  of  himself,  that  ho  loved  nothing  better  in  himself, 
than  that  he  could  not  be  ashamed,  &c. 

=*  =  '  without  shame.'    Of.  iiichardson  «.  v. — G.       '  Augustine,  Confess,  lib.  ii.  cap.  3. 


Chap.  Ill]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  413 

said  uuto  Ezra,  We  have  trespassed  against  our  God,  and  have  taken 
strange  wives  of  the  people  of  the  land ;  yet  now  there  is  hope  in  Israel 
concerning  this  thing/  If  it  were  not  for  hope,  the  heart  would  break. 
There  was  hope  among  them  that  Israel  would  repent,  and  there  was 
hope  among  them  that  God  would  have  mercy  upon  their  repentance. 
And  the  same  spirit  was  working  in  the  prodigal:  '  I  will  arise  and  go 
to  my  father,  and  will  say  unto  him,  Father,  I  have  sinned  ao-ainst 
heaven  and  before  thee,'  Luke  xviii.  18.  Though  he  was  a  prodigal, 
yet  he  would  go  to  God  as  to  a  father,  who  knew  how  to  pity  and  for- 
give the  mourning  and  repenting  child.  When  confessions  of  sin  are 
mingled  with  hopes  of  mercy,  and  the  soul  draws  near  to  God  as  a 
father,  then  the  heart  breaks  most  and  melts  and  mourns  most.  That 
confession  of  sin  that  is  not  mixed  with  some  hope  of  pardon,  and  with 
some  faith  in  the  mercy  of  God,  is  not  penitential,  but  desperate.  Cain 
in  some  sort  confesses,  but  then  he  flies  into  the  land  of  Nod,  and  there 
he  falls  a-building  and  planting,  partly  in  contempt  of  the  dreadful 
doom  God  had  passed  upon  him,  and  partly  to  drown  the  noise  of  his 
conscience,  and  despairing  of  ever  obtaining  pardon  in  this  world,  or  en- 
joying a  house  not  made  with  hands  in  another  world,  Gen.  iv.  16,  2  Cor. 
V.  1,  2.  Judas  likewise  confesses  his  most  heinous  sins,  '  I  have  sinned 
in  betraying  innocent  blood,'  Mat.  xxvii.  3,  4  ;  but  having  no  hope  of 
pardon,  no  faith  in  that  innocent  blood  he  had  shed,  he  goes  out  and 
hangs  himself.  Judas  had  no  faith  to  mingle  with  his  confession  ;  he 
confesses  despairingly,  not  believingly,  and  so  goes  forth  and  strangles 
himself  Since  Adam  fell  in  paradise,  there  has  not  been  one  wicked 
man  in  the  world,  continuing  in  that  state,  that  has  ever  mixed  faith 
with  his  sorrows,  believing  with  his  confessing.  It  is  only  the  penitent 
man  that  confesseth  sin  believingly,  and  that  is  pardoned  graciously. 
The  confessing  penitent  reasons  thus  with  God^  I^ord,  though  I  am  a 
sinful  creature,  yet  thou  art  a  merciful  God  ;  though  I  am  unworthy  of 
mercy,  yet  thou  forgivest  sins  freely ;  though  my  sins  reach  as  high  as 
heaven,  yet  thy  mercies  reach  above  the  heavens  ;  J  am  here  ready  and 
willing  to  accuse  and  condemn  myself,  and  therefore  be  thou  as  ready 
and  as  willing  to  absolve  me,  and  forgive  me.  O  Lord  !  though  my 
sins  are  very  many,  yet  thy  mercies  are  exceeding  more  ;  though  I  have 
multiplied  my  sins,  yet  thou  canst  multiply  thy  pardons  ;  though  I  am 
a  sinner,  a  very  great  sinner,  yet  there  is  mercy  with  thee,  that  thou 
mayest  be  feared  and  loved,  served  and  trusted  ;  and  therefore  in  the 
face  of  all  my  sins,  provocations,  and  unworthiness,  I  Avill  look  up  for 
mercy,  and  wait  for  mercy.     But, 

(8.)  Ei(jhthly,  and  lastly.  True  penitential  confession  is  joined  with 
reformation.  That  confession  of  sin  that  carries  forgivenness  of  sin 
with  it,  is  attended  with  serious  desires,  and  earnest  endeavours  to  re- 
formation, Ps.  li.  10  ;  therefore  forsaking  of  sin  is  annexed  to  confession 
of  sin  :  Prov.  xxviii.  13, '  He  that  covereth  his  sins  shall  not  prosper  ;  but 
whoso  confesseth  and  forsaketh  them  shall  have  mercy.'  Confession  of 
sin  must  be  joined  with  confusion  of^  sin,  or  all  is  lost.  God  will  never 
cross  the  book,  he  will  never  draw  the  red  lines  of  Christ's  blood  over 
the  black  lines  of  our  transgressions,  except  confessing  and  forsakino-  ctq 
hand  in  hand.     He  that  does  not  forsake  his  sin,  as  well  as  confess  it, 

'  Qu.  '  for '  ?— Ed. 


414  A  CARINCT  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

forsakes  the  benefit  of  his  confession.  And  indeed,  there  is  no  real 
confession  of  sin,  where  there  is  no  real  forsaking  of  sin.  It  is  not 
enough  for  us  to  confess  the  sins  we  have  committed,  but  we  must 
peremptorily  resolve  against  the  committing  again  the  sins  we  have  con- 
fessed. We  must  desire  as  freely  to  forego  our  sins,  as  we  do  desire  God 
to  forgive  lis  our  sins.  Confession  of  sin  is  a  spiritual  vomit.  Now  you 
know,  a  man  that  is  burdened  in  his  stomach,  is  heartily  willing  to  be 
rid  of  that  load  on  his  stomach  that  doth  oppress  nature  ;  and  so  a  man 
that  is  real  in  his  confession  of  sin,  is  as  heartily  willing  to  be  rid  of  his 
sin,  that  lies  as  a  load  upon  his  conscience,  as  any  sick  man  can  be 
heartily  willing  to  be  rid  of  that  load  that  lies  upon  his  stomach.  The 
penitential  confessor  doth  as  heartily  desire  to  be  delivered  from  the 
power  of  his  sins,  as  he  does  desire  to  be  delivered  from  the  sting  and 
punishment  of  his  sins.  This  is  observable  in  the  confession  of  good 
Shechaniah  :  Ezra  x.  2,  3,  '  We  have  trespassed  against  our  God,  and 
taken  strange  wives  of  the  people  of  the  land  ;  now  therefore  let  us  make 
a  covenant  with  our  God  to  put  away  all  the  wives,  and  such  as  are  born 
of  them,  according  to  the  counsel  of  my  lord,  and  those  that  tremble 
at  the  commandment  of  our  God  ;  and  let  it  be  done  according  to  the 
law.'  And  this  was  the  former  practice  of  the  children  of  Israel,  who 
joined  reformation  with  their  confession,  as  you  may  see  in  that  Judges 
X.  15,  '  We  have  sinned  ;'  ver.  16,  'And  they  put  away  the  strange  gods 
from  among  them,  and  served  the  Lord  :  and  his  soul  was  grieved  for 
the  misery  of  Israel.'  That  Job  xxxiv.  31,  32,  is  observable,  '  Surely 
it  is  meet  to  be  said  unto  God,  I  have  borne  chastisement,  I  will  not 
offend  any  more  ;  that  which  I  see  not,  teach  thou  me ;  if  I  have  done 
iniquity,  I  will  do  no  more.'  And  the  same  spirit  you  may  find  work- 
ing in  those  that  were  once  given  up  to  sorcery  and  witchcraft :  Acts 
xix.  18,  '  And  many  that  believed  came,  and  confessed,  and  shewed  their 
deeds.'  Ver.  19,  '  Many  also  of  them  which  used  curious  arts,  brought 
their  books  together,  and  burned  them  before  all  men.'  Penitential 
confession  leaves  a  holy  awe  and  dread  on  the  soul,  to  take  heed  of  com- 
mitting sins  confessed.  Though  a  godly  man  may,  in  an  hour  of 
temptation,  or  in  a  day  of  desertion,  or  in  a  season  of  God's  withholding 
the  gracious  influences  of  heaven  from  falling  upon  his  soul,  commit  a 
sin  which  he  has  seriously  confessed  and  sadly  bewailed,  yet  he  retains 
in  his  course  and  practice  such  a  holy  fear  and  awe  upon  his  heart,  as 
in  some  measure  proves  armour  of  proof  against  future  commissions  of 
sin.  But  now  wicked  men  are  very  ready,  bold,  and  venturous  to  commit 
the  same  sins  they  have  confessed,  as  you  may  see  in  Saul :  one  while 
you  shall  have  him  confessing  his  sinful  injuries  against  David  with 
tears  ;  and  soon  after  you  shall  find  him  pursuing  of  him  in  the  wilderness 
of  Ziph  with  three  thousand  chosen  men  at  his  heels.  The  same  evil 
spirit  was  predominant  in  Pharaoh  ;  one  day  you  shall  have  him  con- 
fessing his  sin,  and  promising  to  let  Israel  go,  and  the  next  day  you 
shall  find  his  heart  hardened,  and  he  peremptorily  resolved  that  Israel 
shall  not  go.*  And  so  the  harlot  made  the  confession  of  her  sin  to  be 
but  a  provocation  to  more  sin,  Prov.  vii.  14.  The  wicked  sometimes 
confess  their  sins,  but  they  never  forsake  their  sins  ;  after  confession 
they  commonly  return  with  the  dog  to  the  vomit,  as  Fulgentius  hath 
*  Compare  I  Sam.  xxiv.  16,  17,  with  chap.  xxvi.  2-4  ;  Exod.  ix.  27-34. 


Chap.  III.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  415 

worthily  observed.'  '  Many,'  saith  he,  '  being  pricked  in  conscience, 
confess  that  they  have  done  ill,  and  yet  put  no  end  to  their  ill  deeds  ; 
they  humbly  accuse  themselves  in  God's  sight  of  the  sins  which  oppress 
them,  and  yet  with  a  perverse  heart  rebelliously  heap  up  those  sins 
whereof  they  accuse  themselves.  The  very  pardon  which  they  beg  with 
mournful  sighs,  they  impede  with  their  wicked  actions ;  they  ask  help 
of  the  physician,  and  still  minister  matter  to  the  disease,  thus  in  vain 
endeavouring  to  appease  him  with  penitent  words,  whom  they  go  on  to 
provoke  by  an  impenitent  course."  Well,  remember  this,  real  con- 
fession of  sin  is  always  attended  with  real  endeavours  of  turning  from 
sin.  Look,  as  the  patient  lays  open  his  diseases  to  the  physician  for 
this  very  purpose  that  he  may  be  cured  and  healed,  so  the  penitent 
soul  confesses  his  sins  to  the  physician  of  souls  on  purpose  to  be  cured 
and  healed.  The  daily  language  of  the  penitent  soul  is  this,  Lord,  when 
wilt  thou  heal  the  maladies  of  my  soul  ?  When  wilt  thou  heal  my 
unbelief,  and  heal  my  pride,  and  heal  my  vain-glory,  and  heal  my 
hypocrisy,  and  heal  my  impurity,  and  heal  my  hard-heartedness,  and 
heal  my  carnalness,  and  heal  my  worldliness,  and  heal  my  selfishness  ? 
&c.  Lord  !  I  do  as  earnestly  beg  grace  to  heal  my  soul,  as  I  do  mercy 
to  pardon  my  soul.  And  let  thus  much  suffice  for  the  second  part  of 
true  evangelical  repentance. 

3.  The  third  part  of  true  repentance  lies  in  turning  from  all  sin  to 
God.  That  great  and  precious  promise  of  forgiveness  of  sin  is  made  over 
to  repenting  and  turning  from  sin.  All  who  truly  repent  of  their  sins, 
and  turn  from  their  sins,  shall  receive  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins. 
Pardon  of  sin  is  for  that  man,  and  that  man  is  for  pardon  of  sin,  who 
truly  repents  and  returns  from  his  sin.     Four  things  speak  out  this,  &c. 

[1.]  First,  Scripture  exhortations  to  rejjent,  that  so  our  sins  may  be 
forgiven  :  Ezek.  xviii.  30,  '  Repent,  and  turn  yourselves  from  all  your 
transgressions  ;  so  iniquity  shall  not  be  your  ruin.'  Acts  ii.  38,  '  Repent, 
and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the 
remission  of  your  sins.'  Ver.  19,  '  Repent,  and  be  converted,  that  your 
sins  may  be  blotted  out,'  &c. 

[2.]  Secondly,  Express  promises  that  our  sins  shall  be  forgiven  upon 
our  repentance:  2  Chron.  vii.  14,  '  If  my  people  shall  turn  from  their 
evil  way,  then  will  I  forgive  their  sin.'  Prov.  xxviii.  13,  '  Whoso  con- 
fesseth  and  forsaketh  his  sin  shall  find  mercy.'  Ezek.  xviii.  21,  'If  the 
wicked  will  turn  from  all  his  sins  which  he  hath  committed,  and  do  that 
which  is  lawful  and  right,  he  shall  surely  live,  he  shall  not  die  ;'  ver.  22, 
'  All  his  transgressions  which  he  hath  committed,  they  shall  not  be 
mentioned  unto  him,' 

[3.]  Thirdly,  A  most  ceHain  assurance  of  the  forgiveness  of  sins, 
upon  repentance,  though  they  have  been  never  so  great  and  heinous  : 
Isa.  i.  16-18,  '  Wash  ye,  make  you  clean  ;  put  away  the  evil  of  your 
doings  ;  cease  to  do  evil ;  learn  to  do  well.  Come  now,  and  let  us  reason 
together,  saith  the  Lord :  though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as 
white  as  snow  ;  though  they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool.' 

[4.]  Fourthly,  Express  records  and  instances  of  forgiveness  unto  such 
as  have  repented  and  turned  from  their  sins :  2  Sam.  xii.  1 3,  '  And 
David  said  unto  Nathan,  I  have  sinned  against  the  Lord  ;  and  Nathan 
'  Fulgent,  de  Rem.  pecat.  lib.  i.  cap.  12. 


416  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

said  to  David,  The  Lord  hath  also  put  away  thy  sin.'  Jer.  xxxi.  18-20, 
'I  have  surely  heard  Ephraim  bemoaning  himself;  turn  thou  me,  and  1 
shall  be  turned,'  &c.  '  Surely  after  that  I  was  turned,  I  repented;  and 
after  that  I  was  instructed,  I  smote  upon  my  thigh ;  I  was  ashamed,  yea, 
even  confounded,  because  J  did  bear  the  reproach  of  my  youth.  Is  Ephraira 
my  dear  son  ?  is  he  a  pleasant  child?  for  since  I  spake  against  him,  I  do 
remember  him  still;  therefore  my  bowels  are  troubled  for  him,  I  will 
surely  have  mercy  upon  him,'  saitli  the  Lord.'  Luke  vii.  38,  'And  she 
stood  at  his  feet  behind  him  weeping,  and  began  to  wash  his  feet  with 
tears,  and  did  wipe  them  with  the  hairs  of  her  head ;  and  kissed  his  feet, 
and  anointed  them  with  ointment.'  Ver.  47,  '  Wherefore,  1  say,  her 
sins,  which  were  many,  are  forgiven.'  Chap.  xv.  18-20,  '  I  will  arise  and 
go  to  my  father,  and  will  say  to  him.  Father,  I  have  sinned  against 
heaven  and  before  thee,  and  am  no  more  worth}'-  to  be  called  thy  son. 
And  he  arose,  and  came  to  his  father;  but  when  he  was  yet  a  great  \vay 
off,  his  father  saw  him,  and  had  compassion,  and  ran  and  fell  upon  his 
neck,  and  kissed  him.' 

Quest.  But  ivJiat  are  the  properties  or  qualijications  of  that  rigJtt 
turning  from  siii,  wJtich  brings  poor  sinners  tvithin  the  compass  of 
the  promise  of  forgiveness  of  sins  1  Now,  to  this  groat  question  I  shall 
give  these  four  following  answers  : 

Ans.  1.  First,  That  turning  from  sin  which  brings  a  man  within  the 
compass  of  the  promise  of  forgiveness  of  sin,  is  a  cordial  turning  from 
sin :  Joel  ii.  1 2,  '  Turn  ye,  even  to  me,  with  all  your  heart.'  2  Chron. 
vi.  38,  39,  '  If  they  return  to  thee  with  all  their  heart,  and  with  all  their 
soul,  then  hear  thou  from  the  heavens  their  prayer  and  their  supplica- 
tion, and  forgive  their  sins.'  Deut.  xxx.  10,  '  If  thou  turn  unto  the 
Lord  thy  God,  with  all  thine  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,'  &c.  Jer. 
iii.  10,  '  And  yet  for  all  this  her  treacherous  sister  Judah  hath  not  turned 
unto  me  with  her  whole  heart,  but  feignedly,  saith  the  Lord.'  Chap, 
xxiv.  7,  '  And  I  will  give  them  an  heart  to  know  me,  that  I  am  the 
Lord;  and  they  shall  be  my  people,  and  I  will  be  their  God ;  for  they 
shall  return  unto  me  withtheirwhole  heart.'  Wicked  n:ien  are  serious  and 
cordial  in  their  sinning,  and  they  must  be  as  serious  and  cordial  in  their 
returning-,  or  they  are  lost  and  undone  for  ever.  The  true  penitent  turns 
from  sin  with  his  heart,  with  all  his  heart,  and  with  all  his  soul.  He  is 
turned  in  good  earnest  from  his  sins,  whose  heart  is  turjied  from  his  sins. 
If  the  heart  turns  not,  all  is  naught,  all  is  stark  naught.  He  that  turns 
from  sin,  but  not  with  his  heart,  tuins  but  feignedly,  partially,  hypo- 
critically, deceitfully.  God  is  a  jealous  God,  and  he  will  never  endure 
co-rivals  or  co-partners  in  the  throne,  the  heart  of  man ;  a  holy  God  Avill 
never  divide  with  an  unholy  devil.  The  true  God  is  a  righteous  God, 
and  he  will  never  share  his  glory  with  another.  The  true  God  must  be 
served  truly,  heartily  ;  he  loves  neither  halting  nor  halving.  Such  as 
divide  the  rooms  of  their  souls  betwixt  God  and  sin,  God  and  Satan, 
God  and  the  world,  that  swear  by  God  and  Malcham,  that  sometimes 
pray  devoutly,  and  at  other  times  curse  most  hideously,  that  halt 
betwixt  God  and  Baal,  are  mere  heteroclites^  in  religion,  and  such  whom 
God  abhors.  When  a  man's  heart  gives  a  bill  of  divorce  to  his  sins, 
1  '  Irregular,'  '  disorderly..' — G. 


Chap.  III.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  417 

when  his  heart  breaks  the  league  with  sin,  when  his  heart  casts  it  off, 
and  casts  it  out  as  an  abominable  thing,  then  the  heart  is  turned  from 
sin  really,  effectually,  &c.  If,  notwithstanding  all  the  professions  that 
a  man  makes  against  his  sins,  his  heart  still  loves  them,  and  delights  in 
them,  and  he  will  still  retain  them,  and  welcome  them,  and  cleave  to 
them,  and  make  provision  for  them,  &c.,  his  repentance  is  feigned  and 
not  real,  &c.     But, 

The  second  answer. 

Ans.  2.  Secondly,  A  true  penitential  turning  is  an  universal  turn- 
ing, a  turning  not  from  some  sins,  but  from  all  sins :  Ezek.  xviii.  30, 
'  Repent,  and  turn  yourselves  from  all  your  transgressions.'  Ver.  31 , 
'  Cast  away  from  you  all  your  transgressions.'  2  Cor.  vii.  1,  '  Let  us 
cleanse  ourselves  from  all  filthiness,  both  of  flesh  and  spirit.'  Ps.  cxix. 
101,  '  I  have  refrained  my  feet  from  every  evil  way.'  Ver.  128,  'I  hate 
every  false  way.'  Ezek.  xiv.  14,  'Therefore  say  unto  the  house  of 
Israel,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  Repent,  and  turn  yourselves  from  your 
idols  ;  and  turn  away  your  faces  from  all  your  abominations.'  Chap, 
xviii.  28,  '  Because  he  considereth,  and  turneth  away  from  all  his  trans- 
gressions that  he  hath  committed,  he  shall  surely  live,  he  shall  not  die.' 
True  repentance  is  a  turning  from  all  sin,  without  any  reservation  or 
exception.  He  never  truly  repented  of  any  sin,  whose  heart  is  not 
turned  against  every  sin.  The  true  penitent  casts  off  all  the  rags  of 
old  Adam ;  he  throws  down  every  stone  of  the  old  building  ;  he  will 
not  leave  a  horn  nor  a  hoof  behind.  That  which  Nehemiah  speaks  of 
himself  in  that  Neh.  xiii.  7,  8,  is  very  observable  to  our  purpose.  '  And  I 
came  to  Jerusalem,  and  understood  of  the  evil  that  Eliashib  did  for  Tobiah, 
in  preparing  him  a  chamber  in  the  courts  of  the  house  of  God.  And  it 
grieved  me  sore'  (but  he  rests  not  there;  but  goes  further) ;  'therefore  I 
cast  forth  all  the  household-stuff  of  Tobiah  out  of  the  chamber.'  What 
should  Tobiah  do  with  a  chamber  ?  therefore  he  not  only  outs  Tobiah, 
but  out  goes  all  his  stuff  too.  Thus  the  true  penitent,  when  he  considers 
all  the  evil  that  sin  has  done,  how  it  has  taken  up  not  only  one  cham- 
ber, but  every  chamber  in  the  soul,  and  how  it  has  for  many  years  quite 
shut  out  God,  and  Christ,  and  the  Spirit,  and  everything  that  is  good  ; 
he  is  grieved  sore,  and  so  falls  upon  the  outing  of  every  hist ;  being 
highly  resolved  that  neither  Satan  nor  any  of  his  retinue  shall  ever  find 
the  least  entertainment  in  his  soul  any  more.  Such  as  are  resolved 
against  turning  from  any  sin,  are  horribly  profane  ;  such  as  turn  from 
some  sins,  but  clo.se  with  others,  are  hideous  hypocrites  ;  such  as  turn 
from  one  sin  to  another,  or  change  their  sins  as  men  do  their  fashions, 
are  most  sadly  blinded,  and  desperately  deluded  by  Satan  ;  but  such 
as  turn  not  from  some  sins,  but  from  every  sin,  are  sincerely  penitent. 
And  certainly  there  are  very  great  reasons  why  the  true  penitent  does 
turn,  and  must  turn  from  sin  universally.     As, 

[1.]  First,  It  is  to  no  purjwse  for  a  man  to  turn  from  some  sins,  if 
he  does  not  turn  from  all  his  sins  :  James  i.  26,  *  If  any  man  seem  to 
be  religious,  and  bridle  not  his  tongue,  but  deceiveth  his  own  heart,  this 
man's  religion  is  in  vain.'  This  at  first  sight  may  seem  to  be  a  hard 
saying,  that  for  one  fault,  for  one  fault  in  the  tongue,  all  a  man's  reli- 
gion should  be  counted  vain  ;  and  yet  this  you  see  the  Holy  Ghost  does 

VOL.  IIL  D  d 


418  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

peremptorily  conclude.'     Let  a  man  make  never  so  glorious  a  profes- 
sion of  religion,  yet  if  he  gives  himself  liberty  to  live  in  the  practice  of 
any  known  lust,  yea,  though  it  be  but  a  sin  of  the  tongue,  his  religion 
is  in  vain,  and  that  one  lust  will  separate  him  from  God  for  ever.     If  a 
wife  be  never  so  officious-  to  her  husband  in  many  things,  and  though 
she  gives  him  content  several  ways,  yet  if  she  entertains  any  other  lover 
into  his  bed  besides  himself,  it  will  alienate  his  affections  from  her,  and 
for  ever  separate  him  from  her.     The  application  is  easy.     To  turn 
from  one  sin  to  another,  is  but  to  he  tossed  from  one  hand  of  the  devil 
to  another ;  it  is  but,  with  Benhadad,  to  recover  of  one  disease  and  die 
of  another,  it  is  but  to  take  pains  to  go  to  liell.    If  a  ship  spring  three 
leaks,  and  only  two  be  stopped,  the  third  will  sink  the  ship;  or  if  a  man 
have  two  grievous  wounds  in  his  body,  and  take  order  only  to  cure  one, 
that  which  is  neglected  will  certainly  kill  him.    It  is  so  here  ;  if  a  man 
that  has  divers  lusts  fighting  against  the  life  of  his  precious  soul,  shall 
only  mortify  and  slay  some  of  them,  the  rest,  will  certainly  destroy  him, 
and  all  his  pains  in  subduing  some  of  them  will  be  lost.     I  have  read 
of  a  devout  man,  who  had  amongst  many  other  virtues  the  gift   of 
healing,  unto  whom  divers  made  resort  for  cure ;   among  the  rest,  one 
Chromatius  being  sick,  sent  for  him.    Being  come,  he  told  him  of  his  sick- 
ness, and  desired  that  he  might  have  the  benefit  of  cure,  as  others  had  be- 
fore him.    I  cannot  do  it,  said  the  devout  person,  till  thou  hast  beaten  all 
the  idols  and  images  in  thy  house  to  pieces.    Oh  that  shall  be  done,  said 
Chromatius ;  here  take  my  keys,  and  where  you  find  any  images  let  them 
be  defaced,  which  was  done  accordingly.    To  prayer  went  the  holy  man, 
but  no  cure  was  wrought.    Oh,  saith  Chromatius,  I  am  as  sick  as  ever  ! 
Oh  I  am  very  weak  and  sick  !    It  cannot  be  otherwise,  replied  the  holy 
man,  nor  can  I  help  it  ;  for  certainly  there  is  one  idol  more  in  your 
house  undiscovered,  and  that  must  be  defaced  too.    True,  says  Chroma- 
tius, there  is  so  indeed  ;  there  is  one  all  of  beaten  gold,  it  cost  two  hun- 
dred pounds,  I  would  fain  have  saved  it ;  but  here  take  my  keys  again, 
you  shall  find  it  locked  up  fast  in  my  chest,  take  it  and  break  it  in 
pieces ;  which  done,  the  holy  man  prayed,  and  Chromatius  was  healed. 
The  moral  of  this  story  is  this  :  we  are  all  spiritually  sick,  full  of  wounds 
and  putrefied  sores  ;  Christ  our  spiritual  physician  tells  us,  that  if  we 
will  be  cured,  we  must  break  off  our  sins  by  repentance.     Now  this  we 
are  willing  to  do  in  part,  but  not  in  whole  ;  we  would  fain  keep  one 
Delilah,  one  darling  beloved  sin,  but  it  must  not  be  ;  there  must  not  be 
one  sin  unrepented  of ;  we  must  repent  as  well  for  our  Achans  as  our 
Absaloms,  our  Rimmons  as  our  Mammons,  our  Davids  as  our  Goliaths, 
our  covert  as  well  as  our  open  sins,  our  loved  as  well  as  our  loathed 
lusts,  our  heart  abominations  as  well  as  our  gross  transgressions,  our 
babe  iniquities  as  well  as  our  giant-like  provocations.     Our  repentance 
must  be  universal,  or  it  will  be  to  no  purpose. 

Herod  turned  from  many  evils,  but  would  not  turn  from  his  Herodias, 
and  that  was  his  ruin.  Mat.  vi.  18-20.  Judas  his  life  was  as  fair  and 
as  free  from  spots  and  blots  as  the  lives  of  any  of  the  apostles;  no 
scandalous  sin  was  to  be  found  upon  him ;  only  that  golden  devil  covet- 

'  One  stab  at  the  lieart  kills  ;  one  act  of  treason  makes  a  traitor ;  one  spark  of  fire 
sets  the  house  on  fire ;  one  flaw  in  a  diamond  spoils  the  price  of  it ;  one  puddle,  if 
we  wallow  in  it,  will  defile  us  ;  one  liead  of  garlic  will  poison  a  leopard,  say  the  natu- 
ralists. '^  =  serviceable. — G. 


Chap.  Ill]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  419 

ousness  was  his  sin,  and  his  everlasting  ruin.  His  apostleship,  preach- 
ing, working  of  miracles,  hearing  of  Christ,  and  conversing  with  him, 
&c.,  was  to  no  purpose,  because  of  that  serpent  he  kept  in  his  bosom, 
which  at  last  stung  him  to  death.  If  a  man  Hves  m  the  practice  of  any 
known  sin,  the  union  between  sin  and  his  soul  is.  not  dissolved ;  and  if 
that  anion  be  not  dissolved,  Christ  and  his  soul  were  never  united,  and 
therefore  such  a  person  can  never  be  saved.  Saul  spared  Agag  and  tlie 
witch  of  Endor,  whom  he  should  have  destroyed,  and  so  lost  his  crown, 
his  kingdom,  and  his  soul,  which  was  saddest  of  all.  Gideon  had  seventy 
sons,  and  but  one  bastard,  and  yet  that  one  bastard  destroyed  all  the 
rest.  Judges  viii.  13.  The  Jewish  rabbins  report,  that  the  same  night 
that  Israel  departed  out  of  Egypt  towards  Canaan,  all  the  idols  and 
idolatrous  temples  in  Egypt,  by  lightning  and  earthquakes,,  were  broken 
down  ;  so,  when  a  man  truly  repents,  all  the  idols  that  were  set  up  in 
his  soul  are  cast  down.     But, 

[2.]  Secondly,  God  has  so  connexed  the  duties  of  his  law  one  to  an- 
other, that  if  there  be  not  a  conscientious  care  to  walk  according  to 
all  that  the  law  requires,  a  man  becomes  a  transgressor  of  the  whole 
law,  according  to  that  of  St  James,  chap.  ii.  10,  '  Whosoever  shall  keep 
the  whole  law,  and  yet  offend  in  one  point,  is  guilty  of  all/'  The  bond 
of  all  is  broken,  the  authority  of  all  is  slighted,  and  that  evil  disposi- 
tion, that  sinful  frame  of  heart,  that  works  a  man  to  venture  upon  the 
breach  of  one  command,  would  make  him  venture  upon  the  breach  of 
any  command,  were  it  not  for  some  infirmity  of  nature,  or  because  his 
purse  will  not  hold  out  to  maintain  it ;  or  for  shame,  or  loss,  or  because 
of  the  eye  of  friends,  or  the  sword  of  the  magistrate,  or  for  some  sinister 
respects  ;  and  might  the  breach  of  any  other  of  the  commands  of  God 
serve  his  turn,  and  advance  his  ends,  he  stands  as  strongly  pressed  in 
spirit  to.  transgress  them  all,  as  to  transgress  any  one  of  them.  He  that 
gives  himself  liberty  to  live  in  the  breach  of  any  one  command  of  God,  is 
qualified  with  a  disposition  of  heart  to  break  them  all.  Every  single 
sin  contains  virtually  all  sin  in  it.  He  that  allows  himself  a  liberty  to 
live  in  the  breach  of  any  one  particular  law  of  God,  he  casts  contempt 
and  scorn  upon  the  authority  that  made  the  whole  law,  and  upon  this 
account  breaks  it  all.  And  the  apostle  gives  the  reason  of  it  in  ver.  11, 
'  For  he  that  said.  Do  not  commit  adultery,  said  also.  Do  not  kill.  Now, 
if  thou  commit  no  adultery,  yet  if  thou  kill,  thou  art  become  a  trans- 
gressor of  the  lav/.'  Not  that  he  is  guilty  of  all  distributively,  but  col- 
lectively;  for  the  law  is  copulative  \  there  is  a  chain  of  duties,  and  these 
are  all  so  linked  one  to  another,  that  you  cannot  break  one  link  of  the 
chain,  but  you  break  the  whole  chain.  All  the  precepts  of  the  law  are, 
as  it  were,  a  string  of  pearls  strung  by  the  authority  of  God.  Now  break 
this  string  in  any  place,  and  all  the  pearls  fall  to  the  ground.  No  man 
can  live  in  the  breach  of  any  known  command  of  God,  but  he  wrongs 
every  command  of  God  ;  and  this  at  last  he  shall  find  to  his  cost, 
without  sound  repentance  on  his  side,  and  pardoning  grace  on  God's. 
But, 

[3.]  Thirdly,  One  sin  never  goes  alone.     Cain's  anger  is  seconded 

'  He  who  prevaricates  with  God  as  to  any  one  particular  commandment  of  his,  his 

heart  is  naught,  stark  naught,  and  he  is  guilty  of  all.     He  hath  no  real  regard  to  any 

of  the  commandments  of  God,  that  hath  not  a  regard  to  all  the  commandments  of 

God,  &c. 


420  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

with  murder  ;  Ahab's  covetousness  is  attendod  with  liloody  cruelty  ; 
and  Jeroboam's  rcbclUon  with   idolatry ;  and  Judas  his  thievery  with 
treason.     I  miglit  give  instances  of  this  in  Adam  and  Eve,  and  in  Lot, 
Abraham,  Noah,  Jacob,  Joseph,  Job,  David,  Solomon,  and  Peter,  &c., 
but  a  touch  on  this  string  is  enough.     One  sin  commonly  disposes  the 
heart  to  another  sin.     A   small  sin  many  times  draws  the  heart  to  a 
greater,  and  one  great  sin   draws  the   heart  to  anotlier  great  sin,  and 
that  to  a  greater,  till  at  last  the  soul  comes  to  be  drowned  in  all  excess. 
Augustine  relates  the  story  of  Manicheus,  who  being  tormented  with 
tlies,  was  of  opinion   that  the  devil   made  them  and  not  God.     Why 
then,  .said  one  that  stood  by,  if  the  devil  made  flies,  then  the  devil  made 
worms,  and  not  God,  for  they  are  living  creatures  as  well  as  flies.    True, 
said  he,  the  devil  did  make  worms.     But  said  the  other,  if  the  devil  did 
make  worms,  then   he  did   make  birds,  beasts,  and  man.     He  granted 
all.     And  thus,  saith  that  old  father,  by  denying  God  in  the  fly,  he 
came  to  deny  God   in  man,  and  so  consequently  the  whole  creation.' 
And  thus  yielding  to  lesser  sins,  draws  the  soul  to  the  commission  of 
greater,  yea,  often  to  the  greatest  of  all.     I  have  both  heard  and  read  a 
story  of  a  young  man,  who  being  often  tempted  by  the  devil  and  his 
own  wicked  heart,  to   commit  three  sins,  viz.,  to  kill  his  father,  to  lie 
with  his  mother,  and  to  be  drunk  ;  the  two  former  his  heart  would  not 
3'ield  to,  as  being  things  abhorrent  to  the  light  and  law  of  nature,  and 
therefore  to  free  himself  from  the   temptation,  he  yielded  to  the  last 
and  least ;  but  when  he  was  drunk,  he  killed  his  father,  and  ravished 
his  mother.     Thus  these  two  abominable  sins,  murder  and  incest,  were 
ushered  in  by  one  that  was  not  of  so  deep  a  dye.^     There  is  something 
in  sin,  like  the  radical  virtue  that  is  in  the  seed  of  herbs  and  plants. 
The  seed  is  but  a  small  inconsiderable  thing  in  itself,  yet  let  it  be  but 
cast  into  the  ground,  and  there  rest  quietly  a  time,  and  it  will  take 
root,  and  grow  up  to  a  great  stock,  and  bring  forth  many  flourishing 
branches  ;  like  the  grain  of  mustard-seed.  Mat.  xiii.  31,  32,  which  though 
it  be  the  least  of  seeds,  yet  being  cast  into  the  ground,  grows  up  to  be 
the  greatest  among  herbs,  and  becometh  a  tree,  so  that  the  birds  of  the 
air  come  and  lodge  in  the  branches  thereof.     Satan  will  be  sure  to  nest 
himself,  to  lodge  himself  in  the  least  sins,  as  birds  nest  and  lodge  them- 
selves in  the  smallest  branches   of  a  tree,  and  there  he  will  hatch  ail 
manner  of  wickedness.     A  sinful  motion,  if  it  be  not  rejected,  will  pro- 
cure consent,  and  consent  will  break   forth  into  act,  and  one  act  will 
procure  another  act,  until  the  multiplying  of  acts  have  begot  a  habit, 
and  that  habit  hath  choked  and  .stifled  conscience  ;  and  when  once  con- 
.science  is  stifled  and  benumbed,  it  will  be  ready  upon  all  occasions  to 
lay  the  soul  open,  and  to  prostrate  it  to  the  basest  and  worst  of  sins. 
Oh  there  is  a  prodigious  evil  in  the  least  of  sins  ;  it  will  quickly  mul- 
tiply itself  into  all  manner  of  evils.     Unless  sin  be  cut  oft'  in  the  first 
motion,  it  will  proceed  to  action,  and  from  action  to  delectation,  and 
from  delight  to  custom,  and  from  custom  to  a  habit ;  and  so  the  soul 
Avill  be  in  eminent  danger  of  being  undone  for  ever.     A  little  thief  put 
in  at  the  window,  may  open  the  doors  for  stronger  and  greater  to  come 
in,  that  may  take  away  both  life  and  treasure  at  once.     A  little  wedge 

'  Exposil.  in  Evang.  St  John,  Tract,  cap.  i. 

^  Told,  with  authority,  iu  Wanley's  Wonders,  as  before.     See  Index  sub  nomine. — G. 


Chap.  III.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  421 

makes  way  for  a  greater,  and  so  do  little  sins  make  way  for  greater. 
Satan  and  our  own  hearts  will  be  modest  at  first,  and  therefore  they 
are  often  in  a  combination,  first  to  draw  us  to  lesser  sins  and  then  to 
greater,  and  so  from  sins  less  obnoxious  to  sins  more  scandalous,  till  we 
come  to  be  abominable  to  God,  hateful  to  others,  and  a  terror  to  our- 
selves. Such  as  live  in  one  sin,  God  will  in  justice  give  over  to  other 
sins.  The  Gentiles  gave  up  themselves  to  idolatry,  Rom.  i.  23  ;  '  And 
God  gave  them  up  to  uncleanness,'  vcr.  24.  It  is  impossible  for  any 
man  to  take  one  sin  into  his  bosom,  and  to  shut  all  others  out.  He 
that  lives  but  in  the  allowance  of  liimself  in  one  sin,  will  find  that  sin 
at  last  to  shut  the  door  of  heaven  against  him,  and  therefore  the  true 
penitent  turns  from  sin  universally. 

[4.]  Fourthly,  The  reasons  of  turning  from  sin,  are  universally 
binding  to  a  penitent  soul}  There  are  the  same  reasons  and  grounds 
for  a  penitent  man's  turning  from  every  sin,  as  there  is  for  his  turning 
from  any  one  sin.  Do  you  turn  from  this  or  that  sin,  because  the  Lord 
has  forbid  it  ?  Why,  upon  the  same  ground  you  must  turn  from  every 
sin,  for  God  has  forbid  every  sin  as  well  as  this  or  that  particular  sin. 
There  is  the  same  authority  forbidding  or  commanding  in  all ;  and  if  the 
authority  of  God  awes  a  man  from  one  sin,  it  will  awe  him  from  all. 
There  is  one  and  the  same  Lawgiver  in  respect  of  all  the  command- 
ments. He  that  gave  one  commandment  gave  also  another  ;  therefore, 
he  that  observes  one  commandment  in  obedience  unto  God,  whose  com- 
mandment it  is,  will  observe  all,  because  all  are  his  commandments  ; 
and  he  that  slights  one  commandment  is  guilty  of  all,  because  he  doth 
contemn  the  authority  and  will  of  him  that  gave  them  all.  Even  in 
those  commands  which  he  doth  observe,  he  hath  no  respect  to  the  will 
and  authority  of  him  that  gave  them.  Therefore,  there  is  no  obedience 
towards  God,  where  there  is  not  an  uniform  endeavour  to  please  God, 
as  well  in  one  thing  as  in  another.  The  same  God  that  hath  inhibited 
one  smful  act,  hath  inhibited  every  sinful  act ;  and,  therefore,  he  that 
out  of  conscience  and  respect  to  God's  will,  and  word,  and  authority, 
turns  from  any  one  sin,  or  abhors  any  one  sin,  he  will  out  of  conscience 
of  the  same  will,  and  word,  and  authority,  turn  from  every  sin,  and 
abhor  every  sin,  because  the  same  God  in  his  word  hath  alike  for- 
bidden all.  0  sirs  !  how  is  it  possible  for  a  man  truly  to  repent  of  this 
or  that  sin,  because  it  is  contrary  to  the  law,  will,  and  authority  of  God, 
but  he  must  needs  repent  of  whatsoever  he  knows  to  be  contrary  to  the 
law,  will,  and  authority  of  God  ?  He  that  turns  from  any  one  sin 
because  it  is  a  transgression  of  the  holy  and  righteous  law  of  God,  he 
will  turn  from  every  sin  upon  the  same  account.  He  that  turns  from 
any  one  sin,  because  it  is  a  dishonour  to  God,  a  reproach  to  Christ,  a 
grief  to  the  Spirit,  a  wovmd  to  religion,  &c.,  will  upon  the  same  grounds 
turn  from  every  sin.  He  that  turns  from  any  one  sin,  because  of  the 
curse,  the  threatenings,  the  judgments,  the  wrath,  the  hell  that  hangs,  as 
it  were,  over  the  head  of  that  sin,  he  will  turn  from  every  sin,  because 
the  curse,  the  threatenings,  the  judgments,  the  wrath,  the  hell,  that 
hangs  over  the  head  of  that  one  sin,  hangs  over  the  head  of  every  sin. 

'  As  in  a  harp,  to  make  the  music  good  and  harmonious,  it  is  not  enough  that  all  the 
strings  he  right  tuned  except  one  ;  one  string  that  jars  will  spoil  the  sweetest  music.  Tho 
application  is  easy,  &c. 


422  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

By  these  hints  it  is  most  evident,  that  the  reasons  of  turning  from  sin 
are  universally  binding  to  a  penitent  soul  ;  and  therefore  he  turns  not 
from  some  sins  only,  but  from  every  sin.  He  says  not  to  one,  but  to 
all  his  idols,  '  Get  you  hence,  for  what  have  I  any  more  to  do  with  you  ?' 

[5.]  Fifthly,  One  sin  allowed,  walloiued  and  tumbled  in,  is  svffixiient 
to  deprive  a  man  for  ever  of  tJie  greatest  good.  Moses  came  within  the 
sight  of  Canaan  ;  but  for  one  sin,  viz.,  not  sanctifying  God's  name  at  the 
water  of  Meribah,  he  was  shut  out,  Exod.  xxii.  ;  for  him  to  be  so  near 
the  holy  land,  and  yet  so  far  otf  from  entering  into  it,  was  doubtless 
of  all  strokes  the  hardest  that  ever  he  felt.  In  the  law,  the  leper  that 
had  the  spot  of  leprosy  in  any  one  part  of  his  body  was  accounted  a 
leper,  although  all  the  rest  of  his  body  were  sound  and  whole,  and  ac- 
cordingly he  was  to  be  shut  up,  and  shut  out  from  the  society  and 
company  of  the  people  of  God,  Lev.  xiii.  ;  so  one  sin,  one  leprous  spot, 
allowed  and  beloved,  will  for  ever  shut  a  man  out  from  the  glorious 
presence  of  God,  Christ,  the  Spirit,  angels,  and  the  '  spirits  of  just  men 
made  perfect.'  One  sin  wallowed  in,  w  ill  as  certainly  deprive  a  man  of 
the  blessed  vision  of  Gt3d,  and  of  all  the  treasures,  pleasures,  and  de- 
lights that  be  at  God's  right  hand,  as  a  thousand.  It  was  a  sore  vexation 
to  king  Lysimachus,  that  he  should  lose  his  earthly  kingdom  for  one 
draught  of  water.'  O  sirs  !  it  will  be  an  everlasting  vexation  to  such, 
who  for  one  lust  shall  at  last  lose  not  an  earthly  but  a  heavenly  king- 
dom. One  sin  stripped  the  fallen  angels  of  all  their  glory  ;  and  one  sin 
stripped  our  first  parents  of  all  their  dignity  and  excellency,  Gen.  iii.  4,  6. 
Satan,  by  one  loud  lie  to  Adam  and  Eve,  made  fruitless  all  that  God  had 
preached  to  them  immediately  before.  To  turn  from  some  sins,  but  not 
from  all,  is  gross  hypocrisy.  Job  xx.  13.  One  sin  set  up  in  the  love  and 
service  of  it,  will  keep  Christ  out  of  his  throne.  It  speaks  sin  to  be 
rampant,  and  Satan  to  be  victorious  ;  and  what  can  be  the  issue  of  these 
things  but  ruin  and  damnation  ?  Rom.  vi.  16.  One  fly  in  the  box  of 
precious  ointment  spoils  the  whole  box  ;  one  thief  may  rob  a  man  of 
all  his  treasure  ;  one  disease  may  deprive  a  man  of  all  his  health  ;  one 
strong  wind  may  blow  down  and  blow  aw^ay  all  a  man's  comforts  ;  and 
so  one  sin  deliglited  and  wallowed  in,  will  make  a  man  miserable  for 
ever.  Though  this  or  that  particular  sin  be  very  pleasant  to  the  flesh, 
and  delightful  to  the  fancy,  yet  he  is  the  wisest  man,  and  he  is  the  best 
man,  and  the  only  blessed  man  in  all  the  world,  that  keeps  furthest  from 
it ;  and  therefore  the  true  penitent  turns  not  merely  from  this  or  that 
sin,  but  from  every  sin. 

[6.]  Sixthly,  The  principle  of  regeneration,  a7id  seed  of  grace,  which 
God  lays  into  the  soul  of  every  j)enitent  person  at  first  conversion, 
is  a  universal  pHnciple,  a  2Jrinci2:)le  tliat  spreads  itself  over  all  tJte 
faculties  of  the  send,  and  over  cdl  the  members  of  the  body,  1  Thes.  v. 
23  :  Ps.  xlv.  13,  '  The  king's  daughter  is  all  glorious  within  ;  her  cloth- 
ing is  of  wrought  gold.'  In  regeneration  there  is  infused  the  habits  or 
principles  of  all  grace,  which  like  a  divine  leaven  spreads  itself  over  the 
whole  man.  Mat.  xiii.  33.  Look,  as  Absalom's  beauty  Avas  spread  all 
over  him,  even  from  the  crown  of  his  head  to  the  soles  of  his  feet,  2  Sam. 
xxiv.  25  ;  so  grace  spreads  itself  over  every  faculty  of  the  soul,  and  over 
every  member  of  the  body.  Look,  as  Solomon's  temple  was  all  glorious 
'  Plutarch,  as  before.     See  our  Index  under  Lvsimachus. — G. 


Chap.  III.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  423 

both  within  and  without  ;  so  that  grace  which  a  man  receives  at  first 
conversion,  makes  him  all  glorious  both  within  and  without.     Look,  as 
Adam's  sin  spread  itself  over  the  whole  man,  so  that  grace  which  we 
receive  from  the  second  Adam  spreads  itself  over  the  whole  man,  John 
i.  16.     And  as  that  grace  which  was  in  Christ  did  diffuse  and  spread 
itself  over  all  of  Christ,  so  that  grace  which  is  in  the  true  penitent 
does  diffuse  and  spread  itself  all  over  the  penitent.     Now  look,  as  hea- 
ven is  contrary  to  all  of  hell,  and  as  light  is  contrary  to  all  darkness, 
and  heat  to  all  cold,  so  that  divine,  that  noble,  that  universal  principle 
of  grace,  which  God  at  first  conversion  infuses  into  the  penitent's  soul, 
is  contrary  to  all  sin  ;  and  therefore  the  penitent  turns  from  all  sin.     But, 
[7.]  Seventhly,  The  true  penitent  would  have  God  to  forgive  him, 
not  only  soTne  of  his  sins,  but  all  his  sins  ;  and  therefore  it  is  hut  just' 
and  equal  that  he  should  turnfwm  all  his  sins.     '  If  God  be  so  faith- 
ful and  just  to  forgive  us  all  our  sins,'  1  John  i.  9,  we  must  be  so  faithful 
and  just  as  to  turn  from  all  our  sins.     The  plaster  must  be  as  broad  as 
the  sore,  and  the  tent^  as  long  and  as  deep  as  the  wound.     It  argues 
horrid  hypocrisy,  damnable  folly,  and  wonderful  impudency,  for  a  man 
to  beg  the  pardon  of  those  very  sins  that  he  is  resolved  never  to  forsake. 
Look,  as  he  that  hath  any  one  sin  forgiven  hath  all  sins  forgiven,  so 
he  that  hath  sincerely  turned  from  any  one  sin,  he  hath  turned  from 
every  sin  ;  and  he  that  hath  not  repented  him  of  all  known  sin,  he  hath 
not  yet  sincerely  repented  of  any  known  sin,  nor  as  yet  experienced  the 
sweetness  of  forgiveness  of  sin.     He  that  will  not  renounce  those  sins 
that  he  would  have  God  to  remit,  shall  be  sure  to  have  a  hell  of  guilt 
in  his  conscience.      Of  all  fools   there  is  none   to  him  that  is  very 
importunate    with    God   to   forgive   those   sins   which   he  is  resolved 
beforehand    to    commit ;   for   what   prince,    in   his  wits,    will   pardon 
his  treasons  that  is  resolved  to  continue  a  traitor  ?  or  what  judge  will 
forgive  his  thievery,  that   is   peremptorily  determined  to  continue   a 
thief  ?  or  what  husband  will  pardon  his  wife,  that  is  resolved  to  defile 
his  bed  with  other  lovers  ?     Such  as  continue  in  the  practice  of  those 
very  sins,  which  they  beg  a  pardon  of,  shall  certainly  go  without  their 
pardon.     Pardon  of  sin  is  for  that  man,  and  that  man  is  for  pardon  of 
sin,  that  is  as  truly  willing  to  forsake  his  sins  as  he  is  to  receive  the  par- 
don of  his  sins.     Who  would  not  look  upon  that  man  as  a  madman,  who 
should  earnestly  beg  his  pardon,  and  yet  before  his  pardon  is  sealed 
should  afresh  cut  purses,   and  murder  persons  before  the  eyes  of  the 
judge  ?     The  pardoned  soul  is  the  repenting  soul,  and  the  repenting  soul 
is  the  pardoned  soul :  Ps.  xxxii.  2,  '  Blessed  is  the  man  unto  whom  the 
Lord  imputeth  not  iniquity,  and  in  whose  spirit  there  is  no  guile.'     He 
that  begs  pardon  of  sin,  and  is  resolved  against  turning  from  sin,  shall 
find  no  more  sweetness  in  that  grand  promise  of  pardon,  Prov.  xxviii. 
]  3,  than  devils  or  damned  spirits  do.     Look,  as  one  sin  unforgiven  will 
as  certainly  undo  a  man  as  a  thousand,  so  one  sin  unforsaken  will  as 
certainly  undo  and  damn  a  man  as  a  thousand.     The  true  penitent  is 
as  willing  to  turn  from  all  his  sins,  as  he  is  willing  that  God  should  par- 
don all  his  sins.     But, 

[8.]  Eighthly  and  lastly,  There  is  in  everypenitent  a  sincere  hatred, 
of  sin,  a  universal  Jiatred  of  sin  :  Ps.  xcvii.  10,  '  Ye  that  love  the  Lord, 
'  '  Roll  of  lint,'  for  searching  a  wound. — G. 


424  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  Ill- 

hate  evil.'     Prov.  viii.  13,  '  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  to  hate  evil.'     Amos 
V.  15,  '  Hate  the  evil  and  love  the  good.'     Ps.  cxix.  104,  '  Through  thy 
precepts  I  get  understanding,  therefore  I  hate  every  false  way.'     Ver. 
128,  'Therefore  I  esteem  all  thy  precepts  concerning  all  things  to  be 
right  ;  and  I  hate  every  false  way.'     Ver.  113,  'I  hate  vain  thoughts, 
but  thy  law  do  I  love.'     Ver.  1G3,  '  1  hate  and  abhor  lying,  but  thy  law 
do  I  love.'     True  hatred  is  universal ;  it  is  of  the  whole  kind.^     He  who 
hates  a  toad  because  it  is  a  toad,  hates  every  toad ;  he  that  hates  a 
serpent  because  it  is  a  serpent,  hates  every  serpent  ;  he  that  hates  a 
wolf  because  it  is  a  wolf,  hates  every  wolf ;  he  that  hates  a  man  because 
he  is  holy,  hates  every  man  that  is  holy ;  and  so  he  that  hates  sin  be- 
cause it  is  sin,  hates  every  sin,  and  therefore  he  cannot  but  turn  from 
•it,  and  labour  to  be  the  death  and  ruin  of  it.     Holy  hatred  is  an  im- 
placable and  an  irreconcilable  affection.     You  shall  as  soon  reconcile  God 
and  Satan  together,  Christ  and   antichrist  together,  heaven  and  hell 
together,  as  you  shall  be  able  to  reconcile  a  penitent  soul  and  his  sin 
together.     A  true  penitent  looks  upon  every  sin  as  contrary  to  the  law 
of  God,  the  nature  of  God,  the  being  of  God,  the  glory  of  God,  and  ac- 
cordmgly  his  heart  rises  against  it.     He  looks  upon  every  sin  as  poison, 
as  the  vomit  of  a  dog,  as  the  mire  of  the  street,  as  the  menstruous  cloth, 
which  of  all  things  in  the  law  was  most  unclean,  defiling  and  polluting  ;'^ 
and  this  turns  his  heart  against  every  sin.     He  looks  upon  every  sin  as 
having  a  hand  in  apprehending,  betraying,  binding,  scourging,  condemn- 
ing and  murdering  his  Lord  and  Master  Jesus  Christ ;  and  this  works 
him  not  only  to  refrain  from  sin,  but  to  forsake  it,  and  not  only  to  for- 
sake it,  but  also  to  abhor  it,  and  to  loathe  it  more  than  hell  itself.     The 
penitent  soul  will  do  all  he  can  to  be  the  death  of  every  sin  that  has  a 
hand  in  the  death  of  his  Lord  and  Master.     He  looks  upon  the  sins  of  his 
body  to  be  the  tormentors  of  Christ's  body,  and  the  sins  of  his  soul  to 
be  the  tormentors  of  Christ's  soul,  to  be  those  that  made  his  soul  heavy 
to  the  death,  and  that  caused  the  withdrawings  of  his  Father's  love 
from  him,  and  that  forced  him  in  the  anguish  of  his  soul  to  cry  out,  '  My 
God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  V  Mat.  xxvii.  46.     And  this 
raises  up  in  him  a  universal  hatred  of  sin  ;  and  a  universal  hatred  of 
sin  always  issues  in  a  universal  turning  from  sin      Now  these  eight  argu- 
ments do  sufficiently  prove,  that  a  true  penitential  turning  is  a  universal 
turning  ;  a  turning  not  from  some  sins,  but  from  all  sins. 

Objection.  But  some  may  be  ready  to  object,  and  say,  Sir,  tJiis  is  a 
hard  saying,  who  can  hear  it,  ivho  can  hear  it,  who  shall  then  be 
saved  ?  For  if  a  man  repents  not  unless  he  turns  from  every  sin, 
then  there  is  not  a  man  to  be  found  in  all  the  tuorld  that  repents;  for 
there  is  not  a  man  in  all  the  world  that  turns  from  every  sin,  that 
forsakes  every  sin,  &c. :  1  Kings  viii.  46,  '  For  there  is  no  man  that 
sinneth  not.'  Prov.  xx.  9,  '  Who  can  say,  I  have  made  my  heart  clean, 
I  am  pure  from  my  sin  V  It  is  a  question  that  implies  a  strong  denial. 
Who  can  say,  and  say  it  truly,  that  he  is  pure  from  his  sin  ?  Surely 
none.^     He  that  shall  say  that  he  has  made  his  heart  clean,  and  that 

'  True  hatred  is  to  the  wliolo  kind — Aristotle. 

*  Pliny  saith,  tliat  the  very  trees,  with  touching  of  it,  would  become  barren.  [Nat. 
Jlist.  sitb  voce. — G."! 

3  Job  ix.  30,  31  ;  Ps.  cxxx.  3  ;  2  Chron.  vi.  86  ;  Job  xiv.  4  ;  Ps.  li.  5  ;  ponder  upon 
these  scriptures,  &c. 


Chap.  Ill]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  425 

he  is  pure  from  his  sin,  sins  in  so  saying;  and  commonly  there  are  none 
more  unclean  than  those  that  say  they  have  made  their  hearts  clean, 
nor  none  more  impure  than  they  that  say  they  are  pure  from  their  sin: 
Eccles.  vii.  20,  '  For  there  is  not  a  just  man  upon  the  earth,  that  doth 
good  and  sinneth  not.'     These  words,  in  their  absolute  sense,  are  a  full 
testimony  of  the  imperfection  of  our  inherent  righteousness  in  this  life, 
and  that  even  justified  persons  come  very  short  of  that  exact  and  per- 
fect obedience" which  the  law  requireth  :  James  iii.  2,  'For  in  many 
things  Ave  offend  all' ;  or,  as  the  Greek  hath  it,  '  we  stumble  all.'    It  is  a 
metaphor  taken  from  travellers  walking  on  stony  or  slippery  ground, 
who  are  very  apt  to  stumble  or  slide.     This  apostle  was  worthily  called 
James  the  Just,  and  yet  he  numbers  himself  among  the  rest  of  the 
sanctified  ones,  that  in  many  things  offend  all.     The  apostle  does  not 
say,  in  many  things  they  offend  all,  but  in  many  things  we  offend  all. 
We  that  have  more  gifts  than  others,  we  that  have  more  grace  than 
others,  we  that  have  more  assurance  than  others,  we  that  have  more 
experiences  than  others,  we  that  have  more  preservatives  to  keep  us 
from   sin  than  others,  even  we  in  many  things  offend  all.     Nor  the 
apostle  doth  not  say,  in  some  things  we  offend  all,  but  in  many  things 
we  offend  all ;  the  apostle  speaking  not  of  the  singular  individual  acts 
of  sin,  but  of  the  divers  sorts  of  sin.     Nor  the  apostle  does  not  say,  in 
many  things  we  m.ay  offend  all,  but  in  many  things  we  do  offend  all : 
1  John  i.  8,  '  If  we  say  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive  ourselves,  and  the 
truth  is  not  in  us.'     The  apostle  does  not  say.  If  tliou  sayest  thou  hast 
no  sin,  thou  deceivest  thyself,  as  if  he  spake  to  some  particular  person 
only ;  but  if  we  say  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive  ourselves.     Nor  the 
apostle  does  not  say,  If  ye  say  ye  have  no  sin,  ye  deceive  yourselves,  as 
if  he  intended  weak  or  ordinary  Christians  alone,  but  if  we  say  we  have 
no  sin,  we  deceive  ourselves ;  we  apostles,  we  that  in  all  grace,  and  in 
all  holiness,  and  in  all  spiritual  enjoyments  exceed  and  excel  all  others, 
even  we  sin  as  well  as  others.     He  that  is  so  ignorant  and  so  impudent, 
so  saucy  and  so  silly,  as  to  say  he  has  no  sin,  sins  in  saying  so,  and  has 
no  sincerity,  no  integrity,  nor  no  ingenuity  in  him  :  Ver.  10,  'If  we  say 
we  have  not  sinned,  we  make  him  a  liar,  and  his  word  is  not  in  us.'     As 
much  as  in  us  lies  we  make  God  a  liar,  if  we  say  we  have  not  sinned.     He 
that  says  he  has  no  sin,  he  does  no  sin,  he  does  by  consequence  charge 
God  with  falsehood,  who  hath  frequently  told  us  in  that  word  of  grace, 
that  cannot  deceive  us,  that  all  men  are  sinners,  and  that  they  have  all 
gone  astray,  and  that  they  all  need  pardoning  and  purging  grace,  and 
that  upon  these  very  accounts  he  sent  his  beloved  Son  to  lay  down  his 
dearest  life,  and  to  make  himself  an  offering  for  sin,  Isa.  liii.  3,  Rom.  x.  23 
and  V.  ]  2,  &c.     Now,  from  these  scriptures  these  two  things  are  most 
evident :  first,  that  sinful  qualities  do  remain  in  the  most  sanctified 
persons  ;  secondly,  that  these  sinful  qualities  are  sometimes  very  pre- 
valent over  the  most  sanctified  persons,  and  therefore  I  shall  answer 
the  objection  thus,  viz.  that  a  true  penitential  turning  from  all  sin  con- 
sists in  these  six  things  : 

Ans.  1.  (1.)  First,  In  the  alienation  and  inward  aversation  and 
drawing  off  of  the  soul  from  the  love  and  liking  of  all  sin,  and  from 
all  free  and  voluntary  subjection  unto  sin,  the  heart  being  filled  vjith  a 


420  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

loathing  and  detestation  of  all  sin,  Ps.  cxix.  104,  128,  as  that  which  is 
most  contrary  to  all  (joodness  and  happiness. 

(2.)  Secondly,  In  the  will's  detestation  and  hatred  of  all  sin.  When 
the  very  bent  and  inclination  of  the  will  is  set  against  all  sin,  and  opposes 
and  crosses  all  sin,  and  is  set  upon  the  ruin  and  destruction  of  all  sin, 
then  the  penitent  is  turned  from  all  sin,  Rom.  vii.  15,  19,  21,  23  ;  Isa. 
XXX.  20,  'Thou  slialt  cast  them  away  as  a  menstruous  cloth;  thou  shalt 
say  unto  it.  Get  thee  hence.'  Hosea  xiv.  8,  '  Ephraim  shall  say,  What 
have  I  to  do  any  more  with  idols?'  When  the  will  stands  upon  such 
terms  of  defiance  with  all  sin  as  that  it  will  never  enter  into  a  league  of 
friendship  with  any  sin,  then  is  the  soul  turned  away  from  every  sin. 
When  the  will  is  set  upon  avenging  itself  upon  all  sin,  and  upon  daily 
endeavours  to  mortify  and  crucify  all  sin,  then  is  the  penitent  turned 
from  all  his  sins.  When  those  sins  that  were  once  to  the  will  as  Delilah 
to  Samson,  are  now  to  the  will  as  Tamar  to  Amnon,  then  is  the  soul 
turned  from  sin  with  a  witness. 

(3.)  Thirdly,  In  the  judgment's  turning  away  from  all  sin,  by  dis- 
apjjvoving,  disalloiving,  and  condemning  of  it:  Rom.  vii.  15,  'For 
that  w^hich  I  do,  I  allow  not ;  for  what  I  would,  that  do  I  not ;  but 
wdiat  I  hate,  that  do  I.'  Oh,  saith  the  judgment  of  a  Christian,  sin  is 
the  greatest  evil  in  all  the  world ;  it  is  the  only  thing  that  God  abhors, 
and  that  brought  Jesus  Christ  to  the  cross,  that  damns  souls,  that  shuts 
heaven,  and  that  has  laid  the  foundations  of  hell.  Oh,  it  is  the  pricking 
thorn  in  my  eye,  the  deadly  arrow  in  my  side,  the  two-edged  sword  that 
hath  wounded  my  conscience,  and  slain  my  comforts,  and  separated 
between  God  and  my  soul.  Oh,  it  is  that  which  hath  hindered  my 
prayers,  and  embittered  my  mercies,  and  put  a  sting  into  all  my  crosses ; 
and  therefore  I  cannot  but  disapprove  of  it,  and  disallow  of  it,  and  con- 
demn it  to  death,  yea,  to  hell,  from  whence  it  came.  I  thus  preach  and 
thus  think,  saith  Chrysostom,  that  it  is  more  bitter  to  sin  against 
Christ,  than  to  suffer  the  torments  of  hell.  Plutarch  reports  of  Marcus 
Cato,  that  he  never  declared  his  opinion  in  any  matter  in  the  senate 
but  he  would  close  it  with  this  passage,  Methiuks  still  '  Carthage  should 
be  destroyed.'  So  whenever  a  penitent  looks  upon  his  sins  in  his  judg- 
ment, he  is  still  saying,  Methinks  these  sins  should  be  destroyed;  me- 
thinks  this  pride,  this  unbelief,  this  earthly-mindedness,  this  hypocrisy, 
this  vainglory,  &c.,  should  be  destroyed. 

(4.)  Fourthly,  In  the  purpose  and  resolution  of  the  soul,  the  soul 
sincerely  purposing  and  resolving  never  willingly,  wilfully,  or 
wickedly  to  transgress  any  more.  Ps.  xvii.  3,  '  I  have  purposed  that 
my  mouth  shall  not  transgress.'  The  general  purpose  and  resolution  of 
my  heart  is  not  to  transgress.  Though  particular  failings  may  attend 
me,  yet  my  resolutions  and  purposes  are  firmly  fixed  against  evil.  Ps. 
xxxix.  1,  '  I  said  I  will  take  heed  to  my  ways,  that  I  sin  not  Avith  my 
tongue  :  I  will  keep  my  mouth  with  a  bridle,  while  the  wicked  are 
before  me.''  David  highly  resolves  so  to  bridle  and  muzzle  up  his 
mouth,  that  he  would  not  break  out  into  any  impatient  or  unbeseem- 
ing speeches,  that  might  give  the  wicked  any  advantage  to  reproach 

'  The  true  jienitcnt  holds  up  liis  purposes  and  resolutions  to  keep  ofT  from  sin,  and  to 
keep  close  with  God,  ihougli  he  he  not  able  iu  everything,  and  at  all  times,  to  make  gimd 
his  purposes  and  resolutions,  &c. 


Chap.  III.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  427 

religion,  or  to  blaspheme  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  &c.  Anselm  was  a 
man  of  a  holy  resolution  :  '  I  had  rather,'  saith  he,  '  go  to  hell  pure  from 
sin,  than  to  heaven  polluted  with  that  filth/^  And  saith  another,  '  I 
will  rather  leap  into  a  bonfire,  than  wilfully  to  sin  against  God.'^  When 
Valens  the  emperor  threatened  Basil  with  imprisonment,  banishment, 
death  :  '  Threaten/  says  he,  '  your  boys  with  such  fray-bugs,  and  your 
purple  gallants,  that  give  themselves  to  their  pleasures  ;  I  am  resolved 
neither  menaces  nor  flatteries  shall  silence  me,  or  draw  me  to  betray  a 
good  cause,  or  a  good  conscience,'  &c. 

(5.)  Fifthly,  In  the  earnest  and  unfeigned  desires,  and  careful  endea- 
vours of  the  soul  to  abandon  all  sin,  to  forsake  all  sin,  to  he  rid  of  all 
sin,  Rom.  vii.  22,  23.  Now  where  God  sees  this  frame  of  spirit,  there 
he  will  certainly  pardon  the  failings,  and  pass  by  the  imperfections  of 
his  people  ;  and  he  '  will  spare  them  as  a  man  spareth  his  son  that  serveth 
him,'  Mai.  iii.  17.  Now  you  know,  when  a  prudent,  tender,  indulgent 
father  sees  his  child  to  fail  and  come  short  in  that  which  he  enjoins  him 
to  do,  yet  knowing  that  his  desires  and  endeavours  is  to  please  him  and 
serve  him,  he  will  not  be  harsh,  rigid,  sour,  or  severe  towards  him,  but 
will  spare  him,  and  exercise  much  tenderness  and  indulgence  towards 
him  ;  and  will  God,  will  God  whose  mercies  reach  above  the  heavens,  and 
whose  compassions  are  infinite,  and  whose  love  is  like  himself,  carry  it 
worse  towards  his  children  than  men  do  carry  it  towards  theirs  ?  Surely 
no.  God's  fatherly  indulgence  accepts  of  the  will  for  the  work,  Heb. 
xiii.  ]8,  2  Cor.  viii.  12,  as  a  father  will  accept  in  his  child  the  desire  for 
the  deed,  and  if  there  be  a  blemish  in  his  child,  he  will  pity  it,  and  cast 
a  mantle  of  love  over  it.  A  sick  man  is  not  more  desirous  to  be  rid  ot 
all  his  diseases,  nor  a  prisoner  to  be  freed  from  all  his  bolts  and  chains, 
than  the  true  penitent  is  desirous  to  be  rid  of  all  his  sins,  &c. 

(6.)  Sixthly  and  lastly.  In  the  ordinary  declining,  shunning,  and 
avoiding  of  all  known  occasions,  temptations,  'provocations,  induce- 
ments, and  enticements  to  sin,  &c.  That  royal  law,  1  Tliess.  v.  22, 
*  Abstain  from  all  appearance  of  evil,'  is  a  law  that  is  very  precious  in 
a  penitent  man's  eye,  and  commonly  lies  warm  upon  a  penitent  man's 
heart ;  so  that  take  him  in  his  ordinary  course,  and  you  shall  find  him 
very  ready  to  shun  and  be  shy  of  the  very  appearances  of  sin,  of  the  very 
shows  and  shadows  of  sin.^  Job  made  a  covenant  with  his  eyes,  Job 
xxxi.  1  ;  and  Joseph  would  not  hearken  to  his  bold  tempting  mistress, 
to  lie  with  her,  or  to  be  with  her,  Gen.  xxxix.  10  ;  and  David,  when  him- 
self, would  not  sit  with  vain  persons,  Ps.  xxvi.  8-5  ;  and  at  another  time 
he  refused  to  take  the  threshing-floor,  oxen,  and  threshing  instruments 
of  Araunah  as  a  gift,  but  would  buy  them,  because  he  would  avoid  the 
very  show  of  covetousness,  as  some  conceive,  2  Sam.  xxiv.  20,  seq.  Austin 
being  often  ensnared  in  uncleanness  in  his  younger  days,  before  his  con- 
version, he  was  exceeding  careful  to  avoid  all  occasions  of  it  afterwards. 

Now  a  true  penitential  turning  from  all  sin  lies  in  these  six  things, 
and  therefore  you  had  need  look  about  you  ;  for  if  there  be  any 
one  way  of  wickedness  wherein  you  walk,  and  which  you  are  resolved 
you  will  not  forsake,  you  are  no  true  penitents,  and  you  will  certainly 
lose  your  souls,  and  all  the  great  and  glorious  things  of  another  world. 

^  In  '  Cur  Deus  homo  9' — G. 

2  See  Judges  xxiii.  ;  £xod.  xxiii.  7  ;  Prov.  xxii.  3,  and  xxvii.  12  ;  Prov.  v.  8. 


428  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

The  third  an.swer. 

Ans.  3.  Tliirdlv,  A  true  penitential  turning  is  a  constant  and  con- 
tinued turning  from  sin,  2  Chron.  vii.  14.  As  it  is  total  in  respect 
of  the  act,  so  it  is  final  in  respect  of  the  time.  True  repentance  takes 
an  everlasting  farewell,  an  everlasting  adieu  of  sin.  It  saith  with  the 
spouse,  Cant.  v.  3,  'I  have  put  off  my  coat,  how  shall  I  put  it  on  ?'  I 
have  found  the  smart  of  sin,  I  have  put  off  the  garments  of  the  old  man, 
the  rags  of  old  Adam,  and  how  shall  I  put  them  on  again  ?  The  burnt 
child  Avill  dread  the  hre.  The  man  that  hath  smarted  for  suretyship 
will  by  no  means  be  persuaded  to  come  into  bonds.  Though  you  urge 
him  to  it  never  so  frequently,  never  so  strongly,  never  so  rhetorically, 
yet  he  will  tell  you  he  has  smarted  for  it,  he  has  paid  dear  for  it,  and  there- 
fore you  must  excuse  him  ;  he  has  peremptorily  resolved,  nay,  he  hath 
seriously  vowed  against  it ;  and  though  he  be  never  so  much  entreated, 
and  by  variety  of  arguments  importuned,  yet  still  he  remains  inexorable, 
A  Christian  that  hath  truly  repented,  is  so  sensible  of  the  freeness  and 
sweetness  of  the  grace  of  God  on  the  one  hand,  and  of  the  weight  of  sin 
and  wrath  of  God  on  the  other  hand,  that  he  is  highly  resolved  never  to 
have  any  more  to  do  with  idols,  never  to  meddle  more  with  those  burn- 
ing coals,  Ps.  xl.  12,  Hos.  xiv.  8.  True  repentance  is  a  continued  act, 
'  a  repentance  never  to  be  repented  of.'  The  true  penitent  is  every  day 
a-turniug  further  and  further  from  sin,  and  nearer  and  nearer  to  God. 
There  is  nothing  that  fetches  so  many  tears  from  a  penitent  man's  eyes, 
nor  so  many  sighs  and  groans  from  a  penitent  man's  heart,  as  this,  that 
he  can  get  no  further  off'  from  sin,  and  that  he  can  get  no  nearer  nor  no 
closer  to  God.  Repentance  for  sin,  and  a  willing  continuance  in  sin, 
cannot  consist  in  the  same  subject.  A  sincere  penitent  makes  as  much 
conscience  of  repenting  daily,  as  he  doth  of  believing  daily,  and  he  can 
as  easily  content  himself  with  one  act  of  faith,  or  love,  or  fear,  or  hope, 
or  joy,  or  obedience,  as  he  can  content  himself  with  one  act  of  repent- 
ance. '  My  sins  are  ever  before  me,'  Ps.  li.  3.  This  is  the  voice  of 
every  true  penitent :  Oh  that  I  might  sin  no  more  !  Oh  that  I  might 
never  dishonour  God  more  !  Oh  that  I  might  never  walk  contrary  to 
Jesus  Christ  more !  Oh  that  I  might  never  grieve  the  Spirit  of  grace 
more  !  To  sin  is  common  to  man,  yea,  to  the  best  man  in  all  the  world ; 
but  to  continue  in  a  course  of  sin,  is  only  proper  to  a  wicked  man.^  To 
err  and  fail,  that  is  human  ;  but  to  maintain  a  league  or  friendship  with 
sin,  that  is  diabolical.  Though  a  true  penitent  dares  not  continue  in  a 
trade,  a  path  of  sin,  whilst  he  lives  in  this  world,  yet  sin  will  continue 
in  him  whilst  he  continues  in  this  world.  Though  sin  and  grace  were 
not  born  together,  and  though  sin  and  grace  shall  never  die  together, 
yet  whilst  a  penitent  man  lives  in  this  world  they  must  live  together. 
It  is  one  thing  for  sin  to  continue  in  us,  and  it  is  another  thing  for  us 
to  continue  in  sin.  The  apostle  having  closed  the  fifth  chapter  of  his 
Epistle  to  the  Romans,  in  the  triumph  of  gospel  grace,  that  '  As  sin 
hath  reigned  unto  death,  so  grace  might  reign  through  righteousness 
unto  eternal  life  by  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,'  begins  the  next  with  a  pre- 
vention of  the  abuse  of  this  grace  ;  '  What  shall  we  say  then  ?  shall  we 
continue  in  sin,  that  grace  may  abound  ?  God  forbid.  How  shall  we, 
that  are  dead  to  sin,  live  any  longer  therein  ?'  Rom.  vi.  1,  2.  To  live 
*  1  Joliu  i.  8, 10,  V,  19  ;  Isa.  xxviii.  15,  18  ;  Ps.  cxxxix.  24  ;  Rom.  vii.  22,  23. 


Chap.  III.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  429 

in  sin,  in  the  face  of  gospel  grace,  is  most  unreasonable,  and  to  a  gracious 
and  ingenuous  nature  impossible.  The  very  question  implies  a  kind  of 
impossibility.  Such  as  were  once  dead  in  sin,  and  now  by  gospel  orace 
are  dead  to  sin,  such  can  no  longer  continue  in  sin.  Look,  as  it  is  not 
the  mere  falling  into  the  water  that  drowns  a  man,  but  his  lyincr  aud 
continuing  in  it  ;  so  it  is  not  a  mere  falling  into  sin  that  damns  a  man, 
that  drowns  a  man,  that  everlastingly  undoes  a  man,  but  his  living  in 
it,  his  continuing  in  it.  It  is  bad  to  sin,  but  it  is  infinitely  worse  to 
continue  in  sin.  The  first  best  is  not  to  sin,  the  next  best  is  not  to 
continue  in  sin,  no  not  for  an  hour,  as  Paul  speaks  in  another  case, 
Gal.  ii.  5,  '  To  whom  we  gave  place  by  subjection,  no  not  for  an  hour.' 
Certainly  to  argue  from  gospel  mercy  to  sinful  liberty,  is  the  devil's 
logic.  The  more  a  man  lives  in  the  sight  of  gospel  grace,  the  more  sin 
will  be  discountenanced,  resisted,  hated,  and  totally  displaced..  A  man 
may  as  truly  assert  that  the  sea  burns,  or  that  the  fire  cools,  or  that  the 
sun  darkens  the  air,  as  he  may  assert  that  the  sight,  sense,  or  sweet  of 
gospel  grace  will  breed  security  or  carnality,  looseness  or  wickedness,  in 
a  gracious  heart.  The  true  penitent  never  ceases  repenting,  till  he 
ceases  living.  He  goes  to  heaven  with  the  joyful  tears  of  repentance 
in  his  eyes ;  he  knows  that  his  whole  life  is  but  a  day  of  sowino-  tears, 
that  he  may  at  last  reap  everlasting  joys.  True  repentance  makes  a 
final  and  everlasting  separation  between  sin  and  the  soul.  It  makes 
such  an  absolute  and  complete  divorce  between  sin  and  the  soul,  and 
casts  them  so  far  asunder,  that  no  power  nor  policy  can  ever  bring  them 
to  meet  as  lovers  together.  The  true  penitent  looks  upon  sin  as  an 
enemy,  and  deals  with  it  as  Amnon  dealt  with  Tamar:  2  Sam.  xiii.  15, 
'  And  Amnon  hated  her  exceedingly,  so  that  the  hatred  wherewith  he 
hated  her,  was  greater  than  the  love  wherewith  he  had  loved  her ;  and 
Amnon  said  unto  her,  Arise,  be  gone.'  And  just  thus  doth  the  penitent 
soul  carry  it  towards  sin.  He  that  truly  repents,  so  turns  from  his  sins, 
that  he  never  returns  to  the  bondage  and  service  of  his  sins  any  more, 
Isa.  XXX.  22,  '  Ye  shall  defile  also  the  covering  of  thy  graven  images  of 
silver,  and  the  ornament  of  th}'  molten  images  of  gold  :  thou  shalt  cast 
them  away  as  a  menstruous  cloth ;  thou  shalt  say  unto  it.  Get  thee  hence.' 
Isa.  i.  16,  Ps.  Ixxxv.  8. 

But  now  the  repentance  of  hypocrites  is  not  constant,  but  inconstant ; 
it  is  not  stedfast,  but  unstedfast ;  it  is  not  permanent,  but  transient ;  it 
is  quickly  on,  as  quickly  off.  'Come,'  say  they,  in  that  Hosea  vi.  1, 
'  and  let  us  return  unto  the  Lord.'  But  ver.  4,  '  O  Ephraim  !  what  shall 
I  do  unto  thee  ?  O  Judah,  what  shall  I  do  unto  thee  ?  for  3'Our  good- 
ness is  as  a  morning  cloud,  and  as  the  early  dew  it  goeth  away.'  The 
hypocrite's  repentance  is  like  Jonah's  gourd,  which  came  up  in  a  nio-ht, 
and  perished  in  a  night,  Jonah  iv.  10.  An  hypocrite's  repentance 
springs  from  mutable  grounds,  causes,  considerations  and  circumstances ; 
aud  therefore  it  is  compared  to  a  deceitful  bow,  Hosea  vii.  16 ;  it  is  as 
variable  as  the  wind.  An  hypocrite  is  only  constant  in  inconstancy, 
Ps.  Ixxviii.  8,  'whose  spirit  was  not  stedfast  with  God.'  Ver.  37, 
'  Neither  were  they  stedfast  in  his  covenant,'  &c.  An  hypocrite  puts  off 
his  sins  in  the  day  of  adversity,  as  he  doth  his  garments  when  he  o-oes 
to  bed,  with  an  intent  to  put  them  on  again  in  the  morning  of  pros- 
perity.    Yer.  34-36,  '  When  he  slew  them,  then  they  sought  him  ;  and 


430  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

they  returned  and  inquired  early  after  God :  and  they  remembered  that 
God  was  their  rock,  and  the  high  God  tlieir  Redeemer.  Nevertheless 
they  did  flatter  him  witli  their  mouth,  and  they  lied  unto  him  with  their 
tongues.'  In  the  language  of  the  l)lcssed  Scripture,  he  is  a  dog  that 
returns  to  his  vomit  again,  and  such  a  dog  was  Judas  ;  and  he  is  a 
swine  that  returns  to  the  wallowing  in  the  mire  again,  and  such  a  swine 
was  Dcmas  ;  and  such  dogs  and  swine  are  all  hypocrites,  2  Peter  ii. 
20-22.  It  is  an  extraordinary  vanity  in  some  men  to  lay  aside  their 
sins  for  a  time,  but  with  a  purpo.se  to  return  to  them  again  ;  as  they 
fable  it  of  the  serpent  that  layeth  aside  his  poison  when  he  goeth  to 
drink,  and  when  he  hath  drunk  he  returns  to  it  again.  It  is  a  sad  and 
sore  evil,  when  men  say  to  their  lusts,  as  Abraham  said  to  his  servants, 
'  Abide  you  here,  and  I  will  go  and  worsliip,  and  return  again  unto 
you,'  Gen.  xxii.  5.  Doubtless  such  souls  are  as  far  otf  from  sound  re- 
pentance as  light  is  from  darkness,  or  as  hell  is  from  heaven,  &c. 

Quest.  But  in  what  respects  is  a  true  penitential  turning  from  sin 
such  a  turning  from  sin  as  never  to  return  to  sin  any  more  ?  In 
what  respects  is  the  penitent's  turning  from  sin  a  continued  and 
stedfast  turning  from  sin  ?  iScc. 

Ans.  This  is  a  very  sober,  serious,  weighty  question,  and  bespeaks 
a  very  sober,  serious,  and  satisfactory  answer,  and  therefore  I  would 
answer  the  question,  (1.)  negatively  ;  (2.)  affirmatively,  &c. 

[1.]  Negatively,  It  is  not  such  a  turning  from  sin  as  never  to  sin 
more.  1  Kings  viii.  46,  '  For  there  is  no  man  that  sinneth  not.'  Prov. 
XX.  9,  'Who  can  say,  I  have  made  my  heart  clean?  I  am  pure  from 
my  sin  ?'  Prov.  xxiv.  16,  '  A  just  man  falleth  seven  times,  and  riseth 
again.'  Eccles.  vii.  20,  '  For  there  is  not  a  just  man  upon  the  earth 
that  doth  good,  and  sinneth  not.'  Luke  xvii.  4,  '  If  he  trespass  against 
thee  seven  times  in  a  day,  and  seven  times  in  a  day  turn  again  unto 
thee,  saying,  I  repent,  thou  shalt  forgive  him.'  Mat.  xviii.  21,  22, 
'  Then  came  Peter  to  him,  and  said.  Lord,  how  oft  shall  my  brother  sin 
against  me,  and  I  forgive  him ;  till  seven  times  ?  Jesus  saith  unto  him, 
I  say  not  unto  thee,  until  seven  times,  but  until  seventy  times  seven.' 
James  iii.  2,  '  For  in  many  things  we  offend  all ; '  or  we  stumble  all,  as 
the  Greek  has  it.  1  John  i.  8,  '  If  we  say  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive 
ourselves,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  us.'  Ver.  10,  '  If  we  say  we  have  not 
sinned,  w^e  make  him  a  liar,  and  his  word  is  not  in  us.  And  what  did 
the  continual  burnt-offering  which  was  to  be  made  day  by  day  import, 
but  a  daily  sinning,  and  expiating  of  it?  &c..  Num.  xxviii.  3.  Such  is 
the  universal  corruption  of  human  nature,  that  the  souls  of  the  best,  of 
the  purest,  and  of  the  holiest  men  in  the  world,  do  from  day  to  day, 
yea,  from  moment  to  moment,  contract  some  filth  and  uncleanness. 
The  choicest  saints  can  never  acquit  themselves  from  sins  of  infirmity, 
such  as  do  inevitably  and  inseparably  cleave  unto  the  best  of  men, 
especially  considering  the  state  and  condition  wherein  they  are,  carrying 
still  about  them  corrupt  flesh  and  blood.  Methodius'  compares  the  in- 
bred corruptions  of  man's  heart  to  a  wild  fig-tree,  grooving  upon  the 
wall  of  some  goodly  temple  or  stately  palace,  whereof  although  the  main 
trunk  of  the  stem  be  broke  off,  and  stump  of  the  root  be  plucked  up, 
yet  the  fibrous  strings  of  it  piercing  into  the  joints  of  the  stone-work, 
1  The  Martyr  of  Chalcis,  a.d.  302-303.— Q. 


Chap.  III.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  431 

will  not  be  utterly  extracted,  but  will  be  ever  and  anon  shooting  and 
sprouting  out,  until  the  whole  frame  of  the  building  be  dissolved,  and 
the  stone  work  thereof  be  disjointed  and  pulled  in  pieces, 

[2.]  Secondly,  It  is  not  such  a  turning  from  sin,  as  that  the  true 
penitent  shall  never  relapse  into  the  same  kind  of  sin  any  m^ore;  for 
a  true  penitent  may  fall  into  the  same  sin  again  and  again.  It  was  a 
sin  for  the  disciples  to  sleep  when  Christ  had  commanded  them  to  watch 
and  pray,  and  yet  they  slept  again  and  again,  Mat.  xxvi.  4G-45.  The 
prophet  Jonah  was  a  holy  man,  and  yet  he  relapsed  into  passion  and 
discontent  with  God  again  and  again  ;  he  was  discontent  with  the  work 
God  set  him  about ;  therefore  he  flieth  to  Tarshish,  Jonah  i.  2,  3  ;  and 
sorrows  for  it,  and  confesseth  that  they  that  '  trust  upon  lying  vanities 
forsake  their  own  mercies,'  chap.  ii.  8 ;  and  yet  when  God  had  shewed 
mercy  to  Nineveh,  he  was  exceedingly  discontented  with  God  again  : 
Jonah  iv.  1,  '  But  it  displeased  Jonah  exceedingly,  and  he  was  very 
angry.'  And  when  the  Lord,  who  might  have  sent  him  to  his  grave, 
or  affrowned  him  to  hell,  reasons  lovingly,  sweetly,  and  mildly  with  him, 
to  take  him  off  from  his  passion,  chap.  iv.  3,  4,  and  provides  for  him  in 
his  extremity  ;  yet  upon  a  very  small  occasion,  viz.,  the  taking  away  of 
a  gourd  or  shrub,  which  God  did  to  convince  him  of  his  folly  and  wasp- 
ishness  of  spirit,  he  breaks  out  again  into  the  same  passion,  or  worse,  as 
if  he  had  never  seen  the  evil  of  it,  or  been  humbled  for  it  :  Jonah  iv. 
8,  9,  'I  am  greatly  angry,'  or  I  do  well  to  be  angry,  'even  unto  death.'  And 
that  is  very  considerable  that  Job  speaks  concerning  his  friends  :  Job 
xix.  3,  '  These  ten  times  have  ye  reproached  me,  yet  are  ye  not  ashamed.' 
It  is  a  sin  to  reproach  any  man  ;  it  is  a  greater  to  reproach  a  godly 
man;  but  yet  greater  to  reproach  a  godly  man  under  sad  and  sore 
afflictions  ;  but  yet  greatest  of  all  to  reproach  a  godly  man  under  his 
sufferings,  often,  frequently ;  yet,  saith  Job,  '  These  ten  times  have  ye 
reproached  me ;'  and  yet  Job's  friends  were  not  only  godly,  but  emi- 
nently godly.  By  this  sad  instance  it  is  evident,  that  gracious  men, 
yea,  that  men  eminently  gracious,  may  fall  into  the  same  sin  again  and 
again,  yea,  ten  times,  that  is,  often.  Though  Christ  told  his  disciples 
that  his  kingdom  was  not  of  this  world,  yet  at  three  several  times  their 
pride  and  ambitious  humour  put  them  upon  striving  for  pre-eminence 
and  worldly  greatness.^  King  Jehoshaphat,  though  he  was  a  godly 
man,  yet  he  joins  affinity  with  that  nonsuch  wicked  Ahab,  for  which  he 
was  smartly  reproved  by  the  prophet :  2  Chron.  xix.  2,  *  And  Jehu  went 
out  to  meet  him,  and  said  to  king  Jehoshaphat,  Shouldst  thou  help 
the  ungodly,  and  love  them  that  hate  the  Lord  ?  therefore  is  wrath 
upon  thee  from  the  Lord.'  Now,  though  this  gracious  prince  was  thus 
reproved  and  saved,  even  by  a  miracle  of  mercy, — 2  Chron.  xviii.  1,  2,  3, 
30,  31  compared ; — yet  soon  after  he  falls  into  the  same  sin  again,  and 
joins  himself  with  Ahaziah,  king  of  Israel,  who  did  very  wickedly, 
2  Chron.  xx.  35,  36,  and  for  which  he  is  severely  reproved  in  ver.  37. 
'  Then  Eliezer,  the  son  of  Dodavah  of  Mareshah,  prophesied  against 
Jehoshaphat,  saying.  Because  thou  hast  joined  thyself  with  Ahaziah, 
the  Lord  hath  broken  thy  works.  And  the  ships  were  broken,  that 
they  were  not  able  to  go  to  Tarshish.'  Lot  was  twice  overcome  with 
wine,  &c.,  and  Abraham,  though  the  father  of  the  faithful,  yet  falls  once 
'  John  xviii.  36  j  Mat.  xviii.  1-4  ;  Mark  ix.  34 ;  Luke  ix.  46,  and  xxii.  24,  26. 


4:^2  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

and  again  into  the  same  sin:  Gen.  xii.  11-13,  compared  with  chap.  xx. 
1,  2,  a,  4,  13.  Peter  falls  once  and  again  into  the  same  sin  ;  and  John 
twice  worshipped  the  angel ;  and  Samson,  who  is  by  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  numbered  amongst  those  worthies  of  whom  this  world  was  not 
worthy,  Hcb.  xi.  32,  83,  38,  fell  again  and  again  into  the  same  gross 
sin,  as  is  evident  in  tlie  14tli,  15th,  and  16th  chapters  of  the  book  of 
Judges.  And  the  church  confesses,  that  their  backslidings  are  many,  Jer. 
xiv.  7.  By'all  which  it  is  most  evident,  that  good  men  may  fall  again 
and  again  into  the  same  sin  ;  and  no  wonder,  for  though  their  repent- 
ance be  never  so  sincere  and  sound,  yet  their  graces  are  but  weak, 
and  their  mortification  but  imperfect  in  this  life,  and  therefore  it  is  pos- 
sible for  a  gracious  soul  to  fall  again  and  again  into  the  same  sin.  If 
the  fire  be  not  wholly  put  out,  who  will  think  it  impossible  that  it  should 
catch,  and  burn  again  and  again  ? 

I  readily  grant  that  the  Lord  hath  graciously  promised  to  heal  the 
backslidings  of  his  people  :  Hosea  xiv.  4,  and  so  Jer.  iii.  22,  '  Return,  ye 
backsliding  children,  and  I  will  heal  your  backslidings  :  behold  we  come 
unto  thee,  for  thou  art  the  Lord  our  God.'  See  Jer  iii.  1,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8, 
12,  14.  But  I  can  nowhere  find  in  all  the  Scriptures,  that  God  hath 
engaged  himself  by  any  particular  promise  or  promises,  that  Christians 
truly  converted,  truly  penitent,  shall  never  fall  again  and  again  into 
the  same  sins  after  their  conversion.  I  cannot  find  in  all  the  book  of  God, 
where  God  has  engaged  himself  to  give  such  strength  or  power  against 
this  sin  or  that,  as  that  a  Christian  shall  be  for  ever,  in  this  life,  put  out 
of  all  possibility  of  falling  again  and  again  into  the  same  sins.  No  per- 
son on  earth  can  shew  such  a  promise,  that  when  a  Christian  has  been 
thus  or  thus  troubled,  grieved,  humbled,  or  melted  for  his  sins,  that 
then  God  will  assuredly  preserve  him  from  ever  faUing  into  the  same 
sins  again.  The  sight  of  such  a  promise  under  God's  own  hand,  would 
]>e  as  life  from  the  dead  to  all  real  Christians,  who  fear  nothing  more 
than  the  sin  of  backsliding.  Certainly,  there  is  no  such  power  or  infi- 
nite virtue  in  the  greatest  horrors  or  terrors,  troubles  or  sorrows,  that 
the  soul  can  be  under  for  sin,  nor  in  the  fullest,  sweetest,  or  choicest 
discoveries  of  God's  rich  grace  and  free  love  to  the  soul,  as  for  ever  to 
fence  and  secure  the  soul  from  relapsing  into  the  same  sin  again  and 
ao-ain.  Though  grace  be  a  glorious  creature,  yet  it  is  but  a  creature. 
Grace  is  but  a  created  habit,  that  may  be  prevailed  against  by  Satan's 
temptations,  and  by  the  strong,  secret,  and  subtle  workings  of  sin  in 
our  hearts.  But  this  must  be  carefully  minded  and  remembered,  that 
though  the  saints  may  and  do  sometimes  relapse,  yet  they  do  not  re- 
lapse in  such  a  manner  as  wicked  men  do  relapse.     For, 

(1.)  First,  Theydooiotrelapsevolunta7'iiy,butinvoluntarilij.  Involun- 
tary relapses  are  when  the  resolution  and  full  bent  of  the  heart  is  against 
sm,  when  the  soul  strives  with  all  its  might  against  sin,  by  sighs  and 
groans,  by  prayers  and  tears,  and  yet  by  some  invincible  weakness  is 
forced  to  fall  back  into  sin  again,  because  there  is  not  spiritual  strength 
enough  to  overcome. 

(2.)  Secondly,  They  do  not  relapse  out  of  choice,  as  wicked  men  do, 
Isa.  Ixvi.  3. 

(3.)  Thirdly,  They  do  not  relapse  out  of  any  delight  that  they  take  in 
relapsing.     Witness  their  sad  complaints,  their  great  lamentations,  and 


Chap.  III.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  433 

their  bitter  mournings  over  their  relapses.  Relapses  into  diseases,  and 
relapses  into  sins,  are  more  troublesome  and  dangerous  than  they  are 
any  ways  delightful  to  all  that  are  in  their  wits. 

(4.)  Fourthly,  They  do  not  relapse  out  of  any  settled  puoyose  or  resolu- 
tion of  heart  to  relapse,  as  wicked  men  do,  Jer.  ii.  25.  All  the  relapses 
of  a  saint  are  against  the  settled  bent,  bias,  and  resolution  of  his  soul. 

(5.)  Fifthly,  They  do  not  relapse  out  of  any  love  or  longing  to  relapse, 
as  wicked  men  do,  who  long  and  love  to  return  to  the  flesh-pots  of  EgyjDt. 

(6.)  Sixthly,  They  do  not  relapse  into  enormities,  as  wicked  men  do,  for 
it  is  not  usual  with  God  to  leave  his  people  frequently  to  relapse  into 
enormities ;  for  by  his  Spirit  and  grace,  by  his  smiles  and  frowns,  by 
his  word  and  rod,  he  doth  commonly  preserve  his  people  from  a  com- 
mon, a  frequent  relapsing  into  enormities,  into  gross  wickednesses. 
The  common  and  ordinary  relapses  of  the  people  of  God  are  relapses 
into  infirmities,  as  idle  words,  passion,  hastiness,  rashness,  vain  thoughts, 
&c.,  and  these  God  pardons  in  course  ;  but  the  common  and  ordinary 
relapses  of  wicked  men  are  relapses  into  enormities,  into  gross  impieties. 

(7.)  Seventhly,  They  do  not  relapse  habitually,  constantly,  as  wicked  men 
do.  Their  relapses  are  transient,  not  permanent,  they  are  not  of  course. 
A  sheep  may  fall  into  the  mire,  but  a  swine  wallows  in  the  mire,  &c. 

[2.]  But,  secondly,  I  answer  affirmatively,  That  notwitlistanding  all 
this,  yet  a  true  penitential  turning  from  sin  is  a  continued  and  sted- 
fast  turning  from  sin,^  and  that  in  these  five  respects  : — 

(1.)  First,  In  respect  of  his  habitual  purpose  and  resolution  not  to 
sin:  Ps.  xxxix.  1,  '  I  said  I  will  take  heed  to  my  ways,  that  I  sin  not 
with  my  tongue  ;  I  will  keep  my  mouth  with  a  bridle,  while  the  wicked 
is  before  me.'  David  resolves  to  lay  a  law  of  restraint  upon  his  tongue, 
and  to  clap  a  muzzle  upon  his  mouth,  whilst  he  was  in  the  presence  of 
the  wicked,  who  did  lie  at  the  catch  to  ensnare  him  and  trepan  him.  Come 
health,  come  sickness,  come  honour,  come  reproach,  come  poverty,  come 
plenty,  come  liberty,  come  restraint,  come  life,  come  death,  the  true 
penitent  is  fixed  in  his  purpose  and  resolution  not  to  sin.  Jerome  writes 
of  a  brave  woman,  that  being  upon  the  rack,  told  her  persecutors  that 
they  might  do  their  worst,  for  she  was  firmly  resolved  rather  to  die 
than  lie. 

(2.)  Secondly,  In  respect  of  his  habitual  desires,  which  are,  that  he 
may  not  sin :  Ps.  cxix.  ]  33,  '  Order  my  steps  in  thy  word,  and  let  not 
any  iniquity  have  dominion  over  me.'  David's  great  desire  is  that  he 
may  walk  as  in  a  frame,  that  he  may  walk  by  line  and  rule,  exactly, 
accurately  ;  and  that  though  sin  did  dwell  in  him,  that  yet  it  might  not 
reign  in  him  ;  and  though  it  did  rebel  in  him,  that  yet  it  might  not 
have  dominion  over  him.  He  would  have  his  sins  to  be  like  those  beasts 
in  Daniel,  whose  dominion  was  taken  away,  though  their  lives  were  pro- 
longed for  a  season  and  a  time,  chap.  vii.  12  ;  Ps.  cxix.  10,  '  0  !  let  me 
not  wander  from  thy  commandments.'  Ver.  36,  '  Incline  my  heart  unto 
thy  testimonies,  and  not  to  covetousness.'  Under  the  name  of  covet- 
ousness  all  manner  of  viciousness  is  to  be  understood,  that  being  the 
root  of  all  evil,  1  Tim.  vi.  10. 

(3.)  Thirdly,  l7i  respect  of  his  habitual  endeavours,  which  still  are 
not  to  sin.     The  ordinary  and  habitual  endeavours  of  a  true  penitent 
1  See  my  Treatise  on  Holiness,  pp.  507-509.— [Vol.  IV.— G.] 

VOL.  III.  E  e 


431'  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  III. 

are  still  set  against  sin.  He  ordinarily  rows  against  the  stream  of  sin, 
though  sometimes  the  stream  proves  too  strong  for  him:  Ps.  cxix.  11, 
'  Tliy  word  have  I  hid  in  my  heart,  that  I  might  not  sin  against  thee.' 
He  hides  the  word  in  his  heart  as  a  treasure,  that  he  might  not  lose 
it,  and  as  a  rule,  that  he  might  not  transgress  against  it.  The  law  of 
God  kept  close  in  the  heart  is  the  best  armour  of  proof  against  evil 
lusts.  David  locks  up  the  law  of  God  in  his  heart,  as  in  a  chest  or 
cabinet,  to  secure  him  against  Satan's  ambushes  and  assaults  on  the  one 
hand,  and  to  preserve  him  from  sin  on  the  other  hand.  So  Ps.  xviii. 
23,  '  I  have  kept  myself  from  mine  iniquity.' 

(4.)  Fourthly,  In  respect  of  his  habitual  hatred  of  sin.  Although 
the  true  penitent  does  sometimes  sin,  yet  he  always  hates  the  evil  he 
does.  There  is  a  firm  and  fixed  hatred  in  his  soul  against  sin  :  Ps.  cxix. 
104, '  Therefore  I  hate  every  false  way.'  Ver.  113, '  I  hate  vain  thoughts.' 
Ver.  1G3,  'I  hate  and  abhor  lying.'  So  Pom.  vii.  15,  '  The  evil  that  I 
hate,  that  I  do.'  A  penitent  heart  usually  rises  and  swells  against  the 
toad  in  the  bosom.  Some  say,  that  there  is  such  a  native  dread  and 
terror  of  the  hawk  implanted  in  the  dove,  that  she  is  afraid  of  every 
feather,  and  that  she  detests  and  abhors  the  very  sight  of  any  feather 
that  hath  grown  upon  a  hawk  ;  so  there  is  such  a  detestation  and  ab- 
horrency  of  sin  divinely  implanted  in  every  penitent  man's  heart,  that  he 
cannot  but  hate  everything  that  looks  like  it,  or  that  belongs  to  it,  or 
that  comes  from  it. 

(5.)  Fifthly,  In  respect  of  his  constant  path,  or  continued  way,  or 
course  of  life,  which  is  quite  opposite  and  contrary  to  sin  :  Gal.  v.  17, 
Isa.  XXVI.  7,  'The  way  of  the  just  is  uprightness.'  Prov.  xvi.  17,  '  The 
highway  of  the  upright  is  to  depart  from  evil.'  It  is  as  common  and 
ordinary  for  upright  persons  to  depart  from  evil,  as  it  is  for  passengers 
to  keep  the  king's  highways.  Though  an  upright  man,  through  mis- 
take or  weakness  of  grace,  or  violence  of  temptation,  may  step  out  of  a 
way  of  holiness,  yet  walking  in  a  way  of  wickedness  cannot  be  charged 
upon  him  :  Ps.  cxxxix.  23,  24,  '  Search  me,  O  God!  and  know  my  heart; 
try  me,  and  know  my  thoughts,  and  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in 
me,  and  lead  me  in  the  way  everlasting.'  You  know  the  path  and 
practice  of  ]-)enitent  Zaccheus,  of  penitent  Paul,  and  of  the  penitent 
jailor,  was  quite  contrary  to  those  ways  of  wickedness  that  they  had 
formerly  walked  in. 

The  fourth  answer. 

Ans.  4.  But  fourthly  and  lastly.  As  a  true  penitential  turning  from 
sin  is  a  constant  and  continvied  turning  from  sin,  so  it  is  a  returning 
to  God.  Sin  is  an  aversion  from  God,  and  repentance  is  a  conversion 
to  God,  Acts  xxvi.  18.  Sound  repentance  is  not  only  a  ceasing  from 
doing  evil,  but  also  a  learning  to  do  well,  Isa.  i.  16,  17.  Repentance 
and  turning  to  God  are  joined  together,  as  being  one  and  the  same 
thing.  Acts  xxvi.  20.  The  prodigal's  repenting  was  his  returning  to  his 
father :  Luke  xv.  17,  '  When  he  came  to  himself,  he  said,  I  will  arise 
and  go  to  my  father,  and  say,  Father,  I  have  sinned  against  heaven  and 
before  thee.'  &c.  The  Hebrew  word  for  repentance  is  from  yw,  shob, 
which  signifies  to  return,  implying  a  going  back  from  what  a  man  had 
done.  It  notes  a  returning  or  converting  from  one  thing  to  another,  as 
from  sin  to  God,  from  evil  to  good,  from  hell  to  heaven.     The  common 


Chap.  III.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  485 

call  of  sinners  to  repentance  is  to  turn  from  sin,  and  to  return  to  God : 
Isa.  Iv.  7,  '  Let  the  wicked  forsake  bis  way,  and  the  unrighteous  man 
his  thoughts,  and  let  him  retiu'n  unto  the  Lord/  &c.  Jer.  i.  4,  '  If  thou 
wilt  return,  O  Israel,  saith  the  Lord,  return  unto  me  ;  and  if  thou  wilt 
put  away  thine  abominations  out  of  my  sight,  then  shalt  thou  not  re- 
move.' And  so  chap,  xviii.  11,  'Return  ye  now  every  one  from  his  evil 
way,  and  make  your  way  and  your  doings  good.'  1  Peter  ii.  25,  '  For 
ye  were  as  sheep  going  astray,  but  are  now  returned  unto  the  shepherd 
and  bishop  of  your  souls.''  It  is  not  enough  for  a  sinner  to  forsake  his 
sins,  but  he  must  also  return  to  the  Lord.  The  true  penitent  subjects 
his  heart  to  the  power  of  divine  grace,  and  his  Life  to  the  blessed  will 
and  word  of  God.  Look,  as  negative  goodness  can  never  satisfy  a  peni- 
tent soul,  so  negative  goodness  can  never  save  an  impenitent  soul.  It 
is  not  enough,  O  man,  that  thou  art  not  thus  and  thus  bad,  but  thou 
must  be  thus  and  thus  good,  or  thou  wilt  be  miserable  for  ever :  Ezek. 
xviii.  21,  '  But  if  the  wicked  will  turn  from  all  his  sins  that  he  hath 
committed,  and  keep  all  my  statutes,  and  do  that  which  is  lawful  and 
right,  he  shall  purely  live,  he  shall  not  die.'  Negative  righteousness 
and  holiness  is  no  righteousness,  no  holiness  in  the  account  of  God.  It 
was  not  the  pharisee's  negative  righteousness,  nor  his  comparative 
goodness,  that  could  prevent  his  being  rejected  of  God,  or  his  being 
shut  out  of  heaven,  or  his  being  turned  into  hell,  Luke  xviii.  5,  Mat. 
XX.  13,  14.  It  is  not  enough  that  the  tree  bears  no  ill  fruit,  but  it 
must  bring  forth  good  fruit,  else  it  must  be  cut  down  and  cast  into  the 
fire  ;  that  tree  that  is  not  for  fruit,  is  for  the  fire  :  'Every  tree  that 
brings  not  forth  good  fruit,'  says  Christ,  '  is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into 
the  fire,'  Mat.  vii  19,  Heaven  at  last  will  be  found  too  holy,  and  too  hot, 
to  hold  such  as  please  themselves,  as  satisfy  themselves  with  a  negative 
righteousness.  All  that  negative  righteousness  and  holiness  can  do,  is 
only  to  help  a  man  to  one  of  the  coolest  chambers  and  easiest  beds  in 
hell.  True  repentance  brings  the  heart  and  life,  not  only  off  from  sin, 
but  on  to  God  too  ;,  it  takes  a  man  not  only  off  from  the  ways  of  death, 
but  it  engages  him  to  walk  in  the  paths  of  life  :  Ps.  cxix.  3,  'They  do 
no  iniquity,  they  walk  in  his  ways.'  Prov.  xiii.  14,  '  The  law  of  the 
wise  is  a  fountain  of  life,  to  depart  from  the  snares  of  death.'  Prov.  xv. 
24,  '  The  way  of  life  is  above  to  the  wise,  that  he  may  depart  from  hell 
beneath.'  Ps.  xxxiv.  14,  'Depart  from  evil,  and  do  good.'  We  read  in 
Scripture  of  God's  returning  to  us,  as  weU  as  of  our  returning  to  God  ; 
in  both  there  is  repentance.  When  God  returns  to  us,  he  repents  of 
the  evil  of  punishment  that  he  hath  brought  upon  us ;  and  when  we 
return  to  God,  we  repent  of  the  evil  of  sin  which  we  have  committed 
against  him.^  The  true  penitent  does  not  only  sadly  smite  upon  his 
thigh,  and  say,  What  have  I  done?  but  he  also  speedily  faces  about  and 
cries  out,  I  will  do  so  no  more,  Jer.  xxxi.  19.  When  God  calls  for  true 
repentance,  it  is  with  an  '  If  thou  wilt  return,'  0  Isi?ael,  '  return  unto 
me,'  Jer.  iv.  1.  And  when  the  people  of  God  do  provoke  and  encourage 
cue  another  to  repentance,  it  is  with  a  '  Come  let  us  return  unto  the 

'  Consult  these  scriptures  :  Isa.  xliv.  22,  xix.  22,  lix.  20 ;  Hosea  iii.  5,  vi.  I,  xiv.  1. 

2  [Gregory]  Nazianzen,  speaking  of  true  repentance,  very  aptly  compares  the  soul  to  a 
pair  of  writing  tables,  out  of  which  must  be  washed  whatsoever  was  written  with  sin. 
and  instead  thereof  the  writing  of  grace  must  be  writ  upon  the  soul ;  both  being 
necessary  to  true  repentance. 


43G  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  IV. 

Lord,'  Hosea.  vi.  T.  Repentance  unto  life  is  not  a  turning  from  sin  to 
sin,  nor  it  is  not  a  turning  from  profanoness  to  civility,  nor  it  is  not  a 
turning  from  civility  to  formality;  but  it  is  a  turning  from  darkness  to 
light,  it  is  a  turning  from  the  ways  of  iniquity  into  the  ways  of  piety, 
it  is  a  turning  from  sin  to  God,  Acts  xxvi.  18.  In  this  respect  Israel's 
repentance  was  very  defective.  Witness  that  sad  complaint  of  the 
prophet:  Hosea  vii.  16,  ' They  return,'  that  is,  they  make  a  show  of 
repentance,  'but  not  to  the  most  High.'  So  they  in  that  Joel  ii.  12 
have  the  half-turn,  but  returned  not  to  the  Lord  with  all  their  hearts. 
8o  Jehu  went  far,  and  gave  many  a  half-turn,  but  never  turned  to  the 
Most  High  ;  and  that  was  his  ruin  at  last.  Such  a  repentance  as  brings 
the  soul  never  the  nearer  to  God,  is  a  repentance  never  the  nearer  ;  but 
that  repentance  that  brings  the  soul  nearer  to  God,  is  a  repentance 
never  to  be  repented  of.  And  let  thus  much  suffice  to  have  spoken 
concerning  that  evangelical  repentance  that  hath  the  precious  promises 
of  remission  of  sin  and  salvation  running  out  unto  it,  &c. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Several  have  observed  to  my  hand  hoiv  far  an  hypocrite  may  go,  but 
ffiy  design  in  this  chapter  is  to  shew  how  far  an  hypocrite  cannot 
go.^  Many  have  discovered  at  large  ivhat  an  hypocHte  can  do,  but 
my  scope  in  this  chapter  is  to  shew  what  an  hypocrite  cannot  do. 
Some  have  shewed  ivliat  an  hypocrite  is,  and  I  shcdl  now  sJiew  U'hat 
he  is  not.  Some  have  shelved  the  several  rounds  in  Jacob's  ladder, 
til  at  an  hypocrite  may  climb  up  to  ;  but  my  business  and  work  in 
this  chapter,  is  to  shew  you  the  several  rounds  in  Jacob's  ladder 
that  no  hypocnte  under  heaven  can  climb  up  to.^ 

[1.]  First,  An  hypocnte  s  inside  is  never  answerable  to  his  outside. 
An  hypocrite's  inside  is  one  thing,  and  liis  outside  another  thing  ;  an 
hypocrite  is  outwardly  clean,  but  inwardly  unclean  ;  he  is  outwardly 
glorious,  but  inwardly  inglorious,  Mat.  xxiii.  25-27,  Luke  xi.  39.  Hypo- 
crites are  like  apothecaries'  gally-pots,  having  without  the  title  of  some 
excellent  preservative,  but  Avithin  they  are  full  of  some  deadly  poison. 
They  arc  like  the  Egyptian  temples,  tiiat  were  beautiful  without,  but 
Avithin  there  was  nothing  to  be  found  but  serpents  and  crocodiles,  and 
other  venomous  creatures.  Hypocrites  trade  more  for  a  good  name, 
than  for  a  good  heart ;  for  a  good  report,  than  for  a  good  conscience  ; 
they  are  like  fiddlers,  more  careful  in  tuning  their  instruments  than  in 
watching  their  spirits.^  Hypocrites  are  like  white  silver,  but  they  draw 
black  lines  ;  they  have  a  seeming  sanctified  outside,  but  stufied  within 
A\  ith  malice,  worldliness,  pride,  envy,  &c.  Like  window  cushions,  made 
up  of  velvet  and  richly  embroidered,  but  stuffed  within  with  hay.  An 
liypocrite  may  offer  sacrifice  with  Cain,  and  fast  with  Jezebel,  and 
humble  himself  with  Ahab,  and  lament  with  the  tears  of  Esau,  and  kiss 
Christ  with  Judas,  and  follow  Christ  with  Demas,  and  offer  fair  for  the 

*  It  is  better  fliat  a  liunrlred  liypocrites  should  perish,  than  that  one  poor  Christian 
sliould  want  his  portion. — [John']  Cotton  on  the  Covenant,  p.  78. 

*  Torahell  (1644),  and  Sydenham  (1054),  are  probably  referred  toby  Brooks  above. — G. 
"  Eiannii  S'milia. 


Chap.  IV.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  437 

Holy  Ghost  with  Simon  Magus  ;  and  yet  for  all  this  his  inside  as  bad 
as  any  of  theirs.  An  hypocrite  is  a  Cato  without  and  a  Nero  within  ; 
a  Jacob  without  and  an  Esau  within  ;  a  David  without  and  a  Saul 
within  ;  a  Peter  without  and  a  Judas  within ;  a  saint  without  and  a 
Satan  within  ;  an  angel  without  and  a  devil  within.  An  hypocrite  is  a 
Jew  outwardly,  but  an  atheist,  a  pagan,  a  Turk  inwardly,  Rom.  ii. 
28,  29.  I  have  read  of  certain  images,  which  on  the  outside  were 
covered  with  gold  and  pearl,  resembling  Jupiter  and  Neptune,  but 
within  were  nothing  but  spiders  and  cobwebs  ;'  a  fit  resemblance  of 
hypocrites.  Hypocrisy  is  but  an  outside,  like  cloth  of  arras,  fair  and 
beautiful  without ;  but  if  you  look  to  the  inside,  you  shall  find  nothing 
but  rags  and  ends.  That  monk  hit  it,  that  said.  To  be  a  monk  in  out- 
ward show  was  easy,  but  to  be  a  monk  in  inward  reality  was  hard.  To 
be  a  Christian  in  outward  show  is  easy,  but  to  be  a  Christian  inwardly 
and  really  is  very  hard.  An  hypocrite's  inside  never  echoes  or  answers 
to  his  outside  ;  his  inside  is  vicious,  and  his  outside  is  religious.  But 
let  all  such  hypocrites  know,  that  dissembled  sanctity  is  double  iniquity, 
and  accordingly  at  last  they  shall  be  dealt  with.  Mat.  xxiv.  5.     But, 

[2.]  Secondly,  No  hypocrite  under  heaven  is  totally  divorced  from 
the  love  and  liking  of  every  known  sin.  There  is  still  some  secret 
lust  or  other,  which  as  a  sweet  morsel  he  rolls  under  his  tongue,  antl 
will  not  spit  it  out,  Job  xx.  12-14.  Every  hypocrite  tolerates  some 
evil  or  other  in  himself,  and  takes  liberty  to  transgress.  An  hypocrite 
will  make  hard  shift  to  daub  up  his  conscience,  and  to  secure  himself 
from  the  checks  thereof.  After  once  the  bag  was  committed  to  Judas  his 
custody,  after  once  he  was  chosen  into  that  sweet  office,  he  quickly  put 
conscience  out  of  office,  and  never  left  stealing  and  licking  his  fingers, 
whilst  there  was  any  money  in  his  bag  to  finger.^  Herod  knew  much, 
and  heard  John  Baptist,  and  had  some  temporary  affections,  and  did 
many  good  things,  Mark  vi.  20.  But  yet  (1.)  he  kept  Herodias  his 
brother's  wife,  Mark  vi.  17  ;  (2.)  he  took  away  the  life  of  John  the 
Baptist,  Mark  vi.  27  ;  (3.)  he  sets  Jesus  Christ  at  naught,  and  rejected 
him,  Luke  xxiii.  11.  As  fair  as  Herod  seemed  to  carry  it,  yet  he  lived 
in  a  known  notorious  sin,  and  unjustly  murdered  the  messenger  of  God, 
and  mocked  and  rejected  Jesus  Christ  as  a  vile  person.  Som/C  sin  or 
other  always  reigns  without  control  in  an  hypocritical  heart.  As  they 
say  of  witches,  that  they  have  one  familiar  or  another  that  still  sucks 
them,  an  hypocrite  always  reserves  one  nest-egg  or  another  in  his  heart 
or  life,  for  Satan  to  sit  and  brood  on.  Jehu  did  many  brave  things, 
but  yet  he  kept  up  the  worship  of  his  golden  calves.  Naaman  promises 
high,  but  yet  he  is  for  bowing  in  the  house  of  Rimmon.  The  pharisees 
were  very  devout,  but  yet  they  loved  the  praises  of  men,  and  the  upper- 
most seats  in  the  synagogues.  There  is  never  an  hypocrite  in  the 
world,  but  will  do  what  he  can  to  save  the  life  of  his  sin,  though  it  be 
with  the  loss  of  his  soul.     0  sirs  !  Satan  can  be  contented  that  hypo- 

1  Lucian. 

2  It  was  a  strange  conceit  of  the  Cerintliians,  and  those  Caini  or  Cainiani,  as  they  are 
called  by  some,  that  honoured  Judas  the  traitor  as  some  divine  and  superhuman  powfr, 
and  called  his  treason  a  blessed  piece  of  service,  and  that  he  knowing  how  much  the 
death  of  Christ  would  profit  mankind,  did  therefore  betray  him  to  death  to  save  the  race 
of  men,  and  to  do  a  thing  pleasing  to  God — Ircnoeus,  Avg.  de  licBresi. 


438  A  CAniNET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  IV. 

crites  should  yield  to  God  in  many  things,  provided  they  will  be  but 
true  to  him  in  some  one  tiling  ;  for  he  very  well  knows,  that  one  sin 
lived  in  and  allowed,  gives  him  as  much  advantage  against  the  soul  as 
more.  Satan  can  hokl  a  man  fast  enough  by  one  sin,  as  the  fowler  can 
hold  the  bird  fast  enough  by  one  claw.  Satan  knows,  that  one  sin 
lived  in  and  allowed,  will  mar  all  a  man's  sweetest  duties  and  services  ; 
as  one  dead  fly  will  mar  the  whole  box  of  precious  ointment,  Eccles.  x.  1, 
and  as  one  jarring  string  will  bring  the  sweetest  music  out  of  tune.  It 
is  said  of  Naaman  the  Syrian,  that  he  was  a  valiant  man,  and  a  vic- 
torious man,  and  an  honourable  man,  and  a  great  favourite  with  his 
prince,  but  a  leper,  2  Kings  v.  1.  So  it  may  be  said  of  many  hypo- 
crites, they  have  such  and  such  excellencies,  and  they  perform  such  and 
such  glorious  duties,  but  they  live  and  allow  themselves  in  this  or  that 
sin,  and  that  mars  the  beauty  of  all  their  services,  Mat.  vii.  21-23. 
Satan  knows,  that  one  sin  lived  in  and  allowed,  will  as  certainly  damn 
a  man  as  many  ;  as  one  disease,  one  ulcerous  part,  may  as  certainly  kill 
a  man  as  many.  Satan  knows,  that  one  sin  lived  in  and  allowed,  will 
render  a  man  as  unclean  in  the  eye  of  God  as  many.  If  the  leper  in  the 
law  had  the  spot  of  leprosy  in  any  one  part  of  his  body,  he  was  accounted 
a  leper,  although  all  the  rest  of  his  body  were  sound  and  whole,  Lev. 
xiv.  So  he  who  hath  the  spot  of  the  leprosy  of  sin  allowed  in  any  one 
part  of  his  soul,  he  is  a  spiritual  leper  in  the  eye  of  God  ;  he  is  unclean, 
though  in  other  paiis  he  may  not  be  unclean.  The  schoolmen  say,  that 
if  a  sow  do  but  wallow  in  one  miry  or  dirty  hole,  she  is  filthy  ;  and 
certainly,  that  soul  that  doth  but  wallow  in  any  one  sin,  he  is  filthy  in 
the  eye  of  God.  Satan  knows,  that  one  sin  lived  in  and  allowed,  will 
as  effectually  keep  Christ  and  the  soul  asunder  as  many,  as  one 
stone  in  the  pipe  will  as  effect\ially  keep  out  the  water  as  many. 
Satan  knows,  that  one  sin  lived  in  and  allowed,  will  make  way  for 
many,  as  one  thief  can  open  the  door  to  let  in  many  more.  Satan 
knows,  that  one  sin  lived  in  and  allowed,  will  as  certainly  shut  the 
soul  out  of  heaven  as  many.  One  enemy  may  shut  the  door  upon 
a  man  as  well  as  many.;  and  what  difierence  is  there  between  that  man 
that  is  shut  out  of  heaven  for  living  in  many  sins,  and  he  that  is  shut  out 
of  heaven  for  living  but  in  one  sin  ?  One  sin  lived  in  and  allowed,  will 
arm  conscience  against  a  man,  as  well  as  many.  If  there  be  but  one 
crack  in  the  honey  glass,  there  the  wasps  will  be  buzzing.  One  sin 
allowed  and  countenanced,  will  spoil  the  music  of  conscience.  One  sin 
lived  in  and  allowed,  will  make  death  as  terrible  and  as  formidable  to  the 
soul  as  many.  One  handwriting  upon  the  wall  made  King  Nebuchad- 
nezzar's countenance  to  change,  and  his  thoughts  to  be  troubled,  and 
the  joints  of  his  loins  to  be  loosed,  and  his  knees  to  be  dashed  one 
aoainst  another,  Daniel  v.  5,  G.  Now,  all  this  Satan  knows,  and  there- 
fore he  labours  mightily  to  engage  hypocrites  to  live  in  the  allowance  of 
some  one  sin.^  O  sirs !  remember  that  as  one  hole  in  a  ship  will  sink 
it,  and  as  one  stab  at  the  heart  will  kill  a  man,  and  as  one  glass  of 
poison  will  poison  a  man,  and  as  one  act  of  treason  will  make  a  man  a 
traitor,  so  one  sin  lived  in  and  allowed  will  damn  a  man  for  ever.     One 

'  It  i.s  most  true  that  the  hcathon  mjen  saith,  Qui  hahet  unum  vieium  luihct  omnia  ;  lie 
that  hiith  any  one  vice,  viz.,  reigning,  hath  all  others  with  it. — Seneca,  de  bene/.,  lib.  v. 
caji.  XV. 


Chap.  IV.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  439 

wound  strikes  Goliath  dead,  as  well  as  three-and-twenty  did  Caesar  ;' 
one  Delilah  will  do  Samson  as  much  mischief  as  all  the  Philistines  ; 
one  wheel  broken  spoils  all  the  whole  clock  ;  one  vein's  bleeding  will 
let  out  all  the  vitals  as  well  as  more ;  one  bitter  herb  will  spoil  all  the 
pottage.  By  eating  one  apple,  Adam  lost  paradise,  Gen.  iii. ;  one  lick 
of  honey  endangered  Jonathan's  life,  1  Sam.  xiv.  33  ;  one  Achan  was  a 
trouble  to  all  Israel,  Joshua  vii. ;  one  Jonah  was  lading  too  heavy  for 
a, 'whole  ship,  Jonah  i. ;  so  one  sin  lived  in  and  allowed,  is  enough  to 
make  a  man  miserable  for  ever.  One  millstone  will  sink  a  man  to  the 
bottom  of  the  sea  as  well  as  a  hundred ;  so  one  sin  lived  in  and  indulged 
will  sink  a  man  to  the  bottom  of  hell  as  well  as  a  hundred.  I  have 
read  of  a  great  Roman  captain,  who,  as  he  was  riding  in  his  triumphant 
chariot  through  Rome,  had  his  eyes  never  off  a  courtezan  that  walked 
along  the  street,  which  made  one  say.  Behold  how  this  great  captain, 
that  hatli  conquered  such  and  such  armies,  is  himself  conquered  by  one 
silly  woman  !  There  is  never  an  hypocrite  in  the  world,  but  lies  under 
the  conquest  of  one  base  lust  or  another,  but  lives  under  the  reign  and 
dominion  of  one  sin  or  another.  That  soul  that  can  in  sincerity  of 
heart  appeal  to  a  heart-searching  God,  that  it  is  otherwise  with  him, 
viz.,  that  he  does  not  live  nor  allow  himself  in  any  one  sinful  way  or 
practice,  that  soul,  I  dare  assure  in  the  Lord's  name,  is  no  hypocrite, 
Ps.  cxxxix.  23,  24. 

[3.]  Thirdly,  As  an  hypocrite's  heart  is  never  thoroughly  subdued  to  a 
willingness  to  part  with  every  lust,  so  neither  is  his  heart  thoroughly 
subdued  to  a  willingness  to  perform  all  knoivn  duties.  Sometimes  he 
is  all  for  public  duties,  but  makes  no  conscience  of  closet-duties,  or  of 
family-duties  ;  sometimes  he  is  all  for  the  duties  of  the  first  table,  but 
makes  no  conscience  of  the  duties  of  the  second  table  ;  and  sometimes 
he  is  all  for  the  duties  of  the  second  table,  but  makes  no  conscience  of 
the  duties  of  the  first  table.  If  he  obeys  one  command,  he  willingly 
lives  in  the  neglect  of  another ;  if  he  does  one  duty,  he  will  be  sure  to 
cast  off  another;  as  he  is  not  willing  to  fall  out  with  every  sin,  so  he  is  not 
willing  to  fall  in  with  every  duty.  An  hypocrite's  obedience  is  always 
partial,  it  is  never  universal ;  he  still  baulks  or  boggles  with  those  com- 
mands that  cross  his  lusts.  The  pharisees  fasted,  prayed,  gave  alms, 
and  paid  tithes.  Mat.  xxiii.  23.  Oh  but  they  omitted  '  the  weightier 
matters  of  the  law,  judgment,  mercy,  and  faith,'  chap  vi.  ;  and  they  were 
unnatural  to  parents,  and  under  a  pretence  of  prSiying,  they  made  a  prey 
of  widows'  houses.  Mat.  xv.  4-6  ;  under  a  pretence  of  piety,  they  exer- 
cised the  greatest  covetousness,  unrighteousness,  and  cruelty,  and  that 
upon  widows,  who  are  usually  the  greatest  objects  of  pity  and  charity  ; 
they  made  no  bones  of  robbing  the  widow,  under  a  pretence  of  honouring 
of  God.  So  Judas,  under  a  pretence  of  laying  up  for  the  poor,  robbed 
the  poor  ;  he  pretended  to  lay  up  for  the  poor,  but  he  intended  only  to 
lay  up  for  himself,  and  to  provide  against  a  rainy  day,  John  xii.  6.  It 
is  probable  that  he  had  no  great  mind  to  stay  long  with  his  Lord,  and 
therefore  he  was  resolved  to  make  the  best  market  he  could  for  himself. 
Judas  being  willing  to  set  up  for  himself,  under  a  cloak  of  holiness, 
he  practises  the  greatest  unfaithfulness.  Though  the  eagle  soars  high, 
yet  still  her  eye  is  upon  her  prey  ;  so  though  Judas  did  soar  high  in 
'  Suetonius  [Julius  Cgesar. — G.] 


440  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  IV. 

profession,  yet  his  eye  was  still  upon  his  prey,  upon  his  bags  ;  and  so  he 
might  have  it,  he  cared  not  who  went  without  it ;  so  he  might  be  rich, 
he  did  not  care  though  his  Lord  and  his  retinue  grew  never  so  poor. 
Judas  under  all  his  shows  and  sanctity,  had  not  so  much  as  common 
honesty  in  him.'  Counterfeit  holiness  is  often  made  a  stalking-horse 
to  much  rigliteousnessf  but  certainly  it  were  better  with  the  philosopher 
to  have  honesty  without  religion,  than  to  have  religion  without  honesty. 
An  hypocrite  may  exercise  himself  in  some  outward,  easy,  ordinary  duties 
of  religion  ;  but  when  shall  you  see  an  hypocrite  laying  the  axe  to  the 
root  of  the  tree,  or  a-searching  and  trying  his  own  heart,  or  severely 
judging  his  bosom  sins,  or  humbly  mourning  and  lamenting  over  secret 
corruptions,  or  doubling  his  guards  about  his  own  soul,  or  rejoicing  in 
the  graces,  services,  or  excellencies  of  others,  or  striving  or  pressing 
after  the  highest  pitches  of  grace,  holiness,  and  communion  with  God,  or 
endeavouring  more  to  cast  out  the  beam  out  of  his  own  eye,  than  the 
mote  out  of  his  brother's  eye,  or  to  be  more  severe  against  his  own  sins 
than  against  the  sins  of  others  ?  Alas  !  an  hypocrite  is  so  far  from  prac- 
tising these  duties,  that  he  thinks  them  either  superfluous  or  impossible. 
An  h3^pocnte's  obedience  is  always  a  limited  and  stinted  obedience.  It 
is  either  limited  to  such  commands  which  are  most  suitable  to  his  ease, 
safety,  honour,  profit,  pleasure,  &c.,  or  else  it  is  limited  to  the  outward 
part  of  the  command,  and  never  extends  itself  to  the  inward  and  spiritual 
part  of  the  command  ;  as  you  may  see  in  the  scribes  and  pharisees. 
Their  obedience  was  all  outward  ;  they  had  no  regard  at  all  to  the 
inward  and  spiritual  part  of  any  command  ;  as  is  evident  in  that  high 
charge  that  Christ  gives  in  against  them,  Mat.  vi.  They  did  not  murder, 
they  did  not  commit  adultery,  they  had  an  eye  to  the  outward  part  of 
the  command;  but  Christ  charges  them  with  unjust  and  adulterous 
thoughts,  unchaste  glances,  contemplative  wickedness,  speculative  un- 
cleanness,  &c.,  they  having  no  regard  at  all  to  the  inward  and  spiritual 
part  of  any  command.  Common  grace  looks  only  to  some  particular 
duties,  but  saving  grace  looks  to  all.  Renewing  grace  comes  off  to 
positives  as  well  as  negatives ;  it  teacheth  us  to  cease  to  do  evil,  and  it 
learns  us  also  to  do  good,  Isa.  i.  16,  17.  It  teacheth  us  to  deny  all 
ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  and  also  to  live  soberly,  righteously,  and 
godly  in  this  present  world,  Titus  ii.  11-13.  These  words  contain  the 
sum  of  a  Christian's  duty.  To  live  soberl}'^  towards  ourselves,  righteously 
towards  our  neighbours,  and  godly  towards  God,  is  true  godliness  indeed, 
and  the  whole  duty  of  man.  There  is  never  an  hypocrite  in  the  world 
that  can  sincerely  appeal  to  God,  and  say.  Lord  !  thou  knowest  that  my 
heart  is  subdued  to  a  willingness  to  perform  all  known  duties  ;  I  would 
willingly  do  the  best  I  can  to  observe  all  thy  royal  laws :  Lord  !  I 
unfeignedly  desire,  and  really  endeavour  to  have,  an  eye  upon  every 
command  of  thine,  and  to  live  up  to  every  command  of  thine  ;  and  it  is 
the  real  grief  of  my  heart,  and  the  daily  burden  of  my  soul,  when  I 
violate  any  of  thy  blessed  laws,  Ps.  cxix.  6  ;  Luke  i.  5,  6  ;  Acts  xiii.  22. 
He  that  can  in  uprightness  thus  appeal  to  God,  shall  never  miscarry 
in  that  other  world.     But, 

'  After  some  men  have  made  a  long  and  high  profession,  some  one  beloved  lust  or  other, 
wliicli  tliey  would  never  let  go.  parts  Christ  and  them  for  ever. 
*  Qu,  '  unrighteousness  "? — Ed. 


Chap.  IV.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  441. 

[4.]  Fourthly,  There  is  never  an  hypocrite  in  the  world  that  makes 
God,  or  Christ,  or  holiness,  or  his  doing  or  receiving  good  in  his 
station,  relation,  or  generation,  his  grand  end,  his  higliest  end,  his 
ultimate  end  of  living  in  the  world.     Pleasures,  profits,  and  honours, 
are  the  hypocrite's  all  he  aims  at  in  this  world  ;  they  are  his  trinity 
which  he  adores  and  serves,  and  sacriticeth  himself  unto,  1  John  ii.  16. 
An  hypocrite's  ends  are  corrupt  and  selfish.     God  may  possibly  be  at 
the  higher  end  of  his  work,  but  self  is  at  the  further  end  ;  for  he  that 
was  never  truly  cast  out  of  himself,  can  have  no  higher  end  than  himself. 
An  hypocrite  is  all  for  his  own  glory  ;  he  acts  for  himself,  and  from 
himself.     So  I  may  have  the  profit,  the  credit,  the  glory,  the  applause, 
come   of  God's  glory  what  will !  this  is  the  language  of  an  unsound 
heart:^     An  hypocrite  will  seem  to  be  very  godly  when  he  can  make  a 
gain  of  godliness  ;  he  will  seem  to  be  very  holy  when  holiness  is  the 
way  to  outward  greatness  and  happiness  ;  but  his  religious  wickedness 
will  double-damn  the  hypocrite  at  last.     Self-ends  are  the  operative 
ingredients  in  all  an  hypocrite  does  ;  self  is  the  chief  engine,  self  is  the 
great  wheel,  that  sets  all  an  hypocrite's  wheels  a-going.     When  hypo- 
crites take  up  religion,  it  is  only  to  serve  their  own  turns,  to  bring  about 
their  own  carnal  ends ;  they  serve  not  the  Lord,  but  their  own  bellies,  Rom. 
xvi.  18  ;  Philip,  iii.  19.     They  use  religii)n  only  as  a  stream  to  turn  about 
their  own  mill,  and  the  more  neatly  to  effect  their  own  carnal  projects. 
Simon  Magus  will  needs  be  baptized,  and  he  is  very  desirous  to  have 
power  to  give  the  Holy  Ghost  to  others  ;  but  his  aim  being  only  to  get  a 
name,  and  to  get  money,  Peter  tells  him  to  his  face,  that  his  heart  was 
not  right  in  the  sight  of  God,  Acts  viii.  21.     No  man  can  go  higher  than 
his  principles,  and  therefore  an  hypocrite  having  no  higher  principles 
than  himself,  all  he  does  must  needs  be  terminated  in  himself.     Look, 
as  all  the  rivers  that  come  from  the  sea  do  return  back  again  to  the  sea, 
from  whence  they  come,  so  all  those  duties  which  arise  from  a  man's  self, 
must  needs  centre  in  a  man's  self.  An  hypocrite  always  makes  himself  the 
end  of  all  his  service ;  but  let  such  hypocrites  know,  that  though  their 
profession  be  never  so  glorious,  and  their  duties  never  so  abundant,  yet 
their  ends  being  selfish  and  carnal,  all  their  pretensions  and  perform- 
ances are  but  beautiful  abominations  in  the  sight  of  God.    An  hypocrite 
has  always  a  squint  eye,  and  squint-eyed  aims  and  squint-eyed  ends  in 
all  he  does.     Balaam  spake  very  religiously,  and  he  multiplied  altars 
and  sacrifices  ;  but  the  thing  he  had  in  his  eye  was  the  wages  of  un- 
righteousness, Num.  xxii.  xxiii.,  2  Pet.  ii.  15.     Jehu  destroyed  bloody 
Ahab's  house,  he  executed  the  vengeance  of  God  upon  that  wicked 
family ;  he  readily,  resolutely,  and  effectually  destroyed  all  the  wor- 
shippers of  Baal,  but  his  ends  were  to  secure  the  kingdom  to  him  and 
his,  2  Kings  x.     Ahab  and  the  Ninevites  fasted  in  sackcloth,  but  it  was 
merely  that  they  might  not  feel  the  heavy  judgments  that  tliey  feared 
would  overtake  them,  1  Kings  xxi.,  Jonah  iii.     The  Jews  in  Babylon 
fasted  and  mourned,  and  mourned  and  fasted  seventy  years,  but  it  was 
more  to  get  off  their  chains  than  their  sins,  it  was  more  to  be  rid  of 
their  captivity  than  it  was  to  be  rid  of  their  iniquity,  Zech.  vii.  5,  6. 
Look,  as  the  eagle  hath  an  eye  upon  her  prey  when  she  flies  highest,  so 

1  John  vi.  26  ;  Mat.  vi.  1,  5,  16  ;   Gal.  iv,  17  ;   Isa.  Iviii.  3  ;  Mai.  iii.  14  ;  Zccli.  vii.  5-7  ; 
Gen.  xxxiv.  21,  22. 


44-2  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  IV. 

these  Jews  in  all  their  fasting,  praying,  mourning,  they  had  only  an  eye 
to  their  own  ease,  deliverance,  freedom,  &c. ;  in  all  their  religious  duties 
they  were  acted  from  evil  principles,  and  carried  on  by  self-respects  ; 
and  therefore  Daniel  denies  that  in  all  that  seventy  years'  captivity  they 
had  prayed  to  any  purpose.  '  All  tins  has  come  upon  us,  yet  made  we 
not  our  prayer  before  the  Lord  our  God,  that  we  might  turn  from  our 
iniquities,  and  understand  thy  truth,'  Dan.  ix.  ]  3.  It  is  the  end  that 
dignifies  or  debaseth  the  action,  that  rectifies  it  or  adulterates  it,  that 
sets  a  crown  of  honour  or  a  crown  of  shame  upon  the  head  of  it.  He 
that  commonly,  habitually,  in  all  his  duties  and  services,  proposes  to 
himself  no  higher  ends  than  the  praises  of  men,  or  rewards  of  men,  or 
the  stopping  the  mouth  of  natural  conscience,  or  only  to  avoid  a  smart- 
ing rod,  or  merely  to  secure  himself  from  wrath  to  come,  he  is  an"  hypo- 
crite. The  ends  of  a  man's  actions  are  always  a  great  discovery  either 
of  sincerity  or  hypocrisy.  Look,  as  great  gifts,  not  sweetened  with  sin- 
cerity, are  no  ornaments  to  us  ;  so  great  infirmities,  not  soured  with 
hypocrisy,  are  no  great  deformities  to  us.  An  hypocrite's  ends  are  always 
below  God ;  they  are  always  below  glorifying  of  God,  exalting  of  God, 
walking  with  God,  and  enjoying  communion  with  God.  An  hypocrite, 
in  all  he  does,  still  proposes  to  himself  some  poor,  ignoble,  self-end  or 
other. 

But  now  mark,  a  sincere  Christian,  if  he  prays  or  hears,  or  gives  or 
fasts,  or  repents  or  obeys,  &c.,  God's  glory  is  the  main  end  of  all.  The 
glory  of  God  is  his  highest  end,  his  ultimate  end,  Ps.  cxv.  1  ;  1  Thess. 
ii.  G.  A  sincere  Christian  can  be  content  to  be  trampled  upon  and  vili- 
fied, so  God's  name  be  glorified.  The  bent  of  such  a  heart  is  for  God 
and  his  glory,  nothing  but  sincerity  can  carry  a  soul  so  high,  as  in  all 
acts  natural,  civil  and  religious,  to  intend  God's  glory,  Rev.  iv,  9-11. 
A  sincere  Christian  ascribes  the  praise  of  all  to  God  ;  he  sets  the  crown 
on  Christ's  head  alone ;  he  will  set  God  upon  the  throne,  and  make  all 
things  else  his  servants,  or  his  footstool,  Rom.  xiv.  7,  8.  All  must  bow 
the  knee  to  God,  or  be  trodden  in  the  dirt.  He  will  love  nothing,  he 
will  embrace  nothing  but  what  sets  God  higher,  or  brings  God  nearer 
to  his  heart.  The  glory  of  God  is  the  mark,  the  white,  that  the  sincere 
Christian  has  in  his  eye.  The  sincere  Christian  lives  not  to  himself, 
but  to  him  who  lives  for  ever ;  he  lives  not  to  his  own  will,  or  lusts,  or 
greatness,  or  glory  in  this  world,  but  he  lives  to  his  glory,  whose  glory 
is  dearer  to  him  than  his  own  life,  1  Cor.  x.  38  ;  Rev.  xii.  11.  Look,  as 
bright  shining  golden  vessels  do  not  retain  the  beams  of  the  sun  which 
they  receive,  but  reflect  them  back  again  upon  the  sun  ;  so  the  sincere 
Christian  returns  and  reflects  back  again  upon  the  Sun  of  righteousness 
the  praise  and  glory  of  all  the  gifts,  graces,  and  virtues  that  they  have 
received  from  him.  The  daily  language  of  sincere  souls  is  this  :  Non 
nobis  Domine,  non  nobis  DomAne,  not  unto  us.  Lord,  not  unto  us, 
Lord,  but  to  thy  name  be  all  the  glory,  1  Chron.  xxix.  10, 18 ;  Rom.  xiii.  7. 
A  sincere  Christian  makes  conscience  of  giving  men  their  dues ;  how 
much  more,  then,  does  he  make  conscience  of  giving  God  his  due,  Ps. 
xcvi.  7,  8.  Now  glory  is  God's  due,  and  God  stands  upon  nothing  more 
than  that  we  give  him  the  glory  due  unto  his  name,  as  you  may  see  in 
Ps.  xxix.  1,  2,  There  are  three  givcs\\\  those  two  verses:  'Give  unto 
the  Lord,  give  unto  the  Lojxl,  give  unto  the  Lord  the  glory  that  is  due 


Chap.  IV.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  443 

unto  his  name.'^  Glory  is  God's  right,  and  he  stands  upon  his  right  ; 
and  this  the  sincere  Christian  knows,  and  therefore  he  gives  him  his 
right,  he  gives  him  the  honour  and  the  glory  that  is  due  unto  his  name. 
But  pray  do  not  mistake  me  :  I  do  not  say  that  such  as  are  really 
sincere  do  actually  eye  the  glory  of  Christ  in  all  their  actions.  Oh  no  ! 
This  is  a  happiness  desirable  on  earth,  but  shall  never  be  attained  till 
we  come  to  heaven.  Bye  and  base  ends  and  aims  will  be  still  ready  to 
creep  into  the  best  hearts,  but  all  sincere  hearts  sigh  and  groan  under 
them.  They  complain  to  God  of  them,  and  they  cry  out  for  justice, 
justice  upon  them  ;  and  it  is  the  earnest  desires  and  daily  endeavours 
of  their  souls  to  be  rid  of  them  ;  and  therefore  they  shall  not  be  imputed 
to  them,  nor  keep  good  things  from  them.  But  now  take  a  sincere  Chris- 
tian in  his  ordinary,  usual,  and  habitual  course,  and  you  shall  find  that 
his  aims  and  ends  in  all  his  actions  and  undertakings  are  to  glorify  God, 
to  exalt  God,  and  to  lift  up  God  in  the  world.  If  the  hypocrite  did  in 
good  earnest  aim  at  the  glory  of  God  in  what  he  does,  then  the  glory  of 
God  would  swallov/  up  his  bye-aims  and  carnal  ends,  as  Aaron's  rod 
swallowed  up  the  magicians'  rods,  Exod.  vii.  10-12.  Look,  as  the  sun 
puts  out  the  light  of  the  fire,  so  the  glory  of  God,  where  it  is  aimed  at, 
will  put  out  and  consume  all  bye  and  base  ends.  This  is  most  certain, 
that  which  is  a  man's  great  end,  that  will  work  out  all  other  ends.  He 
that  sets  up  the  glory  of  God  as  his  chief  end,  will  find  that  his  chief 
end  will  by  degrees  eat  out  all  low  and  base  ends.  Look,  as  Pharaoh's 
lean  kine  ate  up  the  fat.  Gen.  xli.  4,  so  the  glory  of  God  will  eat  up  all 
those  fat  and  worldly  ends  that  crowd  in  upon  the  soul  in  religious  work. 
Where  the  glory  of  God  is  kept  up  as  a  man's  greatest  end,  there  all 
bye  and  base  ends  will  be  kept  at  an  under.  By  what  has  been  said,  it 
is  most  evident  that  an  hypocrite  in  all  his  transactions  looks  at  himself, 
and  designs  the  advance  and  advantage  of  himself.  An  hypocrite  is  as 
well  able  to  make  a  world,  and  to  unmake  himself,  as  he  is  able  to  make 
the  glory  of  God,  the  exaltation  of  God,  his  highest  end,  his  utmost  aim, 
in  what  he  does.     But, 

[5.]  Fiftlily,  Ao  hypocrite  can  live  wholly  and  only  upon  the 
righteousness  of  Christ,  the  satisfaction  of  Christ,  the  merits  of  Christ, 
for  justification  and  sal/vation.  The  hypocritical  scribes  and  phari- 
sees  prayed  and  fasted,  and  kept  the  Sabbath,  and  gave  alms,  &c.,  and 
in  this  legal  righteousness  they  rested  and  trusted,  Mat.  vi.,  Luke  xviii. 
11,  12.  Ponder  upon  that  Be  v.  iii.  16-18.  Upon  the  performance  of 
these  and  such  like  duties  they  laid  the  weight  of  their  souls  and  the 
stress  of  their  salvation,  and  so  perished  for  ever.  An  hypocrite  rests 
upon  what  he  doth,  and  never  looks  so  high  as  the  righteousness  of 
Christ.  He  looks  upon  his  duties  as  so  much  good  moneys  laid  out  for 
heaven  ;  he  weaves  a  web  of  righteousnees  to  clothe  himself  withal ;  he 
never  looks  out  for  a  more  glorious  righteousness  to  be  justified  by  than 
his  own,  and  so  puts  a  slight  upon  the  righteousness  of  Christ  :  Bom. 
X.  3,  '  For  they,  being  ignorant  of  God's  righteousness,  and  going  about 
to  establish  their  own  righteousness,  have  not  submitted  themselves 
unto  the  righteousness  of  God.'  The  first  step  to  salvation  is  to  re- 
nounce our  own  righteousness  ;  the  next  step  is  to  embrace  the  right- 
eousness of  Christ,  which  is  freely  offered  to  sinners  in  the  gospel ;  but 
'  Propter  te,  Domine,  propter  te,  was  one's  and  is  still  every  sincere  Christian's  motto. 


414  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  IV. 

these  things  the  hypocrite  minds  not,  regards  not.  The  righteousness  of 
an  hypocrite  is  not  only  imperfect,  but  impure,  a  rag,  a  filthy  rag  ;  and 
therefore  he  that  rests  upon  such  a  righteousness  must  needs  miscarry 
to  all  eternity,  Isa.  Ixiv.  6.  O  sirs  !  who  will  say  that  that  man  needs 
a  saviour,  that  can  fly  to  heaven  upon  the  wings  of  his  own  duties  and 
services  ?  If  a  man's  duties  can  pacify  an  infinite  wrath,  and  satisfy  an 
infinite  justice,  then  farewell  Christ,  and  welcome  duties.  He  that  will 
rest  upon  his  own  righteousness  for  life  and  justification,  nmst  needs  sit 
down  on  this  side  salvation  ;  he  that  rests  upon  his  duties,  and  that 
rests  upon  a  gift  of  knowledge,  a  gift  of  utterance,  a  gift  of  memory,  or 
a  gift  of  prayer,  though  he  may  come  near  to  heaven,  and  bid  fair  for 
heaven,  yet  he  will  never  be  able  to  get  into  heaven.  Now,  how  sad  is 
it  for  a  man  to  lose  himself  and  his  soul  in  a  wilderness  of  duties,  when 
he  is  upon  the  borders,  yea,  the  very  brink,  of  the  holy  land.  He  that 
rests  upon  anything  in  him,  or  done  by  him,  as  a  means  to  procure  the 
favour  of  God,  or  the  salvation  of  his  soul,  will  put  such  a  cheat  upon 
himself  as  will  undo  him  for  ever.  Non-submission  to  the  righteous- 
ness of  Christ  keeps  Christ  and  the  hypocrite  asunder.  Christ  will 
never  love  nor  like  to  put  the  fine,  clean,  white  linen  of  his  own  right- 
eousness upon  the  old  garment,  the  old  rags  of  an  hypocrite's  duties.  Rev. 
xix.  7,  8  ;  neither  will  Christ  ever  delight  to  put  his  new  wine  into  such 
old  bottles,  Mat.  ix.  16,  17.  An  hypocrite's  confidence  in  his  own 
righteousness  turns  his  righteousness  into  filthiness,  Pro  v.  xxi.  27.  But 
now  a  sincere  Christian,  he  renounces  his  own  righteousness,  he  re- 
nounces all  confidence  in  the  flesh,  Philip,  iii.  3  ;  he  looks  upon  his  own 
righteousness  as  dung,  yea,  as  dogs'  meat,  as  some  interpret  the  word 
0K\j(3aXa  in  that  Philip,  iii.  8  ;^  he  will  say  no  more  to  his  duties,  to  the 
works  of  his  hands,  '  Ye  are  my  gods,'  Hosea  xiv.  3.  When  they  look 
upon  the  holiness  of  God's  nature,  the  righteousness  of  his  government, 
the  severity  of  his  law,  the  terror  of  his  wrath,  they  see  an  absolute  and 
indispensable  necessity  of  a  more  glorious  righteousness  than  their  own 
to  appear  before  God  in.  A  sincere  Christian  sets  the  highest  price  and 
value  upon  the  righteousness  of  Chi'ist :  Ps.  Ixxi.  16,  '  I  will  make  men- 
tion of  thy  righteousness,  even  of  thine  only.'  Mark  the  emphasis 
doubled,  '  of  thine,'  and  '  thine  only.'  A  sincere  Christian  is  convinced 
of  the  nature,  worth,  and  excellency  of  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  and 
therefore  he  cries  out,  'I  will  make  mention  of  thy  righteousness,  of 
thine  only.'  The  costly  cloak  of  Alcisthenes,  which  Dionysius  sold  to 
the  Carthaginians  for  an  hundred  talents,  was  indeed  a  mean  and 
beggarly  rag  in  a  sincere  Christian's  eye,  to  that  embroidered  mantle  of 
righteousness  that  Christ  puts  upon  his.  A  sincere  Christian  rejoices 
in  the  righteousness  of  Christ  above  all :  Isa.  Ixi.  10,  '  I  will  greatly  re- 
joice in  the  Lord,  my  soul  shall  be  joyful  in  my  God  ;  for  he  hath 
clothed  me  with  the  garments  of  salvation,  he  hath  covered  me  with  the 
robe  of  righteousness,  as  a  bridegroom  decketh  himself  with  ornaments, 
and  as  a  bride  adorneth  herself  with  her  jewels.'  It  is  matter  of  joy, 
and  a  sign  of  great  favour  from  the  great  Turk,  when  a  rich  garment 
is  cast  upon  any  that  comes  into  his  presence.''  Oh  then,  what 
matter  of  joy  must  it  be  to  a  sincere  Christian  to  have  the  rich  and 

'   "iKvfiaXa..  (licuntur  quasi,  Kvtrip,KXa.     Vido  Bezam  ;  vide  A-Lapide. 
*  Kuolies'  liiat.  [as  befure. — G.] 


Chap.  IV.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  445 

royal  garment  of  Christ's  righteousness  cast  upon  him  !  Isa.  xxviii. 
16.  A  sincere  Christian  rests  on  the  righteousness  of  Christ  as 
on  a  sure  foundation  :  Isa.  xlv.  24,  '  Surely  shall  one  say,  In  the  Lord 
have  I  righteousness  and  strength.'  It  was  a  very  sweet  and  golden 
expression  of  one,  when  he  thought  himself  to  be  at  the  point  of  death  : 
*  I  confess,'  said  he,  '  I  am  not  worthy  ;  I  have  no  merits  of  mine  own 
to  obtain  heaven  by ;  but  my  Lord  had  a  double  right  thereunto  ;  an 
hereditary  right  as  a  Son,  and  a  meritorious  right  as  a  sacrifice  ;  he  was 
contented  with  the  one  right  himself,  the  other  right  he  hath  given 
unto  me,  by  the  virtue  of  which  gift  I  do  rightly  lay  claim  unto  it,  and 
am  not  confounded.'^  A  sincere  Christian  looks  upon  the  righteous- 
of  Christ  as  that  which  renders  him  most  splendid  and  glorious  in  the 
eyes  of  God  :  Philip,  iii.  9,  '  And  be  found  in  him,  not  having  mine  own 
righteousness,  which  is  of  the  law,  but  that  which  is  through  the  faith 
of  Christ,  the  righteousness  which  is  of  God  by  faith.'  'The  church,' 
saith  Marloratus,  '  which  puts  on  Christ  and  his  righteousness,  is  more 
illustrious  than  the  air  is  by  the  sun.'  ^  A  sincere  Christian  looks  upon 
the  righteousness  of  Christ  as  his  only  security  against  wrath  to  come, 
1  Thes.  i.  10.  Wrath  to  come  is  the  greatest  wrath,  wrath  to  come  is 
the  purest  wrath,  wrath  to  come  is  infinite  wrath,  wrath  to  come  is  ever- 
lasting wrath.  Now  the  sincere  Christian,  he  knows  no  way  under 
heaven  to  secure  himself  from  wrath  to  come,  but  by  putting  on  the  robe 
of  Christ's  righteousness,  Rom.  xiii.  14.  The  storytells  us,if  we  maybelieve 
it,  that  Pilate  being  called  to  Rome  to  give  an  account  unto  the  emperor 
for  some  misgovernment  and  mal-administration,  he  put  on  the  seamless 
coat  of  Christ,  and  all  the  time  he  had  that  coat  upon  his  back,  Caesar's 
fury  was  abated.  There  is  nothing  that  can  abate  the  wrath  and  fury 
of  a  sin-revenging  God,  but  the  seamless  coat  of  God's  righteousness. 
Well,  for  a  close  remember  this,  there  is  never  an  hypocrite  in  the 
world  that  is  more  pleased,  satisfied,  delighted  and  contented  with  the 
righteousness  of  Christ,  than  with  his  own,  &c.  Though  an  hypocrite 
may  be  much  in  duties,  yet  he  never  lives  above  his  duties  ;  he  works 
for  life,  and  he  rests  in  his  work,  and  this  proves  his  mortal  wound. 
Bat, 

[6.]  Sixthly,  A71  hypocrite  never  embraces  a  whole  Christ ;  he  can 
never  take  up  his  full  and  everlasting  rest,  satisfaction,  and  content  in 
the  person  of  Christ,  in  the  merits  of  Christ,  in  the  enjoyment  of  Christ 
alone.  No  hypocrite  did  ever  long  and  mourn  after  the  enjoyment  of 
Christ,  as  the  best  thing  in  all  the  world.  No  hypocrite  did  ever  prize 
Christ  for  a  Sanctifier  as  well  as  a  Saviour.  No  hypocrite  did  ever  look 
upon  Christ,  or  long  for  Christ  to  deliver  him  from  the  power  of  his 
sins,  as  much  or  as  well  as  to  deliver  him  from  wrath  to  come.  No  hypo- 
crite can  really  love  the  person  of  Christ,  or  take  satisfaction  in  the 
person  of  Christ.  The  rays  and  beams  of  Christ's  glory  has  never 
warmed  his  heart ;  he  never  knew  what  bosom  communion  with  Christ 
meant,  1  Thes.  i.  10.  An  hypocrite  may  love  to  be  healed  by  Christ, 
and  to  be  pardoned  by  Christ,  and  to  be  saved  by  Christ,  &c. ;  but  he 
can  never  take  any  complacency  in  the  person  of  Christ;  his  heart 
never  seriously  works  after  union  with  Christ.  The  love  of  a  sincere 
Christian  runs  much  out  to  the  person  of  Christ.     Heaven  itself  with- 

^  Guliel.  Abbas  in  vita  Bern.  lib.  1.  cap.  12.  2  Comment,  in  loco.—Qt. 


446  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  IV. 

out  Christ  would  be  to  such  a  soul  but  a  poor  thing,  a  low  thing,  a 
little  thing,  an  uncomfortable  thing,  an  empty  thing.     It  is  the  person 
of  Christ  that  is  the  sparkling  diamond  in  the  ring  of  glory,  Cant.  v.  10; 
Philip,  i.  21,  and  iii.   7-10.     No   hypocrite   in  the  world   is  sincerely 
willing  to  receive  Christ  in  all  his  offices,  and  to  close  with  him  upon 
gospel  terms.     The  terms  upon  which  Grod  offers  Christ  in  the  go.spel 
are  these,  viz.,  that  we  shall  accept  of  a  whole   Christ  with  a  whole 
heart,  1  John  xi.  13  ;  Mat.  xvi.  24,     Now,  mark,  a  whole   Christ  in- 
cludes all  his  offices,  and  a  whole  lieart  includes  all  our  faculties.  Christ 
as  mediator  is  king,  priest,  and  prophet  ;  and  so  God  the  Father  in  the 
gospel  offers  him.     Salvation  was  too  great  and  too  glorious  a  work  to 
be  perfected  and  completed  by  any  one  office  of  Christ.     Christ  as  a 
prophet  instructs  us,  and  as  a  priest  he  redeems  us  and  intercedes  for 
us,  and  as  a  king  he  sanctifies  and  saves  us.     The  apostle  hit  it  when 
he  said,  '  He  is  made  to  us  of  God,  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctifica- 
tion,  and  redemption,'  1  Cor.  i.  30.     Consider  Christ  as  our  prophet, 
and  so  he  is  made  wisdom  to  us ;  consider  him  as  our  priest,  and  so  he 
is  made  righteousness  and  redemption  to  us;  consider  him  as  our  king, 
and  so  he  is  made  sanctification  and    holiness  to  us.     An  hypocrite 
may  be  willing  to  embrace  Christ  as  a  priest  to  save  him  from  wrath, 
from  the  curse,  from  hell,  from  everlasting  burning,  but  he  is  never 
sincerely  willing  to  embrace  Christ  as  a  prophet  to  teach  and  instruct 
him,  and  as  a  king  to  rule  and  reign  ever  him.     Many  hypocrites  may 
be  willing  to  receive  a  Christ  Jesus,  that  are  not  willing  to  receive  a 
Lord  Jesus  ;  they  may  be  willing  to  embrace  a  saving  Christ,  but  they 
are  not  willing  to  embrace  a  ruling  Christ,  a  commanding  Christ :  '  This 
man  shall  not  rule  over  us,'  Luke  xix.  27.     '  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem, 
thou  that  killest  the  prophets,  how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy 
children  together,  even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings, 
and  ye  would  not !'     '  And  ye  will  not  come  to  me  that  ye  might  have 
life.'     '  He  came  to  his  own,  and  his  own  received  him  not.'^    An  h\^o- 
crite  is  willing  to  receive  Christ  in  one  office,  but  not  in  every  office ; 
and  this  is  that  stumbling-stone  at  which  hypocrites  stumble  and  fall, 
and  are  broken  in  pieces.     Certainly  Christ  is  as  lovely  and  as  comely, 
as  desirable  and  delightful,  as  eminent  and  excellent  in  one  office  as  he 
is  in  another  ;  and  therefore  it  is  a  just  and  righteous  thing  with  God, 
that  hypocrites  that  won't  receive  him  in  every  office,  should  have  no 
benefit  by  any  one  of  his  offices.     Christ  and  his  offices  may  be  distin- 
guished, but  Christ  and  his  offices  can  never  be  divided,  1  Cor.  i.  13. 
Whilst  many  have  been  a-labouring  to  divide  one  office  of  Christ  from 
another,  they  have  wholly  stripped  themselves   of  any  advantage   or 
benefit  by  Christ.     Hypocrites  love  to  share  with  Christ  in  his  happi- 
ness, but  they  don't  love  to  share  with  Christ  in  his  holiness.     They 
are  willing  to  be  redeemed  by  Christ,  but  they  are  not  cordially  wilUng 
to  submit  to  the  laws  and  government  of  Christ ;  they  are  willing  to 
be  saved  by  his  blood,  but  they  are  not  willing  to  submit  to  his  sceptre. 
Hypocrites  love  the  privileges  of  the  gospel,  but  they  don't  love  the 
services  of  the  gospel,  especially  those  that  are  most  inward  and  spiritual. 
But  now  a  sincere  Christian,  he  owns  Christ  in  all  his  offices,  he  receives 
Christ  in  all  his  offices,  and  he  closes  with  Christ  in  all  his  offices.     He 
'  Mat.  xiiii.  37  ;  Ps.  ii.  2,  3 ;  John  v.  40,  i.  11  ;  Isa.  viii.  14 ;  1  Peter  ii.  7,  8. 


Chap.  IV.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  447 

accepts  of  him,  not  only  as  a  Christ  Jesus,  but  also  as  a  Lord  Jesus  ; 
he  embraces  him,  not  only  as  a  saving  Christ,  but  also  as  a  ruling 
Christ.^  The  Colossians  received  him  as  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,  Col. 
ii.  6  ;  they  received  a  Lord  Christ  as  well  as  a  saving  Christ ;  they  re- 
ceived Christ  as  a  king  upon  his  throne,  as  well  as  a  sacrifice  upon  his 
cross,  2  Cor.  iv.  5.  God  the  Father  in  the  gospel  tenders  a  whole  Christ. 
We  preach  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,  and  accordingly  a  sincere  Christian 
receives  a  whole  Christ,  he  receives  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,  Acts  v.  31  ; 
he  says  with  Thomas,  '  My  Lord  and  my  God,'  John  xx.  28 ;  he  takes 
Christ  for  his  wisdom  as  well  as  for  his  righteousness,  and  he  takes  him 
for  his  sanctiiication  as  well  as  for  his  redemption.  An  hypocrite  is  all 
for  a  saving  Christ,  for  a  sin-pardoning  Christ,  for  a  soul-glorifying 
Christ,  but  regards  not  a  ruling  Christ,  a  reigning  Christ,  a  command- 
ing Christ,  a  sanctifying  Christ,  and  this  at  last  will  prove  his  damning 
sin,  John  iii.  19,  20.    But, 

[7.]  Seventhly,  An  hypocrite  cannot  mourn  for  sin  as  sin,  nor 
grieve  for  sin  as  sin,  nor  hate  sin  as  sin,  nor  make  head  against  sin 
as  sin.  Mark,  to  hate  sin  is  not  (1.)  Merely  to  refrain  from  sin,  for  so 
Balaam  did,  even  then  when  he  was  tempted  to  it,  Num.  xxii.  (2.)  To 
hate  sin  is  not  merely  to  confess  sio,  for  so  Pharaoh  and  Judas  did, 
Exod.  X.  16,  Mat.  xxvii.  4.  (3.)  To  hate  sin  is  not  merely  to  be  afraid 
to  sin,  for  this  may  be  where  the  hatred  of  sin  is  not.  (4.)  To  hate  sin 
is  not  merely  to  mourn  because  of  the  dreadful  effects  and  fruits  that 
sin  may  produce,  for  so  Ahab  did,  and  the  Ninevites  did,  &c.  He  that 
fears  sin  for  hell,  fears  not  to  sin  but  to  burn,  but  he  hates  sin  indeed 
whoso  hates  sin  as  hell  itself.^  It  was  a  saying  of  one  of  the  ancients, 
that  if  hell  and  sin  were  before  him,  he  would  rather  fall  into  hell  than 
fall  into  sin.^  Here  was  a  true  hatred  of  sin  indeed.  An  hypocrite 
may  be  troubled  for  sin,  as  it  blots  his  name,  and  wounds  his  conscience, 
and  brings  a  scourge,  and  destroys  his  soul,  and  shuts  him  out  of  heaven, 
and  throws  him  to  hell ;  but  he  is  never  troubled  for  sin,  he  never  "^ 
mourns  for  sin,  he  never  hates  sin  because  it  is_contrary  to  the  nature 
of  God,  the  being  of  God,  the  law  orGoH,  the  glory  of  God,  the  design 
of  God,  or  because  of  the  evil  that  is  in  the  nature  of  sin,  or  because  of 
the  defiling  and  polluting  power  of  sin.  True  hatred  of  sin  is  universal; 
it  is  of  the  whole  kind.  He  who  hates  a  toad  because  it  is  a  toad,  hates 
every  toad ;  and  he  who  hates  a  man  because  he  is  holy,  hates  every 
holy  man  ;  and  so  he  who  hates  sin  because  it  is  sin,  hates  every  sin  : 
Ps.  cxix.  128,  'I  hate  every  false  way.'  True  hatred  is  ever  against 
the  whole  kind  of  a  thing.*  Every  sincere  Christian  hath  in  him  a  ge- 
neral hatred  of  every  false  way,  and  dares  not  allow  himself  in  the  least 
sin.  '  What  I  do  I  allow  not,'  Rom.  vii.  15 :  Bom.  xii.  9,  *  Abhor  that  which 
is  evil.'  The  Greek  word  amaruyovvTss  is  very  significant.  The  simple  verb 
imports  extreme  detestation,  which  is  aggravated  by  the  composition.* 
The  word  signifies  to  hate  evil  as  hell  itself  Though  an  hypocrite  mav 
hate  some  sins, — '  Thou  abhorrest  idols,'  Rom.  ii.  22, — yet  that  is  out  of 
some  peculiar  and  particular  indisposition  to  a  particular  sin  ;  but  this 
hatred  of  this  or  that  particular  sin,  ariseth  not  from  an  inward  nature 

'  1  John  i.  2  ;  Mat.  ii.  6  ;  Heb.  vii.  21,  26  ;  Acts  iii.  22 ;  John  xii.  46. 

*  Augustine,  ^  Auselm.     [Cur,  Deus  Homo  ?  as  before. — G.] 

*  «rgoj  T«  yhn :  Arist.  Rket.  lib.  ii.  ^  Chrysostom. 


448  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  IV. 

or  gracious  principle,  as  it  doth  in  him  that  is  a  sincere  Christian ;  and 
the  reason  is  this,  because  that  contrariety  to  sin  which  is  in  a  real 
Christian  arising  from  this  inward  [rracions  nature,  is  to  the  whole 
species  or  kind  of  sin,  and  is  irroconcihil)le  to  any  sin  whatsoever.  As 
contrarieties  of  nature  are  to  the  whole  kind,  as  light  is  contrary  to  all 
darkness,  and  fire  to  all  water ;  so  this  contrariety  to  sin  ari.sing  from 
the  inward  man,  is  universal  to  all  sin.'  Though  a  sincere  Christian 
lias  not  a  universal  victory  over  all  sin,  yet  there  is  in  him  a  universal 
contrariety  to  all  sin.  Victory  argues  strength,  contrariety  argues 
nature.  Hence  it  is  that  an  hypocrite  may  hate  one  sin  and  love  an- 
other, because  there  is  not  a  gracious  nature  in  him  which  would  be 
contrary  to  all.  The  inward  nature  of  a  Christian  is  to  be  judged  by 
the  universal  contrariety  of  his  inward  man  to  all  sin.  Now  this  uni- 
versal contrariety  to  all  sin  will  beget  a  universal  conflict  with  all  sin. 
O  sirs  !  remember  this  :  universal  contrariety  to  sin  can  be  found  in  no 
man  but  he  that  is  sincere  ;  and  this  universal  contrariety  to  sin  argues 
an  inward  nature  of  grace,  and  this  is  that  which  differences  a  real 
Christian  from  an  hypocrite,  who  may  oppose  some  sins  out  of  other 
principles  and  reasons.  An  hypocrite  may  be  angry  with  this  sin  and 
that,  which  brings  the  smarting  rod,  and  wounds  his  conscience,  and 
disturbs  his  peace,  and  embitters  his  mercies,  and  strangles  liis  com- 
forts, and  that  lays  him  open  to  wrath,  and  that  brings  him  even  to  the 
gates  of  hell,  but  he  can  never  hate  sin  as  sin.  An  hypocrite,  he  hates 
some  sins  but  likes  others,  he  loathes  some  but  loves  others,  he  opposes 
some  but  practises  others,  like  the  angel  of  the  church  of  Ephesus,  that 
hated  the  deeds  of  the  Nicolaitans,  but  loved  lukewarmness.  Many  men 
detest  theft  that  love  covetousness,  abhor  whoredom  that  like  irreligious- 
ness,  &CC.,  Rev.  ii.  5,  6.  There  is  no  hypocrite  under  heaven  that  can 
truly  say,  I  hate  every  false  way  ;  but  a  sincere  Cliristian  he  hates  all 
sinful  ways,  but  his  own  first  and  most.  An  upright  heart  leaves  no 
nest-egg  for  Satan  to  sit  on,  but  the  hypocrite  always  does.  Mark,  in 
true  hatred  there  are  six  things  observable  : 

(1.)  First,  Ttiie  hatred  includes  an  extreme  detestation.  Every 
dislike  is  not  hatred,  but  true  hatred  is  an  extreme  loathing  :  '  Thou 
slialt  cast  them  away  as  a  menstruous  cloth  ;  thou  shalt  say  unto  it, 
Get  thee  hence,'  Isa.  xxx,  22  ;  'In  that  day  a  man  shall  cast  his  idols  of 
silver,  and  his  idols  of  gold,  which  they  made  each  one  for  himself  to 
wor.ship,  to  the  moles  and  to  the  bats,'  chap.  ii.  20.  Their  detestation 
should  be  so  great  that  they  should  cast  their  most  costly  idols  of  silver  and 
gold  to  the  most  dark,  nasty,  dusty  corners.  To  testify  the  sincerity  of 
their  conversion  to  God,  they  should  hate  and  abhor,  abandon  and 
abolish,  their  gold  and  silver  idols  which  they  valued  above  all  othens. 

(2.)  Secondly,  True  hatred  includes  earnest  separation.  He  that 
hates  his  sin  would  fain  be  separated  from  his  sin  ;  '  For  we  that  are  in 
this  tabernacle  do  groan  being  burdened,'  2  Cor.  v.  4.  A  sincere  Chris- 
tian finds  no  burden  to  lie  so  heavy  and  weighty  upon  his  spirit  as  sin, 
and  therefore  he  groans  to  be  delivered  from  it.  In  the  law,  he  that 
hated  his  wife  did  sue  out  a  bill  of  divorce  from  her,  Deut.  xxiv.  3.     He 

'  Doctor  Sibbe.",  in  his  '  Soul's  Conflict,'  makes  the  liatred  of  sin  the  surest  and  never 
failing  character  of  a  good  soul,  page  340.— [Works,  vol.  i.  page  236,  seq. — O.] 


Chap.  IV.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  4-i9 

that  truly  hates  sin,  puts  in  many  a  bill  into  the  court  of  heaven  that  he 
may  be  for  ever  divorced  from  his  sin. 

(3.)  Thirdly,  True  hatred  includes  an  irreconcilable  alienation.  He 
that  hates  sin  has  his  heart  for  ever  alienated  from  sin  ;  he  who  hates 
sin  can  never  be  one  with  sin.  Two  angry  men  may  be  made  friends ; 
but  if  two  men  hate  each  other,  all  friendship  is  everlastingly  broken 
betwixt  them.  A  man  may  be  angry  with  sin,  a.nd  yet  made  friends 
with  sin  again  ;  but  if  once  he  comes  to  hate  his  sin,  then  all  friendship 
with  sin  is  everlastingly  broken.  When  Christ  and  the  soul  comes  to 
be  really  one,  then  sin  and  the  soul  comes  to  be  everlastingly  two,  &c.^ 

(4.)  Fourthly,  True  hatred  includes  a  constant  and  'perpetual  con- 
flict :  '  The  flesh  will  be  still  lusting  against  the  spirit,  and  the  spirit 
against  the  flesh.'  Though  sin  and  grace  were  not  born  together,  and 
though  sin  and  grace  shall  never  die  together,  yet  whilst  a  believer  lives 
in  this  world,  they  must  live  together  ;  and  whilst  sin  and  grace  do 
cohabit  together,  they  will  still  be  opposing  and  conflicting  one  with  an- 
other. Gal.  V.  17,  Rom.  vii.  22, 23.  That  man  that  truly  hates  sin  will  ever- 
lastingly conflict  with  sin.  He  will  die  fighting  against  his  sins,  as  one 
of  the  dukes  of  Venice  died  fighting  against  his  enemies  with  his  weapons 
in  his  hand.  Well,  Christians,  remember  this,  though  to  be  kept  from 
sin  brings  most  peace  and  comfort  to  us,  yet  for  us  to  oppose  sin,  and 
for  God  to  pardon  sin,  that  brings  most  glory  to  God,  2  Cor.  xii.  7-9. 

(5.)  Fifthly.  True  hatred  includes  a  deadly  intention  and  destruc- 
tion, for  nothing  satisfies  hatred  but  death  and  ruin.  Saul  hated  David, 
and  sought  his  life ;  he  hunted  him  up  and  down  as  a  partridge  in  the 
mountains  ;  he  left  no  stone  unturned,  nor  no  means  unattempted, 
whereby  he  might  revenge  himself  upon  David,  1  Sam.  xxvi.  19,  20  ; 
1  Sam.  xxiii.  22.  Haman  hated  Mordecai,  and  nothing  would  satisfy 
him  but  to  bring  him  to  a  shameful  death,  to  see  him  hanged  on  a 
gallows  fifty  cubits  high,  Esth.  v.  14,  which  was  designed,  saith  Lyra,  to 
put  Mordecai  to  the  greater  shame,  for  he  hanging  high,  every  one  might 
see  him  and  point  to  him.  Now  when  there  was  but  one  night  betwixt 
Mordecai  and  a  shameful  death,  divine  providence  opportunely  struck 
in  and  saved  him  from  Haman's  malice,  and  caused  the  mischief  which 
he  had  plotted  against  Mordecai  suddenly  to  fall  upon  his  own  pate  ;  for 
he  who  was  highly  feasted  with  the  king  one  day,  was  made  a  feast  for 
crows  the  next  day.  Absalom  hated  Amnon  and  killed  him,  2  Sam. 
xiii.  22-83.  Julian  the  apostate  hated  the  Christians  Avith  a  deadly 
hatred.  He  put  many  thousands  of  them  to  death,  and  threatened  and 
vowed  that  at  his  return  from  fighting  against  the  Persians,  he  would 
put  all  the  Christians  in  his  empire  to  the  sword  ;  but  God  prevented 
him  by  cutting  him  off  in  that  expedition.  A  Christian  that  hates  sin 
can't  be  satisfied  but  in  the  death  and  destruction  of  it.  In  all  his 
duties  the  language  of  his  soul  is.  Lord,  let  my  sins  be  destroyed  ;  who- 
ever escapes,  let  not  my  sins  escape  the  hand  of  thy  revenging  justice. 
And  in  all  ordinances  the  language  of  his  soul  is,  O  Lord  !  when  shall 
my  sins  be  subdued  and  mortified  ?  when  shall  my  cursed  corruptions 
be  brought  to  an  under  ?  yea,  when  shall  they  all  be  drowned  in  the 
Red  Sea  of  my  Saviour's  blood  ?  &c. 

^  Lawyers  often  fall  out  at  the  bar,  but  are  very  well  agreed  when  they  meet  at  the 
tavern. 

VOL.  IIL  F  f 


450  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  IV. 

(6.)  Sixthly,  True  hatred  includes  an  impartial  avereation ;  true 
hatred  is  of  the  U'hole  hind.     But  of  this  before. 

To  wind  up  all,  a.sk  thy  heart  what  is  it  tliat  thou  abhorrest  as  the 
superlative  evil  ?  What  is  that  wliich  thou  wouldest  have  .separated  as 
far  from  thee  as  heaven  is  from  hell  ?  What  is  that  thy  heart  will 
never  renew  league  or  friendship  with  any  more  ?  What  is  that  against 
■which  thy  soul  doth  rise,  and  Avith  which,  as  Israel  witli  Amalek,  thou 
wilt  have  war  for  ever  ?  Exodus  xvii.  1 6.  What  is  that  which  thou  wilt 
be  avenged  of,  and  daily  dost  endeavour  the  mortifying  and  crucif3ang 
of?  What  is  tliat  which  thou  settest  thy  heart  against  in  the  compre- 
hensive latitude  thereof,  whether  great  or  little,  open  or  secret  ?  If  it 
be  sin,  if  it  be  thy  sins,  if  it  be  all  thy  sins,  then  assuredly  here  is  a 
true  hatred  of  sin,  and  assuredly  here  is  a  most  distinguishing  character 
of  a  child  of  God,  of  a  sound  conversion,  and  of  a  saving  change.  It 
was  not  wont  to  be  thus  with  thee,  nor  is  this  findable  in  any  hypocrite, 
or  in  any  unconverted  person  upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  Sin  was 
once  to  thee  as  Delilah  to  Samson,  Judges  xiv.  3,  7 ;  but  now  it  is  to 
thee  as  Tamar  to  Amnon,  2  Sam.  xiii.  15.  Once  it  was  a  sweet  morsel 
which  thou  heldest  fast  and  wouldest  not  let  it  go.  Job  xx.  12,  13 ;  but 
now  it  is  the  menstruous  cloth,  Isa.  xxx.  22,  which  thou  castest  away, 
saying,  'Get  thee  hence."  Now  with  Ephraim  thou  criest  out,  'What  have 
I  to  do  any  more  with  idols  V  Hosea  xiv.  8.  Oh,  if  it  be  indeed  thus 
with  thee,  then  tliou  hast  cause  for  ever  to  be  much  in  blessing  and  in 
admiring  of  the  Lord  for  his  distinguishing  grace  and  favour  towards 
thee.  O  sirs  !  the  world  is  full  of  baits,  snares,  and  temptations;  but 
whilst  the  hatred  of  sin  burns  in  your  breasts,  you  may  cast  up  your 
caps,  and  throw  the  gauntlet  to  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil. 
Well,  remember  this  for  ever,  there  are  three  things  an  hypocrite  can 
never  do  :  (1.)  He  can  never  mourn  for  sin  as  sin.  (2.)  He  can  never 
mourn  for  the  sins  of  others  as  well  as  his  own.  Moses,  Lot,  David, 
Jeremiah,  Paul,  and  those  in  that  Ezek.  ix.  4,  G,  mourned  for  others' 
sins  as  well  as  their  own  ;  but  Pharaoh,  Ahab,  Judas,  Demas,  Simon 
Magus  never  did.     (3.)  He  can  never  hate  sin  as  sin.     But, 

[8.]  Eighthly,  No  hyjwcrite  is  habitually  loiv  or  little  in  his  own 
eyes.  No  hypocrite  has  ordinarily  mean  thoughts  of  himself,  or  a  poor 
esteem  of  himself  No  hypocrite  loves  to  lessen  himself  to  greaten 
Christ,  to  debase  himself  to  exalt  Christ,  1  Cor.  viii.  1,  2,  John  vii.  49 
and  ix.  34.  No  hypocrite  loves  to  be  outshined ;  all  hypocrites  love  to 
write  an  /,  not  a  Christ,  upon  what  they  do.  The  pharisee  stood 
and  prayed  thus  with  himself:  'God,  /thank  thee  that  /am  not  as 
other  men  are,  extortioners,  unju.st,  adulterers,  or  even  as  this  publican; 
1  fast  twice  in  the  week,  /  give  tithes  of  all  that  I  possess,'  Luke  xviii. 
11,  12.'  All  hypocrites  stand  not  only  upon  their  comparisons,  but 
al.so  upon  their  disparisons  :  '  I  am  not  as  this  publican.'  All  hypocrites 
stand  much  upon  their  negative  righteousness  and  their  comparative 
goodness.  There  is  no  hypocrite  in  the  world  but  sets  down  his  penny 
for  a  pound,  and  always  prizes  himself  above  the  market :  2  Kings  x. 
]5,  16,  'And  when  he  was  departed  thence,  he  lighted  on  Jehonadab 
the  son  of  Rechab,  coming  to  meet  him ;  and  he  saluted  him,  and  said 

'  Monday  and  Thursday  were  the  pharisees'  fasting  days;  because  Moses  went  up  to 
the  mount  on  a  Thursday  and  came  down  on  a  Monday,  saith  Drusius. 


Chap.  IV.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  451 

to  him,  Is  thine  heart  right,  as  my  heart  is  with  thy  heart  ?  And  Jeho- 
nadab  answered,  It  is.  If  it  be,  give  me  thine  hand.  And  he  gave  him 
his  hand,  and  he  took  him  up  to  him  into  his  chariot ;  and  he  said,  Come 
with  me,  and  see  my  zeal  for  the  Lord.'  Come,  make  a  greater  blaze 
than  fixed  stars  :  '  Come,  see  my  zeal  for  the  Lord."  Jehu  his  words 
were  for  the  Lord,  but  his  project  was  for  the  kingdom.  The  actor  in 
the  comedy  said  with  his  mouth,  0  ccelum,  O  heaven,  but  with  his  finger 
he  pointed  to  the  earth.  Lapidaries  tell  us  of  a  stone  called  the  chely- 
donian  stone,^  that  it  will  retain  its  virtue  no  longer  than  it  is  enclosed 
in  gold  ;  a  fit  emblem  of  an  hypocrite,  of  a  Jehu.  Jehu  made  a  great 
blaze,  but  he  was  but  a  comet.  An  hypocrite  always  loves  the  praise  of 
men  more  than  the  praise  of  God,  John  xii.  43.  He  loves  more  to  be 
honoured  by  men  than  to  be  honoured  by  God  :  '  How  can  ye  believe 
which  receive  honour  one  of  another,  and  seek  not  the  honour  which 
cometh  from  God  only  ?'  John  v.  44.  Nothing  below  that  power  which 
raised  Christ  from  the  grave  can  make  an  hypocrite  purely  nothing  in 
his  own  eyes.  An  hypocrite  is  always  a  great  thing  in  his  own  eyes ; 
and  when  he  is  nothing,  a  great  nothing  in  others'  eyes ;  he  cannot 
bear  it.  An  hypocrite  cannot  endure  to  be  outshined  in  gifts,  in  graces, 
in  experiences,  in  duties,  in  communion  with  God,  in  spiritual  enjoy- 
ments. An  hypocrite's  heart  is  full  of  pride  when  his  deportment  is 
most  humble.  He  always  thinks  best  of  himself,  and  worst  of  others ; 
he  looks  upon  his  own  vices  as  graces,  and  he  looks  upon  other  men's 
graces  as  vices,  or  at  least  as  no  true  current  coin.^  A  proud  spirit  will 
cast  disgrace  upon  that  excellency  that  himself  wants  ;  as  Licinius,  who 
was  joined  with  Galerius  in  the  empire,  he  was  so  ignorant  that  he  was 
not  able  to  write  his  own  name ;  he  was  a  bitter  enemy  to  learning,  and 
as  Eusebius  reports  of  him,  he  called  the  liberal  arts  a  public  poison  and 
pestilence.^  The  emptiest  barrels  make  the  loudest  sound,  the  worst 
metal  the  greatest  noise,  and  the  lightest  ears  of  corn  hold  their  heads 
highest.  An  hypocrite  may  well  lay  his  hand  upon  his  heart,  and  say. 
Is  it  not  so  with  me,  is  it  not  just  so  with  me  ? 

But  now  sincere  Christians,  they  are  men  of  another  spirit,  of  another 
temper,  of  another  metal,  of  another  mind  ;  their  hearts  lie  low  when 
their  gifts,  and  graces,  and  spiritual  enjoyments  are  high.  Abraham  is 
but  dust  and  ashes  in  his  own  eyes,  Gen.  xviii.  27.  The  higher  any  man 
is  in  his  communion  with  God,  the  more  low  that  man  will  be  in  his  own 
eyes.  Dust  and  ashes  are  poor,  base,  vile,  worthless  things,  and  such 
a  thing  as  these  was  Abraham  in  his  own  eyes.  So  Jacob  was  a  plain 
man,  an  upright  man,  and  lo  !  what  a  low  esteem  had  he  of  himself : 
'  I  am  not  worthy  of  the  least  of  all  the  mercies  which  thou  hast  shewed 
unto  thy  servant,'  Gen.  xxxii.  10.  In  the  Hebrew  it  is,  '  I  am  little  before 
thy  mercies ;'  for  the  Hebrews  have  no  comparative,  and  therefore  they 
are  wont  to  express  this  by  a  positive  and  a  preposition.*  When  Jacob 
had  to  do  with  Laban,  he  pleads  his  merits  ;  but  when  he  has  to  do  with 
God,  he  pleads  nothing  but  grace,  setting  a  very  low  esteem  upon  him- 

^  As  before,  see  Index  sub  voce. — G. 

2  Accius  [or  Attius]  the  poet,  though  he  were  a  dwarf,  yet  would  be  pictured  tall  of 
stature.     [Cicero,  Brutus,  28,  et  alibi. — G.]     The  application  to  the  hypocrite  is  easy. 

^  Eusebius,  Eccl.  Hist.  lib.  iv.  cap.  xiii.,  as  before. — G. 

*  Gen.  xxxi.  from  ver.  38  to  41  :  the  least  mercy,  saith  Jacob,  is  more  worth  than  I, 
and  more  weighty  than  I. 


452  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  IV. 

self.     He  looks  upon  himself  as  less  than  the  least  of  mercies,  and  as 
worse  than  the  worst  of  creatures.     The  least  of  my  mercies  are  greater 
than  I  deserve,  and  the  greatest  of  my  troubles  are  less  than  I  deserve, 
saith  Jacob.     Tiie  language  of  a  plain-hcartcd  Jacob  is  this  :  O  Lord,  I 
might  with  Job  have  been  stripped  of  all  my  comforts  and  enjoyments 
at  a  clap,  and  set  upon  a  dungliill  ;  I  might  with  Lazarus  have  been 
begging  my  bread  from  door  to  door  ;  or  I  might  have  been  getting  my 
bread  with  the  peril  of  my  life,  because  of  the  sword  of  the  wilderness. 
Lam.  v.  9  ;  or  I  might  have  been  with  Dives  in  hell  a-crying  out  for  a 
drop  of  water  to  cool  my  tongue,  Luke  xvi.  24.     A  sincere  Christian 
cannot  tell  how  to  speak  good  enough  of  God,  nor  ill  enough  of  himself. 
Agur  was  one  of  the  wisest  and  holiest  men  on  earth,  and  see  how 
greatly  he  debases  himself:  '  Surely  I  am  more  brutish  than  any  man, 
and  have  not  the  understanding  of  a  man,'  Prov.  xxx.  1,  2.     Agur  had 
seen  lihlel,  God  with  me,  and  Ucal,  God  almighty,  and  this  made  him 
so  vile  and  base  in  his  own  eyes  ;  this  made  him  vilify,  yea,  nullify  him- 
self to  the  utmost.     You  know  no  man  ever  received  a  fairer  or  a  more 
valuable  certificate  under  the  hand  of  God  or  the  broad  seal  of  heaven, 
for  his  being  a  soul  famous  in  uprightness  and  holiness,  than  Job,  as  you 
may  see.  Job  i.  8,  '  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Satan,  Hast  thou  considered 
my  servant  Job,  that  there  is  none  like  him  in  the  earth,  a  perfect  and 
an  upright  man,  one  that  feareth  God  and  escheweth  evil.''     Job  was 
high  in  worth  and  humble  in  heart  :  Job  xlii.  5,  6,  '  I  have  heard  of  thee 
by  the  hearing  of  the  ear,  but  now  mine  eye  seeth  thee,   I  abhor 
myself  in  dust  and  ashes.'     This  expression  is  the  deepest  act  of  abhor- 
rency.     Abhorrency  strictly  taken  is  hatred  wound  up  to  the  height : 
'  I  abhor  myself     The  Hebrew  word  that  is  rendered  abhor  signifies  to 
reject,  to  disdain,  to  contemn,  to  cast  off.     Ah!  says  Job,  I  abhor  myself, 
I  reject  myself,  I  disdain  myself,  I  cast  off  myself,  I  have  a  very  vile 
and  base  esteem  of  myself     David  was  a  man  of  gi'eat  integrity,  a  man 
after  God's  own  heart,  and  yet  he  looks  upon  himself  as  a  flea  ;  and 
what  is  more  contemptible  than  a  flea  ?  1  Kings  xv.  5,  1  Sam.  xxvi.  20. 
And  as  he  looks  upon  himself  as  a  flea,  so  he  looks  upon  himself  as  a 
worm  :  *  I  am  a  worm,  and  no  man,'  Ps.  xxii.  6.     The  Hebrew  word  ny^in, 
tolagnath,  that  is  here  rendered  a  worm,  signifies  a  very  little  worm 
which  breedeth  in  scarlet,  a  worm  that  is  so  little  that  a  man  can  hardly 
perceive  it.    A  worm  is  the  most  despicable  creature  in  the  world, 
trampled  under  foot  by  man  and  beasts.     He  who  was  in  God's  eye  a 
man  after  his  own  heart,  is  in  his  own  eye  but  a  despicable  worm.     A 
sincere  Christian  is  a  little  nothing  in  his  own  eyes. 

So  Paul,  who  had  been  caught  up  into  the  third  heaven,  and  learned 
his  divinity  among  the  angels,  as  one  speaks  [Chrj'sostom],  and  had 
such  glorious  revelations  as  could  not  be  uttered,  yet  he  accounts  him- 
self less  than  the  least  of  all  saints  :  Eph.  iii.  8,  '  Unto  me  who  am  less 
than  the  least  of  all  saints.'  The  Greek  is  a  comparative  made  of  a 
superlative  :  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints  is  a  double  diminutive,  and 
signifies  lesser  than  the  least,  if  lesser  might  be  ;  not  that  any  thing  can 
be  less  than  the  least.^     Paul's  rhetoric  doth  not  cross  Aristotle's  pliilo- 

'  Job  was  a  nonsuch  in  regard  of  those  perfections  and  degrees  of  grace,  of  integrity, 
of  sanctity,  that  he  had  attained  to  beyond  any  other  saints  iu  the  world  in  his  time  and 
day.  *   Vide  Estium,  Bezam,  &c. 


Chap.  IV.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  453 

sophy.  The  original  word  being  a  double  diminutive,  his  meaning  is 
that  he  was  as  little  as  could  be  ;  therefore  he  put  himself  down  so  little 
as  could  not  be  less  than  the  least.  Here  you  have  the  greatest  apostle 
descending  down  to  the  lowest  step  of  humility  :  great  Paul  is  least  of 
saints,  last  of  the  apostles,  and  greatest  of  sinners,  1  Tim.  i.  15. 

So  Peter,  '  Depart  from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O  Lord,'  Luke  v. 
8,  or  as  the  Greek  runs,  av^^  a/xagrwXo?,  '  a  man,  a  sinner,'  a  very  mixture 
and  compound  of  dirt  and  sin ;  a  mere  bundle  of  vice  and  vanity,  of 
folly  and  iniquity.  So  Luther,  '  I  have  no  other  name  than  sinner, 
sinner  is  my  name,  sinner  is  my  surname  ;  this  is  the  name  by  which  I 
shall  be  always  known.  I  have  sinned,!  do  sin,  I  shall  sin  in  infinitum,' 
saith  Luther,  speaking  vilely  and  basely  of  itself.  Lord,  I  am  hell  and 
thou  art  heaven,  said  blessed  Hooper  ;  I  am  a  most  hypocritical  wretch, 
not  worthy  that  the  earth  should  bear  me,  said  blessed  Bradford.  Thus 
you  see  by  these  several  instances  that  sincere  Christians  do  as  it  were  take 
a  holy  pleasure  and  delight  to  debase,  humble,  and  vilify  themselves. 
But  this  is  a  work  hypocrites  are  mere  strangers  to.  There  is  not  an 
hypocrite  under  heaven  that  loves  to  debase  himself,  or  that  makes  it  his 
duty  conscientiously  to  vilify  and  lessen  himself  that  Christ  may  be  set 
up  above  all.  Humility  is  a  grace  hardly  attained  unto.  '  Many,'  saith 
one  [Augustine],  '  can  more  easily  give  all  they  have  to  the  poor,  than 
themselves  become  poor  in  spirit.'     But, 

[9.]  Ninthly,  No  hypocrite  ivill  long  hold  out  in  the  work  and  ways 
of  the  Lord,  in  the  want  of  oidtvard  encouragements,  and  in  the  face 
of  outward  discouragements.  An  hypocrite  is  an  apostate  cased,  and 
an  apostate  is  an  hypocrite  uncased  :  Job  xxvii.  8,  '  For  what  is  the 
hope  of  the  hypocrite,  though^he  hath  gained,  when  God  shall  take  away 
his  soul  ?'  Ver.  10,  '  Will  he' delight  himself  in  the  Almighty  ?  Will 
he  always  call  upon  God  ?'  Or,  as  the  Hebrew  runs,  '  Will  he  in  every 
time  call  upon  God  ?'  It  may  be  he  may  formally  call  on  God  in 
time  of  prosperity ;  but  can  he  seriously  do  it  in  time  of  adversity  ? 
Sometimes  when  the  rod  is  upon  them,  then  they  will  pour  out  a  prayer 
to  God  :  '  In  their  affliction  they  will  seek  me  early,'  Isa.  xxvi.  16, 
Hosea  v.  15.  '  When  he  slew  them,  then  they  sought  him,  and  they 
returned  and  inquired  after  God,'  Ps.  Ixxviii.  34.  But  this  was  not  the 
standing  frame  of  their  hearts  :  Ver.  36,  '  Nevertheless,  they  did  flatter 
him  with  their  mouth;  and  they  lied  unto  him  with  their  tongues.' 
Ver.  37,  '  For  their  heart  was  not  right  with  him,  neither  were  they  sted- 
fast  in  his  covenant.'  When  Pharaoh  was  upon  the  rack,  he  could  roar 
a  confession,  and  earnestly  cry  out  for  a  prayer,  Exod.  x.  16,  17,  19,  20  ; 
but  when  the  judgment  was  removed,  Pharaoh  was  as  proud,  and  hard,  and 
blind  as  ever.  When  Adonijah  was  in  danger  of  death,  then  he  could 
hang  on  the  horns  of  the  altar,  1  Kings  i.  50,  51.  When  Ahab  was  threat- 
ened with  utter  desolation,  then  he  could  fast  and  lie  in  sackcloth  ; 
and  so  did  the  Ninevites.  But  all  this  was  but  like  Ephraim  and 
Judah's  goodness,  that  as  a  morning  cloud  and  as  the  early  dew  passeth 
away.  Will  the  hypocrite  always,  or  in  every  time,  call  upon  God  ? 
Will  the  hypocrite  call  upon  God  as  often  as  providence  calls  him  to  call 
upon  God  ?  Will  he  call  upon  God  as  often  as  judgments  call  him  to  call 
upon  God  ?  Will  he  call  upon  God  as  often  as  conscience  calls  him  to 
call  upon  God  ?     Will  he  call  upon  God  as  often  as  it  his  duty  to  call 


454  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  IV. 

upon  God  1  Will  he  call  upon  God  as  often  as  others  call  upon  him  to 
call  upon  God  ?  Oh  no  !  The  hypocrite  will  not  always  call  upon 
God  ;  lie  will  not  persevere  in  prayer ;  he  will  not  hold  on  nor  hold  out 
in  prayer  ;  he  is  short-spirited  ;  he  cannot  always  pray  and  not  faint, 
or  shrink  back  as  sluggards  do  in  work,  or  cowards  in  war,  as  the  ori- 
ginal word  in  Luke  imports,  Luke  xviii.  1,  ixxay.iTv,  An  hypocrite,  for 
want  of  an  inward  principle,  can  neither  delight  in  God,  nor  always 
call  upon  God.  If  God  comes  not  at  his  call,  if  he  opens  not  as  soon 
as  he  knocks,  he  is  out  of  patience,  and  ready  to  say  with  that  proud 
profane  prince,  *  Behold,  this  evil  is  of  the  Lord,  and  what  should  I 
wait  for  him  any  longer  V  2  Kings  vi.  33.  If  an  hypocrite  obtains 
the  mercy  he  desires,  then  he  will  throw  off  prayer,  as  he  said,  *  Take 
away  the  net,  the  fish  is  caught  ;'  if  he  obtains  not  the  mercy,  then  he 
will  grow  weary  of  his  duty.  '  Thou  hast  been  weary  of  me,'  O  Israel, 
Mai.  i.  13,  Isa.  xliii.  22.  Prayer  is  too  hard  and  too  high  a  work  for  an 
unsound  heart  to  hold  on  in.  Prayer  is  heart-work,  and  that  proves 
heavy  work  to  him.  The  soul  of  prayer  lies  in  the  pouring  out  of  the 
soul  before  God,  and  this  is  a  work  that  an  hypocrite  has  no  skill  in, 
1  Sam.  i.  15.  It  was  a  profane  and  blasphemous  speech  of  that  atheis- 
tical wretch,  that  told  God  he  was  no  common  beggar, , he  never  troubled 
him  before  with  prayer,  and  if  he  would  but  hear  him  that  time,  he 
would  never  trouble  him  again.^  Even  such  a  spirit  and  such  prin- 
ciples lie  lurking  in  every  hypocrite's  breast.  Doubtless  he  hit  it  who 
said,  '  How  canst  thou  expect  that  God  should  hear  thee,  when  thou  wilt 
not  hear  thyself  ?  or  that  God  should  give  thee  a  return  in  prayer,  when 
thou  art  not  mindful  what  thou  askest  in  prayer  ?'^  But  now  a  sincere 
Christian  he  will  go  on  in  prayer,  speed  or  not  speed.  If  he  prevails, 
he  will  love  prayer  the  better  all  his  days  ;  if  he  do  not  for  the  present 
prevail,  he  will  be  so  much  the  more  importunate  with  God  in  prayer/ 
It  is  as  natural  for  a  bird  to  live  without  air,  and  for  a  fish  to  live 
without  water,  and  for  a  man  to  live  without  food,  as  it  is  for  a  sincere 
heart  to  live  without  prayer.  '  Oh,'  saith  Chrysostom,  '  it  is  more  bitter 
than  death  to  be  spoiled  of  prayer.'  And  hereupon,  as  he  observes, 
Daniel  chose  rather  to  run  the  hazard  of  his  life,  than  to  lose  or  give 
over  his  private  prayers,  Dan.  vi.  Prayer  is  the  key  of  heaven,  and  a 
sincere  Christian  loves  much  to  be  a-handling  of  that  key,  though 
he  should  die  for  it.^  As  that  emperor  said,  •  Oportet  inq^eratorem 
stavtem  inori,  It  behoves  an  empei'or  to  die  standing;  so  may  I  say, 
Oportet  Chrisiianwm  niori  j-jrecantan,  it  behoves  a  Christian  to 
die  praying.  An  hypocrite  will  never  hold  out  to  the  end.  Let  but 
outward  encouragements  fail  him,  and  his  heart  will  quickly  fail 
him  in  a  way  of  duty.  Hypocrites  are  like  blazing  stars,  which,  so  long 
as  they  are  fed  with  vapours,  shine  as  if  they  Avere  fixed  stars  ;  but  let 
the  vapours  dry  up,  and  presently  they  vanish  and  disappear.  Let  but 
the  eye,  the  ear,  the  applause  of  men,  fail  the  hypocrite,  and  he  will  be 
ready  to  throw  up  all.  If  an  hypocrite  cannot  make  some  gain  of  his 
godliness,  some  profit  of  his  profession,  some  advantage  of  his  religion, 
he  will  be  ready  with  Demas  to  turn  his  back  upon  all  religious  duties 

'  Hil.  Mic,  p.  37G.     [As  before. — G.]  '  Cyprian,  de  Oratione  Dominica. 

'  Gtn.  xxxii.  24-29  ;  Hosra  xii.  3.  4  ;  Mat.  xv.  22-28. 

*  Trayer  is  porta  cceli,  clavis  paradisi,  tho  gate  of  heaven,  a  key  to  let  us  into  paradise. 


Chap.  IV.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  455 

and  services,  2  Peter  ii.  20-22,  2  Tim.  iv.  10.     Look,  as  a  lame  horse, 
when  he  is  heated,  will  go  well  enough,  but  when  he  cools,  will  halt  down- 
right ;  even  so  an  hypocrite,  though  for  a  time  he  may  go  on  fairly  in 
his  way,  yet  in  the  end  he  will  halt  downright,  and  bid  farewell,  if  not 
defiance,  to  all  religious  duties  and  services.     Profit  and  applause  are 
usually  the  baits  that  hypocrites  bite  at,  and  if  they  miss  these  baits, 
then  farewell  profession,  farewell  religion,  farewell  all :  John  vi.  66. 
'  From  that  time  many  of  his  disciples  went  back,  and  walked  no  ntiore 
with  him,'     Many  hypocrites  who  had  given  up  their  names  to  Christ, 
and  who  for  a  time  had  been  followers  of  Christ,  at  last  deserted  him 
and  turned  their  backs  for  ever  upon  him  :  Mat.  xiii.  5,  '  Some  fell  upon 
stony  places,  where  they  had  not  much  earth'  (not  much  care  to  receive, 
not  much  understanding  to  apprehend,  not  much  faith  to  believe,  not 
much  will  to  obey,  or  not  much  love  to  retain  it),  '  and  forthwith  they 
sprung  up,  because  they  had  no  deepness  of  earth.'     Ver.  6,  '  And  when 
the  sun  was  up  they  were  scorched,  and  because  they  had  no  root  they 
withered  away.'     This  second  ground  goes  beyond  the  former  :  for  (1.) 
it  receives  the  seed  ;  (2.)  incontinently  ;  (3.)  with  joy  ;  (4.)  it  brings 
up  the  seed  sown.     It  sprung  up  to  sundry  degrees  :   [1.]  to  external 
obedience   and  reformation  in  many  things  ;   [2.]  to  an  outward  pro- 
fession ;  [3. J  to  a  kind  of  faith  ;  but  when  the  sun  of  persecution  beat 
hot  upon  them  they  withered  and  fell  away ;  not  all  at  once,  but  by 
little  and  little,  as  a  leaf  loseth  his  greenness  and  flourish,  and  withers 
by  degrees.     In  the  Palatinate,  when  the  sun  of  persecution  began  to 
scorch  them,  scarce  one  professor  of  twenty  stood  out,  but  fell  to  popery 
as  fast  as  leaves  in  autumn.     The  crystal  looks  like  pearl  till  it  comes 
to  the  hammering  ;  so  an  hypocrite  looks  like  a  Christian,  and  in  many 
things  acts  like  a  Christian,  till  he  comes  to  be  hammered  by  sufferings, 
by  persecutions,  and  then  he  discovers  himself  in  his  colours  ;  and  with 
Hymeneus  and  Alexander,  he  makes  shipwreck  of  faith  and  a  good  con- 
science, 1  Tim.  i.  19,  20,  Hosea  v.  2.      In  suffering  times,  hypocrites 
labour  mightily  to  put  out  that  light  which  shines  in  their  bosoms,  and 
when  they  have  quenched  that  light,  then  farewell  faith,  farewell  pro- 
fession, farewell  a  good  conscience,  farewell  all.   The  wolf,  though  he  often 
dissembles  and  closely  hides  his  nature,  yet  he  cannot  always  do  so  ;  for 
at  one  time  or  other  he  will  shew  himself  to  be  a  wolf ;  so  though  an 
an  hypocrite  may  carry  it  closely  for  a  time,  yet  he  will  one  time  or 
other  discover  himself  to  be  an  hypocrite.     It  is  reported  of  the  waters 
of  Nilus,  that  having  run  many  hundred  of  miles  a  pure  and  clear  water, 
when  it  comes  near  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  it  begins  to  grow  brackish 
and  salt,  and  at  last  it  falls  into  the  sea  and  loseth  its  name.     Sooner 
or  later  this  will  be  the  case  of  all  hypocrites  ;  they  won't  retain  their 
spiritual  fairness,  clearness,  and   sweetness  long,  but  by  degrees  will 
grow  brackish  and  salt,  and  lose  their  names,  and  all  that  seeming  good- 
ness and  sweetness  that  once  seemed  to  be  in  them. 

But  now  a  sincere  Christian,  he  will  hold  on  and  hold  out  in  the  ways 
of  the  Lord,  in  the  want  of  all  outward  encouragements,  and  in  the  face 
of  all  multiplied  discouragements.  When  the  eye  of  men,  the  favour 
of  men,  the  bounty  of  men,  and  all  other  encouragement  from  men  fails, 
yet  then  a  sincere  Christian  will  hold  up,  and  hold  on  in  his  work  and 
way.     '  The  righteous  shall  hold  on  his  way,  and  he  that  hath  clean 


456  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  IV- 

hands  shall  be  stronger  and  stronger/  Job  xvii.  9.     The  righteous  man 
shall  go  on  in  a  way  of  righteous  [nessj  to  the  end  ;  no  multiplied  cala- 
mities or  miseries  shall  ever  work  him  to  decline  the  way  of  righteousness. 
From  this  way  a  sincere  Christian  will  never  be  withdrawn,  either  by 
any  hopes  or  advantages  on  the  one  hand,  or  by  any  fears  or  dangers 
on  the  other.     Sincere  Christians  have  not  taken  up  religion  on  such 
slight  grounds,  as  to  be  either  flattered  or  frighted  out  of  it.     Sincere 
Christians  reckon  upon  afflictions,  temptations,  crosses,  losses,  reproaches 
on  the  one  hand,  and  they  reckon  upon  a  crown  of  life,  a  crown  of  right- 
eousness, a  crown  of  glory  on  the  other  hand,  and  hereupon  they  set  up 
their  staff,  fully  resolving  never  to  depart  from  the  good  old  way  wherein 
they  have  found  rest  to  their  souls,  John  xvi.  33  ;  Acts  xiv.  22  ;  2  Tim. 
iv.  8.     Sincere  Christians  take  Christ  and  his  ways  for  better  for  worse, 
for  richer  for  poorer,  in  prosperity  and  adversity ;  they  resolve  to  stand 
or  foil,  to  suffer  and  reign,  to  live  and  die  with  him,  Jer.  vi.  16.    When 
all  outward  encouragements  from  God  shall  fail,  yet  a  sincere  Christian 
will  keep  close  to  his  God,  and  close  to  his  duty.     *  Although  the  fig- 
tree  shall  not  blossom,  neither  shall  fruit  be  in  the  vines,  the  labour  of 
the  olive  shall  fail,  and  the  fields  shall  yield  no  meat,  the  flock  shall  be 
cut  off  from  the  fold,  and  there  shall  be  no  herds  in  the  stalls ;  yet  I 
will  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  I  will  joy  in  the  God  of  my  salvation.'  Hab.  iii. 
17,  18.     When  all  necessary  and  delightful  mercies  fail,  yet  he  will  not 
fail  in  his  duty.    Though  God  withhold  his  blessings,  yet  lie  will  not  with- 
hold his  service  ;  in  the  want  of  a  livelihood,  he  will  be  lively  in  his  duty ; 
when  he  hath  nothing  to  subsist  by,  yet  then  he  will  live  upon  his  God,  and 
joy  in  his  God,  and  keep  close  to  his  God.     Though  war  and  want  come, 
yet  he  Avill  not  be  wanting  in  his  duty.     Mark,  there  are  three  things 
in  a  sincere  Christian  that  will  strongly  incline  him  to  keep  close  to  the 
Lord,  and  close  to  his  ways  in  the  want  of  all  outward  encouragements, 
and  in  the  face  of  all  outward  discouragements.     And  the  first  is  a  for- 
cible principle,  divine  love ;  the  second  is  a  mighty  aid,  the  Spirit  of 
God;  and  the  third  is  a  high  aim,  the  glory  of  God,  2  Cor.  v.  14;  Philip, 
iv.  12,  13  ;  Rom.  xiv.  7,  8.     Look,  as  Ruth  kept  close  to  her  mother  in 
the  want  of  all  outward  encouragements,  and  in  the  face  of  all  outward 
discouragements,— 'And  Ruth  said,  Whither  thou  goest  1  will  go  ;  and 
where  thou  lodgest  I  will  lodge,  and  nothing  but  death  shall  part  thee 
and  me,'  Ruth  i.  16,  17,  —so  saith  a  sincere  Christian,  I  will  take  my 
lot  Avith  Christ  wherever  it  falls ;  I  will  keep  close  to  the  Lord,  and 
close  to  my  duty,  in  the  want  of  all  outward  encouragements,  and  in  the 
face  of  all  outward  discourafrements.     Thouoh  outward  encouragements 
be  sometimes  as  a  side  wind,  or  as  oil,  or  as  chariot  wheels,  means  to 
move  a  Christian  to  go  on  more  sweetly,  easily,  and  comfortably  in  the 
ways  of  God,  yet  when  this  wind  shall  fixil,  and  these  chariot  wheels 
shall  be  knocked  off,  a  sincere  Christian  will  keep  close  to  the  Lord  and 
his  Avays.     'All  this  is  come  upon  us  ;  yet  have  we  not  forgotten  thee, 
neither  have  we  dealt  falsely  in  thy  covenant.     Our  heart  is  not  turned 
back,  neither  have  our  steps  dechned  from  thy  ways,'  Ps.  xliv,  17,  18. 
But  what  do  they  mean  by  saying,  '  All  this  is  come  upon  us'?     Why, 
that  you  may  see  in  the  foregoing  part  of  the  psalm :  *  Thou  hast  cast 
us  off,  and  put  us  to  shame ;  and  goest  not  forth  with   our  armies. 
Thou  makest  us  turn  back  from  the  enemy ;  and  they  which  hate  us 


Chap.  IV.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  457 

spoil  for  themselves.     Thou  hast  given  us  like  sheep  appointed  for  meat ; 

and  hast  scattered  us  among  the  heathen.     Thou  sellest  thy  people  for 

nought,  and  dost  not  increase  thy  wealth  by  their  price.     Thou  makest 

us  a  reproach  to  our  neighbours,  a  scorn  and  derision  to  them  that  are 

round  about  us.     Thou  makest   us  a  by-word  among  the  heathen,  a 

shaking   of  the   head   among   the   people/  vers.    9-14.^      Antiochus 

Epiphanes  looked  upon  the  Jews'  rehgion  as  superstition;  his  wrath  and 

rage  was   exceeding  great,  both   against  the  Jews  and  against  their 

religion  ;  he  practised  all  manner  of  cruelty  upon  the  miserable  Jews, 

but  yet  there  was  a  remnant  among  them  who  were  faithful  to  the 

Lord,  and  to  his  covenant,  and  to  his  laws,  and  to  his  ways,  even  to 

the  death.     Though  in  the  time  of  the  Maccabees  many  revolted  to 

paganism,  yet  some  maintained  their  constancy  and  iutegrity  to  the 

last.     That  is  a  great  word  of  the  prophet  Micah  :  '  For  all  people  will 

walk  every  one  in  the  name  of  his  god,  and  we  will  walk  in  the  name 

of  the  Lord  our  God  for  ever  and  ever,'  Micah  iv.  5.     This  absolute  and 

peremptory  resolution  to  be  really  the  Lord's,  and  for  ever  the  Lord's, 

is  of  the  essence  of  true  conversion.     It  is  not  the  world's  flatteries  that 

can  bribe  off  a  sincere  Christian  from  the  ways  of  God  ;  nor  it  is  not 

the  world's  frowns  that  can  beat  off  a  sincere  Christian  from  the  ways 

of  God  ;  but  an  hypocrite  will  never,  anfhypocrite  can  never  hold  it  out 

to  the  end.     His  ground  tackle  will  never  hold  when  the  storm  beats 

strong  upon  him.     An  hypocrite  is  hot  at  hand,  but  soon  tires  and 

gives  in.     But, 

[10.]  Tenthly,  No  hypocrite  ever  makes  it  his  business,  his  work,  to 
bring  his  heart  into  religious  duties  and  services.  Mat.  xv.  8,  Mark 
vii.  6.  He  never  makes  conscience  of  bringing  his  heart  into  his  work. 
An  hypocrite  is  heartless  in  all  he  does  :  Ps.  Ixxviii.  34,  '  When  he  slew 
them,  then  they  sought  him  ;  and  they  returned  and  inquired  early 
after  God.'  Ver.  36,  '  Nevertheless  they  did  flatter  him  with  their 
mouth,  and  they  lied  unto  him  with  their  tongues.'  Ver.  37,  'For  their 
heart  was  not  right  with  him,  neither  were  they  stedfast  in  his  cove- 
nant.' All  lip-labour  is  but  lost  labour.  When  men's  hearts  are  not  in 
their  devotion,  their  devotion  is  mere  dissimulation.  These  hypocrites 
sought  God,  and  inquired  early  after  God,  but  it  was  still  with  old 
hearts,  which  are  no  hearts  in  the  account  of  God.  They  made  lip 
work  of  it,  and  head  work  of  it,  but  their  hearts  not  being  in  their  work, 
all  was  lost :  their  seeking  lost,  their  inquiring  lost,  their  God  lost,  their 
souls  lost,  and  eternity  lost  :  Hosea  vii.  14,  '  And  they  have  not  cried 
unto  me  with  their  hearts,  when  they  howled  upon  their  beds.'^  When 
men's  hearts  are  not  in  their  prayers,  all  their  praying  is  but  as  an 
hideous  howling  in  the  account  of  God.^  The  cry  of  the  heart  is  the 
only  cry  that  God  likes,  loves,  and  looks  for.  He  accepts  of  no  cry,  he 
delights  in  no  cry,  he  rewards  no  cry,  but  the  cry  of  the  heart.  Hypo- 
crites are  heartless  in  their  cries,  and  therefore  they  cry  and  howl,  and 
howl  and  cry,  and  all  to  no  purpose.  They  cry  and  murmur,  and  they 
howl  and  repine  ;  they  cry  and  blaspheme,  and  they  howl  and  rebel ; 

1  The  Jews  sold  Christ  for  thirty  pence,  and  the  Komans  sold  thirty  of  them  for  a 
penny,  as  Josephus  relates. 

2  The  fox  when  caught  in  a  gin,  looks  pitifully,  but  it  is  only  to  get  out.     They  wor- 
shipped the  Lord  as  the  Indians  do  the  devil,  that  ho  may  do  them  no  hurt. 

^  As  dogs,  brute  beasts,  and  Indians  do,  when  they  are  hunger-bit. 


458  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  IV. 

and  therefore  they  meet  Avith  notliing  from  heaven  but  frowns,  and 
blows,  and  disappointments:  Isa.  xxix.  13,  'Wherefore  the  Lord  said, 
Forasmuch  as  this  people  draw  near  me  with  their  mouth,  and  with 
their  lips  do  honour  me,  but  have  removed  their  heart  far  from  me.' 
Ezek.  xxxiii.  31,  '  And  they  come  imto  thee  as  the  people  cometh,  and 
they  sit  before  thee  as  my  people,  and  they  hear  thy  words,  but  they 
will  not  do  them  :  for  with  their  mouth  they  shew  much  love,  but  their 
heart  goeth  after  their  covetousness.'  Though  this  people  flocked  to  the 
prophet  in  troops,  as  men  and  women  do  to  places  of  pleasure  ;  and 
though  they  carried  it  before  the  prophet  as  if  they  were  saints,  as  if 
they  Avere  the  people  of  God,  as  if  they  were  affected  with  what  they 
heard,  as  if  they  were  resolved  to  live  out  what  the  prophet  should 
make  out  to  them  ;  yet  their  hearts  ran  after  their  covetousness. 
Though  these  hypocrites  professed  much  love  and  kindness  to  the  pro- 
phet, and  paid  him  home  with  smooth  words,  and  seemed  to  be  much 
affected,  delighted,  ravished,  and  taken  with  his  person,  voice,  and  doc- 
trine, yet  they  made  no  conscience  of  bringing  their  hearts  into  their 
duties.  An  hypocrite  may  look  at  some  outward,  easy,  ordinary  duties 
of  religion,  but  lie  never  makes  conscience  of  bringing  his  heart  into 
any  duties  of  religion.  When  did  you  ever  see  an  hypocrite  a-searching 
of  his  heart,  or  sitting  in  judgment  upon  the  corruptions  of  his  soul,  or 
lamenting  and  mourning  over  the  vileness  and  wickedness  of  his  spirit? 
It  is  only  the  sincere  Christian  that  is  affected,  afflicted,  and  wounded 
with  the  corruptions  of  his  heart.  When  one  told  blessed  Bradford  that 
he  did  all  out  of  hypocrisy,  because  he  would  have  the  people  applaud 
him,  he  answered.  It  is  true,  the  seeds  of  hypocrisy  and  vain  glory  are 
in  thee  and  me  too,  and  will  be  in  us  as  long  as  we  live  in  this  world  ; 
but  I  thank  God  it  is  that  I  mourn  under  and  strive  against.  How 
seriously  and  deeply  did  good  Hezekiah  humble  himself  for  the  pride 
of  his  heart !  '  Out  of  the  eater  came  meat,'  out  of  his  pride  he  gat  hu- 
mility, 2  Chron.  xxxii.  25. 

O  sirs  !  a  sincere  Christian  makes  it  his  great  business  to  get  his 
heart  into  all  his  religious  duties  and  services,  to  get  his  heart  into 
every  way  and  w^ork  of  God,  Cant.  iii.  1-6.  Jehoshaphat's  heart  was 
lifted  up  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord,  2  Chron.  xvii.  6.  So  David,  '  I  will 
praise  thee,  O  Lord,  with  all  my  heart,'  Ps.  xxxvi.  12.  And  so  Ps. 
cxix.  7,  'I  will  praise  thee  with  uprightness  of  heart.'  Ver.  10,  '  With 
my  whole  heart  have  I  sought  thee.'  So  Jehoshaphat  he  sought  the 
Lord  with  all  his  heart,  2  Chron.  xxii.  9.  Isa.  xxvi.  8,  '  The  desire  of 
our  soul  is  to  thy  name,  and  to  the  remembrance  of  thee.'  Ver.  9, 
'  With  my  soul  have  I  desired  thee  in  the  night ;  yea,  with  my  spirit 
within  me  will  I  seek  thee  early.'  Lam.  iii.  41,  '  Let  us  lift  up  our 
heart  with  our  hands  unto  God  in  the  heavens.'  Rom.  i.  9,  '  For  God 
is  my  witness,  whom  I  serve  with  my  spirit  in  the  gospel  of  his  Son.' 
Paul's  very  spirit,  his  very  soul,  was  in  his  service.  Philip,  iii.  3,  '  For 
we  are  the  circumcision,  which  worship  God  in  the  spirit,  and  rejoice  in 
Christ  Jesus,  and  have  no  confidence  in  the  flesh.'  Rom,  vii.  22,  '  I  de- 
light in  the  law  of  God  after  the  inward  man.'  Ver.  25,  '  With  the 
mind  I  myself  serve  the  law  of  God.'  A  sincere  Christian  is  always 
best  when  his  heart  is  in  his  work,  and  when  he  cannot  get  his  heart 
into  his  duties,  oh !  how  does  he  sigh,  and  groan,  and  complain,  and 


Chap.  IV.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  459 

mourn  at  the  foot  of  God  !  Lord,  my  tongue  has  been  at  work,  and  my 
head  has  been  at  work,  and  my  parts  have  been  at  work,  and  my  eyes 
and  hands  have  been  at  work,  but  where  has  my  heart  been  this  day  ? 
Oh  !  it  is  and  must  be  for  a  sore  and  sad  lamentation  that  I  have  had 
so  httle  of  my  heart  in  that  service  that  I  have  tendered  to  thee ! '  This 
is  the  daily  language  of  an  upright  heart.  But  now  all  the  work  of  an 
hypocrite  is  to  get  his  golden  parts  into  his  duties,  and  his  silver  tongue 
into  his  duties,  and  his  nimble  head  into  his  duties;  but  he  never  makes 
conscience  of  getting  his  heart  into  his  duties.  If  any  beasts  sacrificed 
by  heathens,  who  ever  looked  narrowly  into  the  entrails,  was  found 
without  a  heart,  this  was  held  ominous,  and  construed  as  very  prodigious 
to  the  person  for  whom  it  was  offered,  as  it  fell  out  in  the  case  of  Julian. 
Hypocrites  are  always  heartless  in  all  the  sacrifices  they  offer  to  God, 
and  this  will  one  day  prove  ominous  and  prodigious  to  them.     But, 

[11.]  Eleventhly,  An  hypocrite  never  'performs  religious  duties 
from  spiritual  principles^  nor  in  a  spiritual  manner.  An  hypocrite 
is  never  inclined,  moved,  and  carried  to  God,  to  Christ,  to  holy  duties, 
by  the  power  of  a  new  and  inward  principle  of  grace  working  a  suitable- 
ness between  his  heart  and  the  things  of  God.  An  hypocrite  rests  him- 
self satisfied  in  the  mere  external  acts  of  religion,  though  he  never  feels 
anything  of  the  power  of  religion  in  his  own  soul.  An  hypocrite  looks 
to  his  words  in  prayer,  and  to  his  voice  in  prayer,  and  to  his  gestures  in 
prayer,  but  he  never  looks  to  the  frame  of  his  heart  in  prayer.  An 
hypocrite's  heart  is  never  touched  with  the  words  his  tongue  utters  ; 
an  hypocrite's  soul  is  never  divinely  affected,  delighted,  or  graciously 
warmed  with  any  duty  he  performs.  An  hypocrite's  spiritual  perform- 
ances never  flow  from  spiritual  principles,  nor  from  a  heart  universally 
sanctified.  Though  his  works  may  be  new,  yet  his  heart  remains  old  ; 
his  new  practices  always  spring  from  old  principles  ;  and  this  will  prove 
the  hypocrite's  bane,  as  you  may  see  in  that  Isa.  i.  15,  '  When  you 
spread  forth  your  hands  to  heaven,  I  will  hide  my  eyes ;  and  when  you 
make  many  prayers,  when  you  abound  in  duty,'  adding  prayer  to  prayer, 
as  the  Hebrew  runs,  '  I  will  not  hear,  your  hands  are  full  of  blood.' 
These  were  unsanctified  ones  ;  their  practices  were  new,  but  their  hearts 
were  old  still,  Isa.  i.  10-16.  The  same  you  may  see  in  the  scribes 
and  pharisees,  who  fasted,  prayed,  and  gave  alms,  but  their  hearts  were 
not  changed,  renewed,  sanctified,  nor  principled  from  above ;  and  this 
proved  their  eternal  bane.  Mat.  vi.,  xxiii, ;  Luke  xviii.  Nicodemus  was 
a  man  of  great  note,  name,  and  fame  among  the  pharisees,  and  he 
fasted,  and  prayed,  and  gave  alms,  and  paid  tithes,  &c,,  and  yet  a  mere 
stranger  to  the  new  birth  ;  regeneration  was  a  paradox  to  him.  '  How 
can  a  man  be  born  when  he  is  old  ?  can  he  enter  the  second  time  into 
his  mother's  womb  and  be  born  ?'^  John  iii.  4.  This  great  doctor  was 
so  great  a  dunce,  that  be  understood  no  more  of  the  doctrine  of  re- 
generation, than  a  mere  child  does  the  darkest  precepts  of  astronomy. 
Look,  as  Avater  can  rise  no  higher  than  the  spring  from  whence  it  came, 
so  the  natural  man  can  rise  no  higher  than  nature,  1  Cor.  ii.  14.     An 

'  It  is  reported  that  when  the  tyrant  Trajan  commanded  Ignatius  to  be  ripped  and  un- 
bowelled,  they  found  Jesus  Christ  written  upon  his  heart  in  characters  of  gold.  Here 
was  a  heart  wortli  gold.  That  is  the  golden  Christian  indeed,  whose  heart  is  writ  upon 
all  his  duties  and  services. 

^  No  man  can  understand  spiritual  mysteries  by  carnal  reason. 


460  A  CABTNET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  IV. 

hypocrite  may  know  mucli,  and  pray  much,  and  hear  much,  and  fast 
much,  and  give  much,  and  obey  much,  and  all  to  no  purpose,  because 
he  never  manages  anything  he  does  in  a  right  manner ;  he  never 
carries  on  his  work  from  inward  principles  of  faith,  fervency,  life,  love, 
delight,  &c.  Will  the  hypocrite  delight  himself  in  the  Almighty? 
Ans.  No  ;  he  cannot  delight  himself  in  tiie  Alniiglity. 

(1.)  To  delight  in  God  is  one  of  the  highest  acts  of  grace  ;  and  how 
can  an  hypocrite  put  forth  one  of  the  highest  acts  of  grace,  who  hath  no 
grace  ?  An  hypocrite  may  know  much  of  God,  and  talk  much  of  God, 
and  make  a  great  profession  of  God,  and  be  verbally  thankful  to  God  ; 
but  he  can  never  love  God,  nor  trust  in  God,  nor  delight  in  God,  nor 
take  up  his  rest  in  God,  &c.* 

(2.)  All  hypocrite  knows  not  God;  and  how  then  can  he  delight 
in  that  God  whom  he  does  not  know  ?  An  hypocrite  has  no  inward, 
saving,  transforming,  experimental,  affectionate,  practical  knowledge 
of  God ;  and  therefore  he  can  never  take  any  pleasure  or  delight  in 
God. 

(3.)  There  is  no  suitableness  between  an  hypocnte  and  God ;  and 
how  then  can  an  hypocrite  delight  himself  in  God  ?  There  is  the  gi-eat- 
est  contrariety  imaginable  betwixt  God  and  an  hypocrite.  God  is  light, 
and  the  hypocrite  is  darkness  ;  God  is  holiness,  and  he  filthiness  ;  God 
is  righteousness,  and  he  unrighteousness  ;  God  is  fulness,  and  he  empti- 
ness, 2  Cor.  vi,  15,  16.  Now  what  complacency  can  there  be  where 
there  is  such  an  utter  contrariety  ? 

(4.)  Every  lujpocrites  heaH  is  full  of  enmity  against  God;  and 
how  then  can  he  delight  himself  in  God  ?  '  The  carnal  mind  is  enmity 
against  God,  for  it  is  not  subject  to  the  law  of  God,  neither  indeed  can 
be,'  Rom.  viii.  7.  The  best  part  of  an  hyiaocrite  is  not  only  averse,  but 
utterly  adverse  to  God  and  all  goodness.^  The  eagle,  saitli  the  philoso- 
pher, hath  a  continual  enmity  with  the  dragon  and  the  serpent.  And 
so  an  hypocrite's  heart  is  still  full  of  enmity  against  the  Lord ;  and 
therefore  he  can  never  delight  himself  in  the  Lord. 

(5.)  TJie  stream,  cream,  and  strength  of  an  liypocrite's  delight  runs 
out  to  himself,  and  to  this  lust  or  that,  or  this  relation  or  tJiat,  to  this 
creature-comfort  or  that,  to  this  worldly  enjoyment  or  that,  or  else  to 
arts,  parts,  gifts,  privileges,  &c.,  and  therefore  how  can  he  delight  him- 
self in  the  Almighty  ?  An  hypocrite  always  terminates  his  delight  in 
something  on  this  side  God,  Christ,  and  heaven.  Look,  as  the  apricock 
tree,2  though  it  leans  against  the  wall,  yet  it  is  fast  rooted  in  the  earth  ; 
so  though  an  hypocrite  may  lean  towards  God,  and  towards  Christ,  and 
towards  heaven,  yet  his  dehght  is  still  rooted  fast  in  one  creature-com- 
fort or  another,  &c.  God  nor  Christ  is  never  the  adequate  object  of  an 
hypocrite's  delight.  An  hypocrite  is  never  principled  to  delight  himself 
in  a  holy  God,  neither  can  he  cordially,  diviiicly,  habitually  delight  him- 
self in  lioly  duties.  An  hypocrite  may  reform  many  evil  things,  and  he 
may  do  many  good  duties,  and  yet  all  this  while  it  is  only  his  practices, 
but  not  his  heart  or  principles,  that  are  changed  and  altered.  Mark, 
though  an  hypocrite  hath  nothing  in  him  which  is  essential  to  a  Christian 

'  Job  xxvii.  10,  Job  speaks  of  the  hypocrite,  as  is  evident,  ver.  8. 
^  To  delight  in  God,  is  Christianorum  propria  virtus,  saith  Jerome. 
3  Early  form  of  '  apricot.' — G. 


Chap.  IV.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  461 

as  a  Christian,  yet  he  may  be  the  complete  resemblance  of  a  Christian 
in  all  those  things  which  are  not  essential  to  him.  An  hypocrite,  in  all 
the  externals  of  religion,  may  be  the  complete  picture  of  a  sincere 
Christian  ;  but  then  if  you  look  to  his  principles,  and  the  manner  of  his 
managing  of  holy  duties,  there  you  will  find  him  lame  and  defective, 
and  as  much  unlike  a  sincere  Christian,  as  ever  Michars  image  was  un- 
like to  David,  1  Sam.  xix.  13-16  ;  and  this  will  prove  the  great  crack, 
the  great  break -neck  of  hypocrites  at  last. 

0  sirs  !  it  is  considerable,  that  outward  motives  and  natural  principles 
have  carried  many  heathens  to  do  many  great  and  glorious  things  in 
the  world.  Did  not  Sisera  do  as  great  things  as  Gideon  ?  The  dif- 
ference did  only  lie  here,  that  the  great  things  which  Gideon  did,  he  did 
from  more  spiritual  principles  and  raised  considerations,  than  any  Sisera 
was  acted  by.  And  did  not  Diogenes  trample  under  his  feet  the  great 
and  glorious  things  of  this  world,  as  well  as  Moses  ?  Heb.  xi.  24.  The 
difference  did  only  lie  in  this,  that  Moses  trampled  under  his  feet  the  gay 
and  gallant  things  of  this  world,  from  inward  gracious  principles,  viz., 
faith,  love,  &c.,  and  from  high  and  glorious  considerations,  viz.,  heaven, 
the  glory  of  God,  &c.,  whereas  Diogenes  did  only  trample  upon  them 
from  poor,  low  principles,  and  from  mere  outward,  carnal,  external 
considerations.  The  favour  of  men,  the  eye  of  men,  the  commenda- 
tions of  men,  the  applause  of  men,  and  a  great  name  among  men,  were 
golden  apples,  great  things  among  the  philosophers.  The  application  is 
easy. 

Mark,  A  sincere  Christian,  he  looks  to  the  manner  as  well  as  to  the 
matter  of  his  duties  ;  he  acts  and  performs  duties,  not  only  from  strength 
of  parts  and  acquired  qualifications,  but  from  strength  of  grace  and 
infused  habits  ;  he  acts  from  God  and  for  God  ;  he  acts  from  a  new  heart ; 
he  acts  from  the  law  written  in  his  heart ;  he  acts  from  the  love  of  God 
shed  abroad  in  his  heart  ;  he  acts  from  the  divine  nature  communicated 
to  him  ;  he  acts  from  the  Spirit's  indwelling  in  his  heart ;  he  acts  from 
the  fear  of  God  established  in  his  heart.^  These  be  the  springs  and  princi- 
ples of  a  sincere  Christian's  spiritual  life  and  actions  ;  and  where  they  act 
and  bear  rule,  it  is  no  wonder  if  [there  be]  such  motions  and  performances 
as  the  world  may  admire  but  not  imitate.  Saul's  life,  after  his  conver- 
sion, was  a  kind  of  constant  miracle.  So  much  he  did,  and  so  nmch  he 
suffered,  and  so  much  he  denied  himself,  that  if  he  lived  in  these  days 
his  life  would  be  a  miracle  ;  but  yet  if  we  consider  the  principles  that 
he  was  acted  by,  the  great  wonder  will  be,  not  that  he  did  so  much,  but 
that  he  did  no  more  :  '  For,'  saith  he,  '  Christ  liveth  in  me,  and  the  life 
which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who 
loved  me  and  gave  himself  for  me,'  Gal.  ii.  20.  It  was  a  gi'eat  saying  of 
blessed  Bradford,^  that  he  could  not  leave  a  duty  till  he  had  found  com- 
munion with  Christ  in  the  duty,  till  he  had  brought  his  heart  into 
a  duty-frame.  He  could  not  leave  confession  till  he  had  found  his 
heart  touched,  broken,  and  humbled  for  sin,  nor  petition  till  he  had 
found  his  heart  taken  with  the  beauties  of  the  things  desired,  and  carried 
out  after  them  ;  nor  could  he  leave  thanksgiving  till  he  had  found  his 
spirit  enlarged  and  his  soul  quickened  in  the  return  of  praises.     And  it 

1  Eom.  xi.  24  ;  Ezek.  xxxvi.  25 ;  Jer.  xxxi.  33  ;  Kom.  iii.  5  ;  2  Cor.  v.  19  ;  2  Pet.  i.  4  ; 
Eph.  iii.  17  ;  2  Gor.  xiii.  6.  «  Foxe,  Acts  aud  Monum.     \_Suh  nomine. G.]' 


4-G2  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  IV. 

was  a  great  saying  of  another,  '  that  he  could  never  be  quiet  till  he 
found  God  in  every  duty,  and  enjoyed  communion  with  God  in  every 
prayer.'  '  0  Lord,'  said  he,  '  I  never  come  to  thee  but  by  thee,  I  never  go 
from  thee  without  thee/'  A  sincere  Christian  that  is  taken  with  Christ 
above  all,  cannot  be  satisfied  nor  contented  with  duties  or  ordinances, 
without  he  enjoys  Christ  in  them,  who  is  the  life,  soul,  and  substance  of 
them.  But  now  hypocrites  they  do  duties,  but  all  they  do  is  from  com- 
mon principles,  from  natural  principles,  and  from  an  unsanctified  heart ; 
and  that  mars  all.  Remigius,  a  judge  of  Lorraine,  tells  this  story,  that 
the  devil  in  those  parts  did  use  to  give  money  to  witches,  which  did 
appear  to  be  good  coin  ;  it  seemed  to  be  current  at  first,  but  being  laid 
up  a  while,  it  then  appeared  to  be  nothing  but  leaves.^  Hypocrites 
they  make  a  great  profession,  and  are  much  in  the  outward  actions  of 
religion  ;  they  make  a  very  ftiir  show,  they  hear,  they  read,  they  pray, 
they  fast,  they  sing  psalms,  and  they  give  alms  ;  but  these  duties  being 
not  managed  from  a  principle  of  divine  love,  nor  from  a  principle  of 
spiritual  life,  nor  from  a  sanctified  frame  of  heart,  turn  all  into  leaves  ; 
they  are  all  lost,  and  the  authors  of  them  cast  and  undone  for  ever 
and  ever.     But, 

[12.]  Twelfthly,  No  hypocrite  in  the  world  loves  the  word,  or  de- 
lights in  the  word,  or  prizes  the  word,  as  it  is  a  holy  word,  a  spiritual 
word,  a  beautifid  word,  a  pure  tvord,  a  clean  ivord :  Ps.  cxix.  140, 
'  Thy  word  is  very  pure,  therefore  thy  servant  loveth  it.'  There  are  no 
hearts  but  men  after  God's  own  heart,  that  can  love  the  word,  and  de- 
light in  the  word,  and  embrace  the  word  for  its  holiness,  purity,  and 
spirituality.^  Witness  Paul:  Rom.  vii.  12,  '  Wherefore  the  law  is  holy, 
and  the  commandment  holy,  and  just,  and  good.'  Well,  and  what  then? 
Why,  saith  he,  ver.  22,  '  I  delight  in  the  law  of  God  after  the  inward 
man.'  But  is  this  all  ?  No ;  saith  he,  ver.  25,  *  With  the  mind  I  my- 
self serve  the  law  of  God.'  Holy  Paul  delights  in  the  law  as  holy,  and 
serves  the  law  as  holy,  just,  and  good.  A  sincere  heart  is  the  only  heart 
that  is  taken  with  the  word  for  its  spirituality,  purity,  and  heavenly 
beauty.  None  can  joy  in  the  word  as  it  is  a  holy  word,  nor  none  can 
taste  any  sweetness  in  the  word  as  it  is  a  pure  word,  but  sincere  Christians  : 
Ps.  xix.  8-10,  'The  statutes  of  the  Lord  are  right,  rejoicing  the  heart. 
The  commandment  of  the  Lord  is  pure,  enlightening  the  eyes.  The 
fear  of  the  Lord  is  clean'  (that  is,  the  doctrine  of  the  word  that  teacheth 
the  true  fear  of  God),  '  enduring  for  ever.  The  judgments  of  the  Lord 
are  true  and  righteous  altogether  :  more  to  be  desired  are  they  than 
<rold,  yea,  than  much  fine  gold  ;  sweeter  also  than  honey  and  the  honey- 
comb ;'  or,  as  the  Hebrew  hath  it,  '  sweeter  than  the  droppings  of  honey- 
combs.'* The  word  of  God,  as  it  is  a  pure  word,  a  spiritual  word,  a 
clean  word,  a  holy  word  ;  so  it  rejoices  a  sincere  heart,  and  so  it  is  sweeter 
than  the  very  droppings  of  honeycombs.  The  word,  as  it  is  a  pure 
word,  a  holy  word,  is  more  sweet  to  a  sincere  Christian  than  those  drops 
which  drop  immediately  and  naturally  without  any  force  or  art,  which 

'  Nunquam  abs  te  absque  te  recede. — Bernard,  Meditat. 

*  Preston's  Four  Treatises.     [1635,  4to. — G.] 

3  Luther  said  he  would  not  live  in  paradise  if  he  might  without  the  word,  but  with  the 
word  he  could  live  in  hell  itself. 

*  These  several  titles,  law,  statutes,  testimony,  commandments,  judjjments,  are  used 
promiscuously  for  the  whole  word  of  God,  comnionly  distinguished  into  law  and  gospel. 


Chap.  IV.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  463 

is  counted  the  purest  and  sweetest  honey.  There  is  no  profit,  nor 
pleasure,  nor  joy  to  that  which  the  purity  of  the  word  yields  to  a  sin- 
cere heart :  Ps.  cxix.  48,  '  My  hands  will  I  lift  up  to  thy  commandments 
which  I  have  loved.'  Sometimes  the  lifting  up  of  hands  betokens  ad- 
miration. When  men  are  astonished  and  ravished,  they  lift  up  their 
hands.  '  I  will  lift  up  my  hands  to  thy  commandments  ;'  that  is,  I  will 
admire  the  goodness,  spiritualness,  holiness,  righteousness,  purity,  and 
excellency  of  thy  commandments.  Luther  would  not  take  all  the  world 
for  one  leaf  of  the  Bible,  he  took  such  sweet  pleasure  and  excellent  delight 
in  it.  Kabbi  Chiia,  in  the  Jerusalem  Talmud,  says,  '  That  in  his 
account  all  the  world  is  not  of  equal  value  with  one  word  out  of  the  law.' 
The  martyrs  would  have  given  a  load  of  hay  for  a  few  chapters  of  the 
Bible  in  English,  Some  of  them  gave  five  merks  for  a  Bible  ;  they 
were  so  delighted  and  taken  with  the  word,  as  it  was  a  holy  word,  a 
pure  word,  a  spiritual  word.  Dolphins,  they  say,  love  music  ;  and  so 
do  sincere  Christians  love  the  music  of  the  word.  It  is  upon  record,  that 
Mary  spent  the  third  part  of  her  time  in  reading  the  word,  she  was  so 
affected  and  delighted  with  the  holiness  and  purity  of  it.  King  Edward 
the  Sixth  being  about  to  lay  hold  on  something  that  was  above  the  reach 
of  his  short  arm,  one  that  stood  by  espying  a  bossed  Bible  lying  on  the 
table,  offered  to  lay  that  under  his  feet  to  heighten  him  ;  but  the  good 
young  king  disliked  the  notion,  and  instead  of  treading  it  under  his 
feet,  he  laid  it  to  his  heart,  to  express  the  joy  and  delight  that  he  took 
in  the  holy  w^ord/ 

But  now  never  did  any  hypocrite,  since  there  was  one  in  the  world, 
ever  love  God  as  a  holy  God,  or  love  his  people  as  a  holy  people,  or 
love  his  ways  as  holy  ways,  or  love  his  word  as  a  holy  word.  There  is 
no  hypocrite  in  the  world  that  can  truly  say  with  David,  '  Thy  word  is 
very  pure  ;  therefore  thy  servant  loveth  it.'  Saul  could  never  say  so, 
nor  Ahab  could  never  say  so,  nor  Herod  could  never  say  so,  nor  Judas 
could  never  say  so,  nor  Demas  could  never  say  so,  nor  Simon  Magus 
could  never  say  so,  nor  the  scribes  and  pharisees  could  never  say  so, 
nor  the  stony  ground  could  never  say  so,  nor  Isaiah's  hypocrites  could 
never  say  so,  Isa.  Iviii.  It  is  true,  some  of  these  did  rejoice  in  the  word, 
and  delight  in  the  word,  but  not  as  it  was  a  holy  word,  a  pure  word  ; 
for  then  they  would  have  rejoiced  and  delighted  themselves  in  the  whole 
word  of  God,  every  part  of  God's  word  being  pure  and  holy.  Hypo- 
crites are  sometimes  affected  and  delighted  with  the  word,  as  it  is 
dressed  up  with  fine  high  notions,  which  are  but  mysterious  nothings  ; 
they  are  taken  with  the  word,  as  it  is  clothed  with  arts,  parts,  and 
elegancy  of  phrase  ;  they  are  pleased  with  the  word,  as  it  is  apparelled 
with  a  spruce  wit,  or  with  silken  expressions,  or  with  some  delicate 
elocution  :  Ezek.  xxxiii.  32,  '  So  thou  art  to  them  as  a  very  lovely  song 
of  one  that  hath  a  pleasant  voice,  and  can  play  well  on  an  instrument ;' 
or  as  the  Hebrew  may  be  read,  '  Thou  art  as  one  that  breaks  jests.' 
These  hypocrites  looked  upon  the  solemnity  and  majesty  of  the  word 
but  as  a  dry  jest.  The  prophet  being  eloquent,  and  having  a  pleasing 
delivery,  they  were  much  taken  with  it,  and  it  was  as  sweet  and  delight- 
ful to  them  as  a  fit  of  music  ;  but  they  were  not  at  all  taken  or  de- 
lighted with  the  spirituality,  purity,  and  holiness  of  the  word,  as  is 
1  Sir  John  Hayward  in  vita.    [1630  and  1636,  4to.  12mo.— G.] 


464  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  IV. 

evident  in  ver.  31,  '  And  they  come  unto  thee  as  the  people  cometh,  and 
they  sit  before  thee  as  my  people,  and  thoy  hear  thy  words,  but  they 
•will  not  do  them  :  for  with  their  mouth  they  shew  much  love,  but  their 
heart  goeth  after  their  covetousness.'  It  was  a  very  smart  reproof  of 
Chrysostom  to  his  hearers  :  '  This  is  that,'  saith  he,  '  which  is  like  to 
undo  your  souls ;  you  hear  your  ministers  as  so  many  minstrels,  to 
please  the  car,  not  to  pierce  the  conscience.'  Augustine  confesseth, 
that  the  delight  which  he  took  before  his  conversion  in  St  Ambrose's 
sermons  was  more  for  the  eloquence  of  the  words  than  the  substance  of 
the  matter.'  Hypocrites  ai'e  taken  more  with  the  wit,  eloquence  of 
speech,  action,  quickness  of  fancy,  smoothness  of  style,  neatness  of  ex- 
pression, and  rareness  of  notion,  than  they  are  with  the  spirituality, 
purity,  and  holiness  of  the  word,  which  they  either  hear  or  read. 
These  hypocrites  are  like  those  children  who  are  more  taken  with  the 
fine  flowers  that  are  strewed  about  the  dish,  than  they  are  with  the 
meat  that  is  in  the  dish  ;  and  that  are  more  taken  with  the  red  weeds 
and  blue-bottles  that  grow  in  the  field,  than  they  are  with  the  good 
corn  that  grows  there.  But  now  look,  as  the  prudent  farmer  is  taken 
more  wnth  a  few  handfuls  of  sound  corn  than  he  is  Avith  all  the  gay 
weeds  that  be  in  the  field,  so  a  sincere  Christian  is  more  taken  with  a 
few  sound  truths  in  a  sermon  than  he  is  taken  with  all  the  strong  lines, 
and  high  strains,  and  flourishes  of  wit ;  or  than  he  is  taken  with  some 
new-coined  phrases,  or  some  quaint  expressions,  or  some  seraph  ical 
notions,  with  which  a  sermon  may  be  decked  or  dressed  up.  Some  are 
taken  with  the  word  as  the  profession  of  it  brings  in  customers  into 
their  shops,  and  keeps  up  their  credits  in  the  world  ;  others  are  taken 
with  the  word  as  it  seems  to  tickle  their  ears  and  please  their  fancies  ; 
some  are  affected  with  sermons  because  of  the  elegancy  of  the  style, 
delicacy  of  the  words,  smoothness  of  the  language,  and  gracefulness  of 
the  delivery.  And  these  deal  by  sermons  as  many  do  by  their  nose- 
gays, that  are  made  up  of  many  picked  sweet  flowers,  who,  after  they 
have  smelt  to  them  awhile,  cast  them  into  a  corner,  and  never  mind 
them  more  ;  so  these,  after  they  have  commended  a  sermon,  after  they 
have  highly  applauded  a  sermon,  they  cast  away  the  sermon,  they  smell 
to  the  sermon,  if  I  may  so  speak,  and  say.  It  is  sweet,  it  is  sweet ;  and 
presently  they  throw  it  by,  as  a  nosegay  that  is  withered,  and  of  no 
further  use.  But  now  a  sincere  heart  savours  the  word,  and  relishes 
the  word,  and  is  affected  and  taken  with  the  word,  as  it  is  a  holy  word, 
a  spiritual  word,  a  pure  word,  which  the  most  reflned  hypocrite  under 
heaven  never  was  affected  or  taken  with,  nor  can  be,  whilst  hypocrisy 
keeps  the  throne  in  his  soul.     But, 

[13.]  Thirteenthly,  and  lastly,  An  hypocrite  cannot  endure  to  he 
tried,  and  searched,  and  laid  open.  An  hypocrite  hates  the  light, 
and  had  rather  go  to  hell  in  the  dark  than  come  to  be  weighed  in  the 
balance  of  the  sanctuary,  John  iii.  20.  A  soul-searching  ministry  is  to 
an  hypocrite  a  tormenting  ministry.  That  is  no  man  for  his  money 
that  will  never  let  his  conscience  alone  ;  he  knows  he  is  like  a  velvet 
saddle,  velvet  without  and  straw  within  ;  he  knows  he  is  like  a  whited 
sepulclire,  glorious  without  and  dead  bones  within,  Mat.  xxiii.  27,  28  ; 
and  therefore  his  heart  rises  and  swells  against  such  a  man  and  such  a 
'  Confessions,  Book  v.  siii.  23 ;  xiv.  24. 


J 


Chap.  IV.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  465 

ministry,  that  is  all  for  the  anatomising  and  laying  of  him  open  to  him- 
self and  to  the  world.  But  now  look,  as  pure  gold  fears  neither  fire  nor 
furnace,  neither  test  nor  touchstone,  neither  one  balance  nor  another, 
so  a  sincere  heart  dares  venture  itself  upon  trial,  yea,  upon  the  very 
trial  of  God  himself :  Ps.  cxxxix.  23,  '  Search  me,  O  God,  and  know  my 
heart ;  try  me,  and  know  my  thoughts.'  A  sincere  Christian  prays  his 
friends  to  search  him,  and  he  prays  soul-searching  ministers  to  search 
him ;  but  above  all,  he  begs  hard  of  God  to  search  him  :  '  Search  me, 
O  God.'  The  Hebrew  word  ""Jipn,  is  imperat.  kal;  he  commands  God 
to  search  him.  The  original  word  signifies  a  strict,  curious,  diligent 
search  :  see  Job  xxxi.  5,  6.  A  sincere  Christian  is  very  willing  and 
desirous  that  God  should  thoroughly  search  him,  that  God  should  search 
into  every  corner  and  cranny  of  his  heart :  Ps.  xxvi.  2,  '  Examine  me, 
O  Lord,  and  prove  me;  try  my  reins  and  my  heart.'  Every  word  here  has 
its  weight :  '  Examine  me,  O  Lord.'  The  Hebrew  word  nsn^  signifies 
to  melt,  and  so  to  try  which  makes  the  most  intrinsecal  and  exact  dis- 
covery. O  Lord,  let  my  heart  and  reins  be  melted,  that  it  may  be 
known  what  metal  they  are  made  of,  whether  gold  or  tin  ;  '  prove  me.' 
The  Hebrew  word  ijjni  signifies  to  view,  as  when  a  man  gets  upon  some 
high  tower  or  hill  to  see  all  from  thence.  '  Mount  aloft,  0  Lord,' 
take  the  high  tower,  take  the  hill,  '  that  thou  mayest  see  what  is  in 
me  ;  try  me,  and  know  my  thoughts.'  The  Hebrew  word  '•JDI,  is  from 
nD3,  nasah,  which  properly  signifies  to  take  away,  and  is  applied  to 
Abraham's  taking  away  of  his  son.  Gen.  xxii.  1.  Lord,  saith  the  pro- 
phet, if,  upon  searching  and  examining  of  me,  thou  shalt  find  any  sin, 
any  creature,  any  comfort,  any  enjoyment  that  lies  in  thy  room,  take 
it  away,  that  thou  mayest  be  all  in  all  to  me,  A  sincere  Christian 
knows  that  God  never  brings  a  pair  of  scales  to  weigh  his  graces,  but 
only  a  touchstone  to  try  the  truth  of  his  graces  ;  he  knows  if  his  gold, 
his  grace,  be  true,  though  it  be  never  so  little,  it  will  pass  for  current 
with  God,  and  therefore  he  is  free  to  venture  upon  the  closest  search  of 
God,  Mat.  xii.  20.  Now  look,  as  bankrupts  care  not  for  casting  up  their 
accounts,  because  they  know  all  is  naught,  very  naught,  yea,  stark 
naught  with  them ;  so  hypocrites,  they  care  not  to  come  to  the  trial,  to 
the  test,  because  they  know  all  is  naught,  yea,  worse  than  naught  with 
them.  They  have  no  mind  to  cast  up  their  spiritual  estates,  because 
at  the  foot  of  the  account  they  must  be  put  to  read  their  neck  verse, 
*  Undone,  undone."  And  therefore,  as  old  deformed  women  cannot 
endure  to  look  into  the  looking-glass,  lest  their  wrinkles  and  deformity 
should  be  discovered,  so  hypocrites  cannot  endure  to  look  into  the  glass 
of  the  gospel,  lest  their  deformities,  impieties,  and  wickednesses  should 
be  discovered  and  detected.  I  have  read  of  the  elephant,  how  unwill- 
ing he  is  to  go  into  the  water,  but  when  he  is  forced  into  it,  he  puddles  it, 
lest  by  the  clearness  of  the  stream  he  should  discern  his  own  deformity ; 
so  hypocrites  they  are  very  unwilling  to  look  into  their  own  hearts,  or 
into  the  clear  streams  of  scriptures,  lest  their  soul's  deformity  and  ugli- 
ness should  appear,  to  their  own  terror  and  amazement.  O  sirs  !  look, 
as  it  is  a  hopeful  evidence  that  the  client's  cause  is  good  when  he  is 
ready  and  willing  to  enter  upon  a  trial,  and  as  it  is  a  hopeful  sign  that 

'  A  false  evidence  is  the  fruit  of  a  slight  and  superficial  search.     [See  Glossary,  s.  v. 
for  '  neck-verse.' — G.] 

VOL.  III.  G  g 


466  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

a  man's  gold  is  true  gold  when  he  is  willing  to  bring  it  to  the  touch- 
stone, and  that  a  man  thrives  when  he  is  willing  to  cast  up  his  books, 
so  it  is  a  hopeful  evidence  that  a  Christian  is  sincere  Avith  God  when  he 
is  ready  and  willing  to  venture  upon  the  trial  of  God,  when  lie  is  willing 
to  cast  up  his  books,  his  accounts,  that  he  may  sec  what  he  is  worth  for 
another  world,  Gal.  vi.  4,  5.  Augustine  speaks  of  an  acute  person,  who 
was  wont  to  say  that  he  prized  that  little  time  which  he  constantly  set 
apart  every  day  for  the  examination  of  his  conscience,  far  more  than 
all  the  other  part  of  the  day,  which  he  spent  in  his  voluminous  contro- 
versies.^ Of  all  the  duties  of  religion,  an  hypocrite  dreads  most  that  of 
self-examination,  and  that  of  venturing  himself  upon  the  search  and 
trial  of  God.  Well,  for  a  close,  though  an  hypocrite  may  deceive  all 
the  world,  like  that  counterfeit  Alexander  in  Josephus  his  story,  yet 
Augustus  Avill  not  be  deceived,  the  great  God  will  not  be  deceived ;  for 
his  eyes  are  quick  and  piercing  into  all  things,  persons,  and  places.^ 
Look,  as  the  eyes  of  a  well  drawn  picture  are  fastened  on  thee  which 
way  soever  thou  turnest,  so  are  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  fastened  on  thee, 
O  hypocrite,  which  way  soever  thou  turnest.  It  was  a  worthy  saying 
of  one.  If  thou  canst  not  hide  thyself  from  the  sun,  which  is  God's 
minister  of  light,  how  impossible  will  it  be  to  hide  thyself  from  him 
whose  eyes  are  ten  thousand  times  brighter  than  the  sun  V  The  eye 
of  God  many  times  is  very  terrible  to  an  hypocrite,  which  makes  him 
very  shy  of  venturing  upon  the  trial  of  God.  No  hypocrite  since  the 
world  stood,  did  ever  love  or  delight  to  be  searched  and  tried  by  God. 

And  thus  I  have  shewed  you  the  several  rounds  or  steps  in  Jacob's 
ladder,  which  no  hypocrite  under  heaven  can,  whilst  he  remains  an 
hypocrite,  climb  up  to.     And  so  much  for  this  chapter. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Koiv  in  this  fifth  and  last  clia2^ter,  I  shall  lay  doivn  some  i-)roj)ositions 
and  directions,  that  so  you  may  see  what  a  sober  use  and  improve- 
ment Christians  ought  to  make  of  their  evidences  for  heaven  ;  and 
hoiu,  in  the  use  of  gracious  evidences,  they  ought  to  live  above  their 
gracious  evidences,  and  hoiu  to  exalt  and  lift  up  Christ  above  all 
their  graces,  evidences,  and  perfoi'mances. 

[1.]  First  proposition.  It  is  the  luisdom,  and  ought  to  be  the  work  of 
every  Christian  to  own  the  least  measure  of  grace  that  is  in  him,  though 
it  be  'inixed  and  mingled  with  many  iceaknesses  and  infirmities.  Sin 
is  Satan's  work,  and  grace  is  Christ's  work  ;  and  therefore  Christ's  work 
ought  to  be  eyed  and  owned,  though  it  be  mingled  with  much  of  Satan's 
work.*  That  Christian  is  much  clouded  and  benighted  who  hath  two 
eyes  to  behold  his  sins,  but  never  an  eye  to  see  his  graces.  Christ  gets 
no  glory,  nor  the  soul  gets  no  good,  when  a  Christian  is  still  a-poriug 

'  Aug.  in  Ps.  xxxiii.  Concl.  2. 

»  Job  xxxiv.  21,  22  ;  2  Chron.  xvi.  9  ;  Prov.  v.  21,  and  xv.  3. 

'  Ambrose,  ollic.  1.  i.  c.  xiv. 

*  Tlioiigli  our  graces,  like  Gideon's  army,  are  but  a  handful  in  comparison  of  our  sins, 
wliich,  like  the  Midianitcs,  are  innumerable,  yet  a  handful  of  grace  is  to  be  owned  in  the 
midst  of  an  host  of  sins. 


Chap.  V.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  467 

upon  his  sins.  How  can  that  Christian  prize  a  little  grace,  and  bless 
God- for  a  little  grace,  and  improve  a  little  grace,  who  won't  own  a  little 
grace  because  it  is  mingled  with  many  weaknesses  ?  Shall  the  husband- 
man own  a  little  wheat  when  mingled  with  a  great  deal  of  chaff?  Shall 
the  goldsmith  own  a  little  filings  of  gold  when  mingled  with  a  great 
deal  of  dust ;  and  shall  not  a  Christian  own  a  little  grace  when 
mingled  with  a  great  many  failings  ?  David  had  a  great  many  infir- 
mities, 1  Sam.  xxi.  13,  14,  yet  he  owns  his  uprightness :  Ps.  xviii.  23, 
*  I  was  upright  before  him.'  And  Job  had  a  great  many  weaknesses, 
Job  iii.,  yet  he  owns  his  integrity  :  Job  xxvii.  5,  '  Till  I  die  I  will  not 
remove  my  integrity  from  me.'  Ver.  6,  '  My  righteousness  I  hold  fast, 
and  will  not  let  it  go  ;  my  heart  shall  not  reproach  me  so  long  as  I  live.' 
The  spouse  was  sensible  of  her  blackness,  yet  owns  her  comeliness.  Cant. 
i.  5,  '  I  am  black,  but  comely.'  So  Cant.  v.  2,  'I  sleep,  but  my  heart 
waketh.'  Jeremiah  was  a  man  of  many  failings,  yet  he  owns  his  hope 
in  God,  Jer.  xvii.  17 :  '  Thou  art  my  hope  in  the  day  of  evil,'  Jer,  xx. 
14,  seq.  The  poor  man  in  the  Gospel  was  very  sensible  of  the  sad  relics 
and  remains  of  unbelief  that  was  in  him,  and  yet  with  a  holy  boldness 
and  confidence  he  pleads  his  faith  :  Mark  ix.  24,  '  Lord,  I  believe,  help 
my  unbelief.'  Peter  miscarried  sadly,  Mat  xxvi.  69,  seq.,  and  yet  he 
owns  his  love  to  Christ  :  John  xxi.  15,  'Lord,  thou  knowest  that  I  love 
thee.'  Ver.  16,  'Lord,  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.'  Ver.  17,  'Lord, 
thou  knowest  all  things,  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.'  Paul  had  his 
infirmities  and  weaknesses  hanging  upon  him  :  witness  that  seventh  of 
the  Romans :  and  yet  how  frequently  and  boldly  does  he  own  the  grace 
of  God  that  was  in  him  throughout  his  epistles.  Nothing  keeps  grace 
more  at  an  under  than  men's  not  owning  of  a  little  grace  because  it  is 
mingled  with  many  infirmities.  The  best  way  to  be  greatly  good,  is  to 
own  a  little,  little  good,  though  in  the  midst  of  much  evil.     But, 

[2.]  The  second  proposition  is  this,  It  is  your  wisdom,  and  should 
be  your  luork,  to  look  upon  all  your  graces  and  gracious  evidences  as 
favours  given  you  from  above,  as  gifts  dropped  out  of  heaven  into 
your  hearts,  as  flowers  of  potraclise  stuck  in  your  bosoms  by  a 
divine  hand.  A  man  should  never  look  upon  his  graces  or  his  gracious 
evidences,  but  should  be  ready  to  say,  These  are  the  jewels  of  glory  with 
which  God  has  bespangled  my  soul :  1  Cor.  iv.  7,  '  What  hast  thou  that 
thou  hast  not  received  t  What  gift,  what  grace,  what  experience,  what 
evidence  hast  thou  that  thou  hast  not  received  f  All  the  light,  and  all 
the  life,  and  all  the  love,  and  all  the  joy,  and  all  the  fear,  and  all  the 
faith,  and  all  the  hope,  and  all  the  patience,  and  all  the  humility,  &c., 
that  thou  hast,  with  all  the  evidences  that  arise  from  the  discovery  of 
those  graces,  are  all  grace  gifts,  they  are  all  from  above.  '  Every  good 
gift  and  every  perfect  gift  is  from  above,  and  cometh  down  from  the 
Father  of  lights,'  James  i.  17.  Look,  as  all  light  flows  from  the  sun, 
and  all  water  from  the  sea,  so  all  temporal,  spiritual,  and  eternal  good 
flows  from  heaven.  All  your  graces,  and  the  greatest  excellencies  that 
are  in  you,  do  as  much  depend  upon  God  and  Christ,  as  the  light  doth 
upon  the  sun,  or  as  the  rivers  do  upon  the  sea,  or  as  the  branches  do  upon 
the  root,  John  xv.  1-5.  All  my  springs  are  in  thee,  Ps.  Ixxxvii,  7  ;  all 
the  springs  of  comfort  that  I  have  communicated  to  my  soul,  and  all  the 
'  Of  thine  own,  saith  David,  have  we  given  thee.     1  Chron,  xxix.  4. 


468  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

springs  of  grace  tliat  I  have  to  quicken  me,  and  to  evidence  the  good- 
ness and  happiness  of  my  spiritual  estate  and  condition  to  me,  they  are 
all  in  thee.  When  a  Cliristian  looks  upon  his  wisdom  and  knowledge, 
it  concerns  him  to  say.  Here  is  wisdom  and  knowledge,  ay,  but  it  is  from 
above;  here  is  some  weak  love  working  towards  Christ,  but  it  is  from 
above  ;  here  is  joy,  and  comfort,  and  peace,  &c.,  but  these  are  all  such 
flowers  of  paradise  as  never  grew  in  nature's  garden.  Now,  when  a 
Christian  looks  thus  upon  all  tiiose  costly  diamonds  of  grace,  of  glory, 
with  which  his  soul  is  bedecked,  he  keeps  low,  though  his  graces  and 
gracious  evidences  are  high.  Wiiere  tins  rule  is  neglected,  the  soul 
will  be  endangered  of  being  swelled  and  puffed. 

It  was  a  great  saying  of  a  very  worthy  man'  that  is  now  with  God, 
viz..  That  as  he  often  got  much  good  by  his  sins,  so  he  often  got  much 
hurt  by  his  graces.  Dear  hearts,  when  you  look  upon  the  stream,  re- 
member the  fountain  ;  when  you  look  upon  the  flower,  remember  the 
root  ;  when  you  look  upon  the  stars,  remember  the  sun  ;  and  whenever 
you  look  upon  your  graces,  then  be  sure  to  remember  Christ  the  foun- 
tain of  grace,  else  Satan  will  certainly  be  too  hard  for  you.  Satan  is  so 
subtle,  so  artificial,'^  and  so  critical,  that  he  can  make  your  very  graces 
to  serve  him  against  your  graces,  conquering  joy  by  joy,  sorrow  by  sor- 
row, humility  by  humility,  fear  by  fear,  and  love  by  love,  if  you  don't 
look  upon  all  your  graces  as  streams  flowing  from  the  fountain  above, 
and  as  fruits  growing  upon  the  tree  of  life  that  is  in  the  midst  of  the 
paradise  of  God.  Therefore,  when  one  of  your  eyes  is  fixed  upon  your 
graces,  let  the  other  be  always  fixed  upon  Christ  the  fountain  of  grace. 
*0f  his  fulness  have  all  we  received,  and  grace  for  grace,'  John  i.  10. 
Here  they  eye  their  graces  and  the  fountain  of  grace  together.  So  Paul : 
'  I  live  ;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me :  and  the  life  which  I  now 
live  in  the  flesh  I  live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me  and 
gave  himself  for  me,'  Gal,  ii.  20.  Paul  eyes  Christ  and  his  graces  to- 
gether ;  so  Peter  eyes  Christ  and  his  graces  together  :  John  xxi.  1 5, 
'  Lord,  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.'  So  those  worthies  of  whom  this 
world  was  not  worthy  ;  they  eye  Christ  and  their  graces  together  :  Heb. 
xii.  2,  '  Looking  unto  Jesus,  the  author  and  finisher  of  our  faith.' 
Though  grace  be  a  new  creature,  2  Cor.  v.  17,  a  noble  creature,  a 
beautiful  creature,  an  excellent  creature,  yet  grace  is  but  a  creature,  and 
such  a  creature  that  is  strengthened,  maintained,  cherished,  and  upheld 
in  your  souls,  Philip,  iv.  12,  13  ;  Cant.  iv.  iilt.,  in  life  and  power,  in 
beauty  and  glory,  by  nothing  below  the  spiritual,  internal,  and  glorious 
operations  of  Christ :  Col.  i.  10,  '  That  ye  might  walk  worthy  of  the 
Lord  unto  all  pleasing,  being  fruitful  in  every  good  work,  and  increas- 
ing in  the  knowledge  of  God.'  Ver.  ]1,  'Strengthened  with  all  might, 
according  to  his  glorious  power,  unto  all  patience  and  longsuflering  with 
joyfulness.'  Now,  whenever  you  look  upon  grace  as  a  lovely,  beautiful 
creature,  oh  then  remember  that  might  and  glorious  power  of  Chiist  by 
which  this  creature  is  preserved  and  strengthened.  Christians,  your 
graces  are  holy  and  heavenly  plants  of  Christ's  own  setting  and  water- 
ing, and  will  you  mind  the  plants  more  than  that  noble  hand  that  set 
them  ?  It  is  Christ  alone  that  can  cause  the  desires  of  his  people  to 
bud,  and  their  graces  to  blossom,  and  their  souls  to  be  like  a  watered 
'  Foxe  [the  Martyrologist,  as  be/ore. — G.].  -  '  Artful.' — G. 


I 


Chap.  V.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  469 

garden,  green  and  flourishing,  Isa.  Iviii.  ]  1,  and  xxxv.  6,  7  ;  and  there- 
fore let  the  eye  of  your  souls  be  firstly,  mostly,  and  chiefly  fixed  upon 
Christ.     But, 

[3.]  The  third  proposition  is  this.  When  you  look  upon  your  graces 
in  the  light  of  the  Spirit,  it  highly  concerns  you  to  look  narrowly  to 
it, that  you  do  not  renounce  and  reject  {ylour  graces  as  weak  and  worth- 
less evidences  of  your  interest  in  Christ,  and  of  that  eternal  happiness 
and  blessedness  that  comes  by  Christ.  The  works  of  grace,  saith  my 
author,^  which  consists  in  those  divine  qualities  of  holiness  and  right- 
eousness, &c..  Gal.  V.  22,  23,  is  a  sure  mark,  a  blessed  character,  whereby 
men  may  know  whose  children  they  are,  even  as  the  Spartans  or  Lace- 
daemonians of  old  are  said  to  know  what  stock  and  lineage  they  were  of 
by  a  mark  that  was  made  upon  their  bodies  by  the  head  of  a  lance  or 
spear.  I  readily  gi'ant  that  you  must  not  trust  in  your  graces,  nor  make 
a  saviour  of  your  graces,  but  yet  you  ought  to  look  upon  your  graces  as 
so  many  signs  and  testimonies  of  the  love  and  favour  of  God  to  your 
souls.  What  certainty  can  there  be  of  election,  remission  of  sin,  justi- 
fication, or  glorification,  if  there  be  not  a  certainty  of  your  sanctification 
and  renovation  ?  If  that  persuasion  that  is  in  you  about  your  grace  or 
sanctification  be  false,  then  that  persuasion  that  is  in  you  concerning 
remission  of  sin,  predestination,  justification,  and  eternal  salvation  is 
false.  This  highly  concerns  all  them  to  consider,  that  would  not  be 
miserable  in  both  worlds.  I  know  many  cry  up  revelations,  impres- 
sions, visions,  yea,  the  visions  of  their  own  hearts,  and  speak  lightly  and 
slightly  of  the  graces  of  the  Spirit,  of  sanctification,  of  holiness,  as 
evidences  of  the  goodness  and  happiness  of  a  Christian's  condition. 
There  were  some  in  James  his  time  who  cried  up  faith,  and  union  and 
communion  with  Christ,  but  were  destitute  of  good  works,  James  ii.  1 8. 
Well,  what  saith  the  apostle  ?  '  Shew  me  thy  faith  without  thy  works, 
and  I  will  shew  thee  my  faith  by  my  works  ;  for  as  the  body  without  the 
spirit  is  dead,  so  faith  without  works  is  dead,'  ver.  26.  Look,  as  the 
body  without  the  spirit,  or  without  breath, — as  the  Greek  word  -r^sD/ia 
primarily  signifies, — is  dead  ;  so  that  faith  that  is  without  works,  which 
are,  as  it  were,  the  breathings  of  a  lively  faith,  is  a  dead  faith.  Though 
it  be  faith  that  justifieth  the  man,  yet  it  is  works  that  justifies  a  man's 
faith  to  be  right  and  real,  saving  and  justifying.  So  there  were  some  in 
John's  time,  viz.,  the  Gnostics,  who  talked  high  of  fellowship  and  com- 
munion with  Christ,  and  yet  walked  in  darkness  ;  they  lived  in  all  im- 
purity, and  yet  would  make  the  world  believe  that  they  were  the  only 
people  who  knew  God,  and  had  fellowship  with  God,  but  John  tells  us 
they  were  liars  :  '  If  we  say  that  we  have  fellowship  with  him,  and  walk 
in  darkness,  we  lie,  and  do  not  the  truth.  What  fellowship  hath  light 
with  darkness?'  2 Cor.  vi.  14.  Such  walk  in  darkness  who  promise  to 
themselves  the  future  vision  of  God's  face,  whilst  they  go  on  in  the  wil- 
ful breach  of  God's  royal  law.  Such  who  say  they  know  him,  and  are 
swallowed  up  in  the  enjoyments  of  him,  and  yet  in  the  course  of  their 
lives  walk  contrary  to  him,  such  are  liars  :  '  He  that  saith,  I  know 
him,  and  keeps  not  his  commandments,  is  a  liar,'  1  John  ii.  4,  Sanc- 
tification and  justification  are  both  of  them  benefits  of  the  covenant 
of  grace,  and  therefore  to  evidence  the  one  by  the  other  can  be  no 
'  Grotius,  in  Rom.  viii.  16, 


470  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

turning  aside  to  the  covenant  of  works,  Jer.  xxxiii.  8,  9  ;  Heb.  viii. 
10,  12.  You  may  run  and  read  in  the  covenant  of  grace,  that  he  that 
is  justified  is  also  sanctified,  and  that  he  that  is  sanctified  is  also 
justified;  and  therefore  why  may  not  ho  that  knows  himself  to  be 
really  sanctified,  upon  that  very  ground,  safely  and  boldly  conclude 
that  he  is  certainly  justified  ?  O  sirs  !  the  same  Spirit  that  witnesses 
to  a  Christian  his  justification  can  shine  upon  his  graces,  and  witness 
to  him  his  sanctification  as  well  as  his  justification  ;  and  without  all  con- 
troversy, it  is  as  much  the  office  of  the  Spirit  to  witness  to  a  man  his 
sanctification  as  it  is  to  witness  to  him  his  justification,  1  Cor.  ii.  12, 
1  John  iv.  13,  14.  But  you  will  say.  Sir,  pray  what  should  be  the 
reasons  why  many  men  have,  and  why  some  do  still  cry  down  marks 
and  signs,  and  deny  sanctification  to  be  an  evidence  of  men's  justifica- 
tion, &c.,  and  speak  disgracefully  of  this  practice  that  is  now  under  con- 
sideration ?     I  conjecture  the  reasons  may  be  such  as  follow : 

First,  Many  'professors  take  up  in  a  great  7iame,  and  in  a  great 
profession,  and  in  great  ^jcti'/s  and  gifts,  though  they  have  never 
found  a  thorough  change,  though  they  have  never  passed  the  pangs  of 
the  new  birth,  though  they  have  never  experienced  what  it  is  to  he  a 
new  creature,  a  thorough  Christian}  And  hence  it  comes  to  pass  that 
they  make  head  against  this  way  of  evidencing  the  goodness  and  hap- 
piness of  a  man's  condition  by  inward  gracious  qualifications.  Of  all 
men  these  are  most  apt  to  outrun  the  truth,  and  to  run  from  one  ex- 
treme to  another,  and  to  be  only  constant  in  inconstancy.     But, 

Secondly,  Many  professors  are  given  up  to  spiritual  judgments, 
which  are  the  sorest  of  all  judgments,  viz.,  lukewarmness,  dead- 
heartedness,  foraiality,  indifferency,  apostasy,  blindness,  hardness,  and  to 
'  strong  delusions,  that  they  should  believe  a  lie,  because  they  received 
not  the  love  of  the  truth,  that  they  might  be  saved,'  2  Thes.  ii.  10-12. 
Now,  is  it  any  wonder  to  see  such  men  quarrel,  and  wrangle,  and  rail 
against  the  way  and  method  of  evidencing  the  goodness  and  happiness 
of  a  man's  spiritual  condition  by  inherent  gracious  qualifications  ?     But, 

Thirdly,  In  some  this  ariseth  from  their  lusts,  ivhich  they  indulge 
and  connive  at,  and  which  they  have  a  mind  to  live  quietly  in.  They 
are  desirous  to  keep  their  peace,  and  yet  unwilling  to  forsake  their  lusts; 
and  hence  they  exclude  this  witness  of  water  or  sanctification  to  testify 
in  the  court  of  conscience  whether  they  are  beloved  of  God,  or  whether 
they  are  sincere-hearted  or  no,  or  whether  they  have  the  root  of  the 
matter  in  them  or  no  ;  for  the  want  of  this  witness,  water  or  sanctifi- 
cation, is  a  clear  and  full  witness  against  them  that  they  are  yet  in 
their  sins,  under  wrath,  and  in  the  way  to  eternal  ruin  ;  and  that  they 
have  nothing  to  do  with  peace,  or  comfort,  or  the  promises,  or  Christ,  or 
heaven,  [or]  to  take  God's  name  into  their  lips,  seeing  they  secretly  hate 
to  be  reformed,  Isa.  Ivii.  20,  Ps.  1.  IG.  There  are  many  fair  professors 
that  are  foul  sinners,  and  that  have  much  of  God,  and  Christ,  and 
heaven,  and  holiness  in  their  lips,  when  they  have  nothing  but  sin  and 
hell  in  their  hearts  and  lives.  These  men's  convers[at]ions  shame  their 
profession,  and  therefore  they  cry  out  against  sanctification  as  a  sure 
and  blessed  evidence  of  a  man's  justification.  Such  sinners  as  live  in  a 
course  of  sin,  that  make  a  trade  of  sin,  that  indulge  their  sins,  that  take 
'  1  TLos.  V.  23  ;  John  iii.  3,  5  ;  2  Cor.  v.  17  ;  Acts  xxvi.  28. 


Chap.  V.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  471 

up  arms  in  defence  of  sin,  that  make  provision  for  sin,  that  make  a 
sport  of  sin,  that  take  pleasure  in  sin,  and  that  have  set  their  hearts 
upon  their  sin,  1  Thes.  ii.  11  ;  such  sinners  cannot  but  look  upon  the 
witness  of  sanctification  as  the  handwriting  upon  the  wall,  Daniel  v. 
5,  6.     But, 

Fourthly,  There  are  many  who  are  great  strangers  to  their  own 
hearts  and  the  blessed  Scriptures,  and  are  ignorant  of  what  may  he 
said  from  the  blessed  word  to  evidence  the  lawfulness  of  this  practice 
that  is  under  our  present  consideration}  And  hence  it  comes  to  pass 
that  they  cry  down  marks  and  signs,  and  deny  sanctification  to  be  a 
sure  and  blessed  evidence  of  men's  justification.  Ignorat  sane  im- 
prohus  omnis,  ignorance  is  the  source  of  all  sin,  the  very  well-spring 
from  which  all  wickedness  doth  issue.  Ignorance  enslaves  a  soul  to 
Satan,  it  lets  in  sin  by  troops,  locks  them  up  in  the  heart,  shuts  out 
the  means  of  recovery,  and  so  plasters  up  a  man's  eyes  that  he  cannot 
see  the  things  that  belongs  to  his  own  or  to  others'  internal  or  eternal 
peace.  The  Scripture  sets  ignorant  persons  below  the  ox  and  the  ass. 
Did  men  either  see  the  deformity  of  sin,  or  the  beauty  and  excellency 
of  holiness,  they  would  never  delight  in  the  one  nor  cry  down  the  other, 
Isa.  i.  3.  Peter  tells  you  of  some  that  speak  evil  of  the  things  that 
they  understood  not ;  they  did  reprehend  that  which  they  could  not  com- 
prehend, 2  Peter  ii.  12.  Ignorance  is  a  breeding  sin,  a  mother  sin  ;  all 
sins  are  seminally  in  ignorance.  Ignorance  is  the  mother  of  all  the 
mistakes,  and  of  all  the  misrule  in  the  world.  Christ  told  the  Sad- 
ducees  that  they  did  '  err,  not  knowing  the  Scriptures,'  Mat  xxii.  29. 
And  so  I  may  say,  many  err  in  crying  down  such  signs  and  evidences  of 
grace  Avhich  are  bottomed  upon  Scripture,  because  they  are  ignorant  of 
what  the  Scripture  saith  in  the  case.     But, 

Fifthly,  The  generality  of  Christians  are  but  lambs,  babes,  and 
children  in  grace.  The  springs  of  grace  runs  low  in  them  ;  their  fears 
frequently  overtop  their  faith  ;  and  their  strong  passions  and  corrup- 
tions do  often  raise  such  a  dust  and  smoke  in  their  souls,  that  if  they 
might  have  all  the  world,  yea,  if  their  salvation  lay  upon  it,  they  were 
not  able  to  discern  the  least  measure  of  grace  in  their  own  souls,  Isa. 
xl.  11  ;  2  Peter  ii.  2,  3  ;  1  John  ii.  1.  A  little  grace  is  next  to  none. 
Small  things  are  hardly  discerned.  He  had  need  to  have  a  clear  light 
and  good  eyes  that  is  to  discern  a  hair,  a  mote,  or  an  atom.  A  little 
grace  is  not  discoverable  but  by  a  shining  light  from  above.  There  are 
none  so  full  of  fears,  and  doubts,  and  questions,  and  disputes,  about  the 
truth  of  their  faith  in  Christ,  and  the  sincerity  of  their  love  to  Christ, 
as  those  that  least  believe  and  least  love.  The  kingdom  of  God  in  most 
Christians  is  but  as  a  grain  of  mustard-seed,  which  is  the  least  of  all 
seeds  ;  and  therefore  it  is  no  wonder  they  see  it  not,  Mark  iv.  30-32. 
The  root  of  the  matter  in  most  Christians  is  but  small,  and  that  small 
root  is  often  covered  over  with  many  sinful  infirmities  and  weaknesses  ; 
and  therefore  we  are  not  to  look  upon  it  as  a  strange  thing  if  we  see 
such.  Christians  not  sensible  of  the  root  of  the  matter  that  is  in  them. 
Weak  habits  put  forth  such  faint  actions,  and  with  so  much  interrup- 
.  tion,  that  it  is  not  an  easy  thing  to  discern  whether  they  are  the  pro- 

^  It  is  sad  to  be  a  stranger  at  home,  and  to  be  least  acquainted  with  a  man's  own  heart. 
— Aristotle.     It  is  said  of  knowledge,  non  habet  inimicum  prater  ignorantem. 


472  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

ducts  of  special  or  of  common  grace.  Now,  most  Cliristians  having  but 
small  measures  of  grace,  holiness,  and  sanctification  in  them,  and  these 
small  measures  being  much  obscured  and  buried  under  the  prevalency 
of  fears,  doubts,  and  unmortified  lusts,  can  speak  but  weakly  and  darkly 
for  them  ;  and  upon  this  ground  they  are  not  fond  of  bringing  in  this 
wituess  of  sanctihcation  to  speak  for  them.  In  civil  couits,  men  are 
not  ambitious  to  bring  such  witnesses  to  the  bar  as  can  witness  but 
weakly  and  faintly  in  their  case.     It  is  so  here. 

Sixthly,  Satan  is  a  grand  enemy  to  the  peace,  joy,  comfort,  assur- 
ance, settlement,  and  satisfaction  of  every  poor  Christian  ;  and  there- 
fore he  will  leave  no  stone  unturned,  nor  no  means  unattempted,  whereby 
he  may  keep  them  in  a  low,  dark,  unsettled,  and  uncomfortable  condi- 
tion, Ps.  Ixxvii.,  Ixxxviii.     When  once  a  poor  soul  is  brought  over  to 
Christ,  how  does  the  devil  bestir  himself  to  keep  such  a  soul  so  under 
fears,  doubts,  and  bondage,  as  that  it  may  not  in  the  least  have  an  eye 
to  anything  that  may  have  a  proper  tendency  to  its  comfort,  joy,  assur- 
ance, peace,  or  quiet.     The  devil  will  do  all  he  can  to  furnish  such  as 
as  are  '  begotten  again  by  the  resurrection  of  Christ  from  the  dead ' 
with  all  sorts  of  deadly  weapons  out   of  his  armoury,  to  fight  against 
those  arguments  and  evidences  which  make  for  the  peace  and  comfort 
of  their  own  souls.     He  that  shall  look  seriously  and  impartially  upon 
the  subtle,  close,  strong,  and  rhetorical  arguings  of  many  distressed 
Christians,  above  their  own  natural  parts,  against  the  peace,  rest,  com- 
fort, and  settlement  of  their  own  souls,  may  safely  conclude  that  a  hand 
of  Joab,  a  hand  of  Satan,  yea,  a  strong  hand  of  Satan,  has  been  with 
them,  2  Sam.  xiv.  19.     He  that  shall  please  to  read  the  life  of  Francis 
Spira,  though  he  be  no  great  philosopher,  yet  he  may  easily  discern 
with  what  subtlety  and  wonderful  sophistry  Satan  helped  him  to  argue 
against  the  pardonableness  of  his  sins,  and  the  possibility  of  his  salva- 
tion.    Satan  knows  how  to  transform  himself  into  an  angel   of  light, 
2  Cor.  xi,  14.     Satan  does  not  always  appear  in  one  and  the  same 
fashion,  but  he  appears  in  as  many  several  shapes,  fashions,  and  changes, 
as  Proteus  did  among  the  poets.     To  deceive  some,  he  has  assumed  a 
lightsome  body,  as  if  he  were  an  angel  of  heaven,  as  if  he  had  been  a 
holy  one  clothed  with  the  brightness  of  celestial  glory  ;  to  deceive  others, 
he  has  appeared  as  an  angel  of  light,  suggesting  such  things  to  them, 
and  injecting  such  things  into  them,  under  fair  and  specious  shows  and 
pretences  of  religion,  piety,  zeal,  and  holiness,  which  have  had  a  direct 
tendency  to  the  dishonour  of  God,  the  wounding  of  Christ,  the  grieving 
of  the  Spirit,  the  clouding  or  denying  their  evidences  for  heaven,  the 
strangling  of  their  hopes,  and  the  death  of  all  their  comforts  and  joy. 
But, 

Seventhly  and  lastly,  Som,e  Christians  live  under  high  enjoyments 
and  singular  manifestations  of  God's  love  to  than  ;  thei/  have  God 
every  day  a-shedding  abroad  of  his  love  into  their  hearts  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  Rom.  V.  5.  God  is  every  day  a-filling  their  souls  with  life,  light, 
love,  glory,  and  liberty,  Ps.  Ixiii.  2-4.  Christ  every  day  takes  them  up 
into  the  mount,  Mat  xvii.  4,  and  makes  such  discoveries  of  himself  and 
his  glory  to  them,  that  they  are  ready  frequently  to  cry  out,  Bonum  est 
esse  hie,  it  is  good  to  be  here.  Christ  often  Avhispcrs  them  in  the  ear 
with  an  '  0  man,  O  woman,  greatly  beloved,'  Dan.  ix.  22,  23  ;  Christ's 


Chap.  V.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  473 

'  left  hand  is  every  day  under  their  heads,  and  his  right  hand  doth 
embrace  them,'  Cant.  ii.  6  ;  they  sit  down  every  day  '  under  his  shadow 
with  great  delight,  and  his  fruit  is  sweet  unto  their  taste ;'  he  makes 
out  every  day  such  sweet  and  clear  manifestations  of  his  admirable 
favour  to  their  hearts,  that  their  souls  are  daily  satisfied  as  with  marrow 
and  fatness,  Ps.  Ixiii.  2-5.  There  are  some  precious  Christians, — I  say 
not  all,  I  say  not  most, — who  live  daily  under  singular  glances  of  divine 
glory,  and  who  are  daily  under  the  sensible  embracements  of  God,  and 
who  daily  lie  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  and  who  every  night  have 
Christ  as  a  bundle  of  myrrh  lying  betwixt  their  breasts,  Cant.  i.  13. 
Now  these  choice  souls  who  live  daily  in  the  glorious  manifestations  of 
the  Sj)irit,  and  enjoy  a  little  heaven  on  this  side  heaven,  these  many 
times  are  so  taken  up  with  their  high  communion  with  God,  with  their 
spiritual  enjoyments,  and  with  their  tastes  of  the  glory  of  that  other 
world,  that  they  do  not  much  mind  such  evidences  as  we  have  had  under 
our  consideration.  And  thus  much  for  the  reasons  why  some  cry  down 
Scripture  marks,  signs,  and  evidences  of  grace,  of  holiness,  of  sanctifica- 
tion,  and  why  others  don't  much  mind  them,  or  take  any  great  notice 
of  them.     But, 

[4,]  The  fourth  proposition  is  this.  If  this  way  of  trying  our  spiri- 
tual estates  by  holy  and  gracious  qualifications,  were  not  both  laiuful 
and  useful,  then  certainly  the  Holy  Spirit  would  never  Jiave  prescribed 
it,  nor  never  have  pressed  men  so  earnestly  wpon  it,  as  tvefind  he  has 
done  in  the  blessed  Scripture.  Take  a  taste  :  2  Cor.  xiii.  5,  '  Examine 
yourselves,  whether  ye  be  in  the  faith ;  prove  your  own  selves.'  The 
precept  is  doubled,  to  teach  us  to  redouble  our  diligence  in  this  most 
needful  but  much  neglected  duty  of  self-examination.^  The  final  trial 
of  our  eternal  estates  doth  immediately  and  solely  belong  to  the  court 
of  heaven,  but  the  disquisitive  part  belongs  to  us.  Here  are  two  em- 
phatical  words  in  the  Greek :  first,  -rs/sa^sr?,  '  examine  yourselves.' 
The  word  in  the  general  signifies  to  take  an  experimental  knowledge  of 
anything,  that  is  either  uncertain,  unknown,  or  hidden.  Most  men  are 
great  strangers  to  God,  to  Christ,  to  Scripture,  and  to  themselves  ;  and 
therefore  saith  the  apostle,  '  Uxamine  yourselves.'  Now,  if  there  were 
not  sure  marks  and  infallible  signs  whereby  men  may  certainly  know 
what  their  present  estate  is,  and  how  it  is  like  to  go  with  them  in 
another  world,  the  redoubled  command  of  the  apostle  would  be  in  vain. 
The  second  Greek  word  is  dozifid^irs^  'prove  yourselves.'  The  original 
word  signifies  a  severe  and  diligent  inquisition  into  ourselves,  so  as  to 
have  a  full  experience  of  what  is  in  us.  Doubtless  the  apostle  would 
never  call  again  and  again  upon  us,  to  try  and  examine  ourselves 
whether  we  be  in  the  faith,  if  it  were  not  lawful  to  come  to  the  know- 
ledge of  our  faith,  or  of  our  being  in  the  state  of  faithful  Christians,  in 
a  discursive  way,  arguing  from  the  effect  to  the  cause.  So  in  that 
2  Peter  i.  10,  '  Wherefore  the  rather,  brethren,  give  all  diligence  to 
make  your  calling  and  election  sure.'  The  Greek  word  di6  /i,a7Jkov, 
ddiX(p6i,  crrouddaars,  translated  *  give  diligence,'  is  very  emphatical.  It 
signifies  to  do  a  thing,  not  in  an  overly,  lazy,  careless  wa}^,  but  to  do  a 
thing  with  industry,  vigilancy,  and  unweariedness  of  spirit.  Now,  it  is 
granted  on  all  hands,  that  election  cannot  be  made  more  sure  in  respect 
1  Ps.  iv.  4.     Vide  Chrysostom  on  the  words.     Gal.  \i,  3,  4  ;  1  Tim.  vi.  17-19. 


47-i  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

of  God  or  itself,  but  only  in  respect  of  us,  that  we  may  be  more  persuaded 
ot  it.  Election  cannot  be  made  more  sure  than  it  is  already,  for  those 
whom  God  hath  elected  shall  be  certainly  glorified ;  but  we  must  make 
it  sure  on  our  parts  ;  that  is,  we  must  labour  to  have  a  real  bottom  and 
grounded  assurance  that  we  are  elected  by  God  in  his  eternal  decree, 
to  obtain  life  and  glory  by  Jesus  Christ,  Rom.  viii.  29,  30.  There  is  a 
double  certainty:  (1.)  There  is  certitudo  ohjecti,  a  certainty  of  the  object; 
so  our  election  is  sure  with  God,  for  with  him  both  it  and  all  things  are 
unchangeable.  (2.)  There  is  certitudo  subjecti,  the  certainty  of  the 
subject ;  and  so  we  must  make  our  election  sure  to  ourselves  in  our 
own  hearts  and  consciences.  Now,  the  means  whereby  we  are  to  come 
to  this  assurance,  is  by  adding  grace  to  grace,  and  by  causing  those 
several  graces  to  abound  in  us.  This  is  the  way  of  ways  to  make  all 
sure  to  us.  Now,  by  these  scriptures  it  is  most  evident  that  we  stand 
engaged  to  make  our  election  sure  by  holy  signs  and  marks.     But, 

[5.]  The  fifth  proposition  is  this,  That  other  2^recious  saiJits  that  are 
noiv  triumphing  in  glory,  have  jAeaded  their  interest  in  God's  love,  and 
their  hopes  of  a  better  life,  from  graces  inherent}  I  will  only  point  at 
some  of  those  scriptures  among  many  others,  that  clearly  speak  out 
this  truth  :  the  first  epistle  of  John ;  James  ii.  17,  seq.;  Job  xxiii.  10- 
12 ;  and  the  whole  31st  chapter  of  Job ;  Ps.  cxix.  6  ;  Isa.  xxxviii.  2,  3  ; 
Neh.  i.  1,  seq.,  and  xiii.  14,  &c.  Now,  all  these  scriptures  do  evidently 
prove,  that  the  precious  servants  of  the  Lord  did  take  their  graces  for 
precious  signs  and  testimonies  of  God's  love,  of  their  interest  in  Christ, 
and  thereby  received  much  comfort,  peace,  and  satisfaction.  And  truly, 
to  deny  the  fruit  growing  upon  the  tree  to  be  an  evidence  that  the  tree 
is  alive,  is  to  me  as  unreasonable  as  it  is  absurd.  Certainly,  it  is  one 
thing  to  judge  by  our  graces,  and  another  thing  to  trust  in  our  graces, 
to  make  a  saviour  of  our  graces.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  difference 
betwixt  declaring  and  deserving  Christians.  They  may  doubtless  look 
to  their  graces  as  evidences  of  their  part  in  Christ  and  salvation, — and 
the  clearer  and  stronger  they  are,  the  greater  will  be  their  comfort  and 
assurance, — but  not  as  causes.  No  man  advanced  free  grace  like  Paul ; 
no  man  debased  his  own  righteousness  like  Paul — he  counted  it  but 
dung  and  dross,  Philip,  iii.  6-9  ;  and  no  man  exalted  the  righteousness 
of  Christ  like  Paul,  and  yet  by  this  Avay  of  signs  he  gathered  much 
comfort  and  assurance :  2  Tim.  iv.  7,  8,  '  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I 
have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith  :  henceforth  is  laid  up 
for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness.'  How  plainly,  how  fully  doth  he  here 
conclude  his  right  to  the  crown  of  life,  from  his  fiditino:  a  good  fight, 
nis  nnishmg  his  course,  in  a  way  of  grace  and  holiness,  and  his  keeping 
the  faith.  By  this  great  instance  you  may  clearly  see,  that  a  Christian 
may  greatly  exalt  Christ,  lift  up  free  grace,  tread  upon  his  own  right- 
eousness, as  to  justification,  and  at  the  very  same  time  take  comfort  in 
his  graces,  and  in  his  gracious  actings.  So  in  that  2  Cor.  i.  12,  'Our 
rejoicing  is  this,  the  testimony  of  a  good  conscience,  that  in  godly  sin- 
cerity we  have   had  our  conversation  in  the  world.^      His  joy  was 

_ '  Grace,  in  the  working  of  it,  is  often  compared  to  life.     Now,  look  as  natural  life  is 
discerned  by  the  actions  thereof,  as  by  so  many  signs,  so  also  is  supernatural  life. 

'^  Kaixriai;  is  boasting ;  they  boasted  in  the  testimony  of  tlieir  consciences.     Oh  the  quiet 
and  tranquillity  that  arises  from  the  testimony  of  [a]  man 'a  sincerity,  both  in  heart  and  life. 


Chap.  V.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  475 

founded  on  the  testimony  of  his  conscience ;  but  from  what  did 
his  conscience  testify?  from  his  sincere  conversation.  Again,  take 
that  memorable  instance  of  Job  ;  God  hid  his  face  from  him ;  the 
arrows  of  the  almighty  stuck  fast  in  him  ;  Satan  was  let  loose 
upon  him  ;  the  wife  of  his  bosom  proved  a  tempter  to  him,  a  tormentor 
of  him  ;  his  most  inward  acquaintance  deserted  him,  reproached  him, 
and  condemned  him  as  a  hypocrite  ;  God  writ  bitter  things  against 
him,  and  made  him  '  to  possess  the  iniquities  of  his  youth  :'  all  was 
clouded  above  him,  and  he  stripped  of  all  the  outward  comforts  that  did 
once  surround  him,  Job.  i.  8,  and  ii.  3,  so  that  he  had  nothing  left  to  stay 
him,  to  refresh  him,  to  support  him,  and  to  be  a  comfort  and  joy  to  him, 
but  the  sense  of  his  integrity,  and  the  evidence  he  had  of  his  own  up- 
rightness, his  own  righteousness  :  Job  xxvii.  5,  '  Till  I  die  I  will  not 
remove  my  integrity  from  me  ;'  ver.  6,  '  My  righteousness  I  hold  fast, 
and  will  not  let  it  go  :  my  heart  shall  not  reproach  me  so  long  as  I  live.' 
Job  was  under  great  afflictions,  sore  temptations,  and  deep  desertions. 
Now  that  which  was  his  cordial,  his  bulwark,  in  those  sad  times,  was 
the  sense  and  feeling  of  his  own  uprightness,  his  own  righteousness. 
The  sense  and  feeling  of  the  grace  of  God  in  him  kept  him  from  fainting 
and  sinking  under  all  his  troubles.  So  in  1  John  ii.  3,  *  Hereby  we  know 
that  we  know  him,  if  we  keep  his  commandments,'  &c.  In  these  words 
two  things  are  observable  :  First,  that  where  there  is  a  true  knowledge 
of  Christ,  there  is  an  observation  of  his  commandments.  Secondly,  that 
by  this  observation  of  his  royal  law,  we  may  know  that  our  knowledge 
is  sound  and  sincere.  He  speaks  not  of  a  legal,  but  of  an  evangelical, 
keeping  of  his  commandments.  A  conscionable  and  serious  endeavour 
to  walk  in  a  holy  course  of  life,  according  to  God's  will  revealed  in  his 
word,  is  a  most  certain  mark  or  evidence  that  we  have  a  saving  know- 
ledge of  God,  and  that  we  are  his  children,  and  heirs  of  glory.  Such 
who  sincerely  desire,  and  unfeignedly  purpose,  and  firmly  resolve,  and 
faithfully  endeavour,  to  keep  the  commandments  of  God,  these  do  keep 
the  commandments  of  God  evangelically  and  acceptably  in  the  eye  of 
God,  the  account  of  God.  So  ver.  6,  '  He  that  saith  he  abideth  in  him 
ought  himself  also  so  to  walk  even  as  he  walked.'  Here  you  may  ob- 
serve two  things  :  First,  that  by  faith  we  are  implanted  into  Christ ; 
secondly,  that  we  discover  our  implantation  into  Christ  by  our  imitation 
of  Christ.  Such  as  plead  for  sanctification  as  an  evidence  of  justification 
don't  make  their  graces  causes  of  their  implantation  into  Christ,  or  of 
their  justification  before  the  throne  of  Christ,  but  they  make  them  testi- 
monies and  witnesses  to  declare  the  truth  of  their  real  implantation  into 
Christ,  and  of  their  being  justified  before  the  throne  of  Christ.  So 
1  John  iii.  14,  '  We  know  we  are  translated  from  death  to  life,  because 
we  love  the  brethren."  The  apostle  makes  this  a  great  sign  of  godliness, 
to  love  another  godly  man  for  godliness's  sake,  and  the  more  godly  he  is, 
the  more  to  love  him,  and  to  delight  in  him.  Now  mark,  this  love  of 
our  brethren  is  not  a  cause  of  our  translation  from  death  to  life,  for  the 
very  word  translated  supposeth  such  a  grace,  such  a  favour  of  God  as  is 
without  us,  but  a  sign  of  our  translation  from  death  to  life.  But  of 
this  I  have  said  enough  already,  as  you  may  see  if  you  will  but  read 
from  page  189  to  page  200  of  this  book.^     But, 

'  That  is,  of  our  text  pp.  372-380— G. 


476  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

[6.]  The  sio;^/?.  proposition  is  this:  There  are  many  scores  of  precious 
promises  made  over  to  them  that  believe,  to  thenntliat  trust  in  the  Lord, 
to  than  that  set  him  up  as  the  great  object  of  their  fear,  to  them  that 
love  him,  to  them  that  delight  in  him,  to  them  that  obey  him,  to  them 
that  walk  ivlth  him,  to  than  that  thirst  after  him,  to  them  that  suffer 
for  him,  to  them  that  follow  after  him,  &c.'  Now  all  these  scores  of 
promises  are  made  for  the  support,  comfort,  and  encouragement  of  all 
such  Christians  whose  souls  are  bespangled  with  grace.  But  now  if  we 
may  not  lawfully  come  to  the  knowledge  of  our  faith,  love,  fear,  delight, 
obedience,  &c.,  in  a  discursive  way,  arguing  from  the  effect  to  the  cause, 
what  support,  what  comfort,  what  advantage  shall  a  sincere  Christian 
have  by  all  those  scores  of  promissory  places  of  Scripture  ?  Doubt- 
less all  those  scores  of  promises  would  be  as  so  many  suns  without 
light,  as  so  many  springs  without  water,  as  so  many  breasts  without 
milk,  and  as  so  many  bodies  without  souls,  to  all  gracious  Christians, 
were  it  not  lawful  for  them  to  form  up  such  a  practical  syllogism 
as  this  is,  viz.  the  Scripture  doth  plainly  and  fully  declare  that  he 
that  believeth,  feareth,  loveth,  obeyeth,  &c.,  is  blessed,  and  shall  be 
happy  for  ever ;  But  I  am  such  a  one  that  doth  believe,  fear,  love, 
obey,  &c.  ;  Therefore  I  am  blessed,  and  shall  be  happy  for  ever.  Now, 
although  it  must  be  granted  that  the  major  of  this  proposition  is  Scrip- 
ture, yet  the  assumption  is  from  experience ;  and  therefore  a  godly  man, 
being  assisted  therein  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  may  safely  draw  the  conclu- 
sion as  undeniable.  Oh  that  you  would  seriously  consider  how  little 
would  be  the  difference,  should  you  shut  out  this  discursive  way,  be- 
twixt a  man  and  a  beast :  if  a  man  should  assent  to  a  thing  unknown 
through  an  instinct  and  impression,  and  should  to  one  who  asks  him  a 
reason  of  his  persuasion  be  able  to  return  no  other  answer  but  this,  I 
am  persuaded  because  I  am  persuaded.     But, 

[7.]  The  seventh  proposition  is  this,  That  the  Scripture  giveth  many 
signs  and  symptoms  of  grace  ;  so  that  if  a  man  cannot  find  all,  yet 
if  he  discover  some,  yea,  but  one,  he  may  safely  conclude  that  all  the 
rest  are  there.  He  who  hath  but  one  in  truth  of  the  fore-mentioned 
characters  in  this  book,  hath  seminally  all;  he  who  hath  one  link  of 
the  golden  chain,  hath  the  whole  chain.  Look,  as  he  who  hath  one 
grace  in  truth,  hath  every  grace  in  truth,  though  he  doth  not  see  every 
grace  shining  in  his  soul ;  so  he  that  hath  in  truth  any  one  evidence  of 
grace  in  his  soul,  he  hath  virtually  all.  And  oh  that  all  weak,  dark, 
doubting  Christians  would  seriously  and  frequently  ponder  upon  this 
proposition  ;  for  it  may  be  a  staff  to  uphold  them,  and  a  cordial  to  com- 
fort them  under  all  their  fears  and  faintings.     But, 

[8.]  The  eighth  proposition  is  this.  Without  the  light  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  our  graces  shine  not.  Our  graces  are  only  the  means  by  which 
our  condition  is  known  to  us,  Rom.  ix.  2.  The  efficient  cause  of  tins 
knowledge  is  the  Spirit  illustrating  our  graces  and  making  them  visible, 
and  so  helping  us  to  conclude  from  them,  &c. :  1  Cor.  ii.  12,  'Now  we 
have  received  not  the  spirit  of  the  world,  but  the  Spirit  which  is  of 

'  The  most  ordinary  and  safe  way  of  coming  to  assurance  is  the  discursive  way  in 
wliich  a  believer,  from  the  fruits  and  eflocts  of  grace,  infers  he  hath  tlie  liabit,  and  from 
tlie  habit  concludes  his  justification  and  adoption  ;  aud  as  this  is  a  way  least  subject  to 
dflusion,  so  it  is  also  most  suited  to  a  rational  creature,  whose  way  of  acting  is  by  dis- 
course and  argumeutatiuu. 


Chap.  V.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  477 

God,  that  we  might  know  the  things  that  are  freely  given  to  us  of  God.' 
Our  graces,  our  sanctification,  as  well  as  our  election,  vocation,  justifi- 
cation, and  glorification,  are  freely  given  to  us  of  God ;  and  the  Spirit  of 
God  is  given  as  well  to  discover  the  one  as  the  other  to  us.     Mark,  the 
things  freely  given  us  may  be  received  by  us,  and  yet  the  receipt  of 
them  not  known  to  us  ;  therefore  the  Spirit  for  our  further  consolation 
doth,  as  it  were,  put  his  hand  and  seal  to  our  receipts,  whence  he  is  said 
to  '  seal  us  up  unto  the  day  of  redemption,'  Eph.  iv.  30.     The  graces  of 
the  Spirit  are  a  real  '  earnest'  of  the  Spirit,  yet  they  are  not  alwaj^s  an 
evidential  earnest  ;  therefore  an  earnest  is  often  superadded  to  our 
graces.    For  ever  remember  these  few  hints  :  (1 .)  that  it  is  the  work  of 
the  Spirit  to  plant  grace  in  the  soul ;  (2.)  that  it  is  the  work  of  the 
Spirit  to  act  and  exercise  the  graces  that  he  has  planted  there;  (3.)  that 
it  is  the  work  of  the  Spirit  to  shine  upon  those  graces  that  he  has  planted 
in  the  soul,  and  to  cause  the  soul  to  see  and  feel  what  he  has  wrote ; 
(4.)  that  it  is  the  work  of  the  Spirit  to  raise  springs  of  comfort  and  joy 
in  the  soul,  upon  the  discovery  of  that  grace  which  he  has  wrought  in 
the  soul.     O  Christians !  till  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  shine  upon  your 
graces,  you  will  still  be  in  the  dark.     It  is  only  God's  own  interpreter 
that  must  shew  a  man  his  righteousness.  Job  xxxiii.  23.    When  the  Holy 
Ghost  shines  upon  a  Christian's  graces,  then  a  Christian  finds  the  sprino-s 
of  comfort  to  rise  in  his  soul,  and  then  he  finds  the  greatest  serenity  and 
calmness  in  his  spirit.     0  sirs  !  no  man  can,  by  any  natural  light  or 
evidence  in  him,  come  to  be  assured  of  the  grace  wrought  in  his  soul. 
Look,  as  no  man  can  see  the  sun  but  in  the  light  of  the  sun,  so  no  man 
can  see  the  graces  of  the  Spirit  but  in  the  light  of  the  Spirit,  1  John  v. 
13.     A  man  may  have  grace  and  not  see  it ;  he  may  be  in  a  state  of 
grace  and  not  know  it ;  as  the  child  lives  in  the  womb  but  don't  per- 
ceive it,  is  heir  to  a  crown  but  don't  know  it.    Oh  !  till  the  Spirit  shines 
upon  his  own  work,  a  child  of  light  may  walk  in  darkness  and  see  no 
light,  Isa.  1.  10.     Look,  as  no  man  can  subdue  his  sins  but  by  the  power 
of  the  Spirit ;  so  no  man  can  see  his  graces  but  in  the  light  of  the  Spirit, 
Rom.  viii.  13.     The  confidence  that  a  believer  hath  of  the  truth  of  grace 
wrought  in  him,  springs  more  from  the  Spirit's  removing  his  slavish 
fears,  and  answering  his  doubts,  and  shining  upon  his  graces,  and  sup- 
porting his  soul,  than  it  does  from  that  excellency  and  beauty  of  grace 
which  shines  in  him.     A  man  may  read  the  promises  over  and  over  a 
thousand  times,  and  yet  never  be  affected,  delighted,  or  taken  with 
them,  till  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  set  them  home  upon  his  soul.     And  a 
man  may  read  the  threatenings  over  and  over  a  thousand  times,  and 
yet  never  startle  nor  tremble,  though  he  knows  himself  guilty  of  those 
very  sins  against  which  the  threatenings  are  denounced,  till  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  sets  home  the  threatenings  in  power  upon  his  conscience  ; 
and  then  every  threatening  will  be  like  the  hand-writing  upon  the 
wall,  which  will  cause  his  countenance  to  be  changed,  and  his  thoughts 
to  be  troubled,  and  his  joints  to  be  loosed,  and  his  knees  to  be  dashed 
one  against  another,  Dan.  v.  6,  7.     It  is  just  so  in  the  matter  of  our 
graces  and  gracious  evidences ;  till  the  Holy  Spirit  shine  upon  them,  till 
in  the  light  of  the  Spirit  we  come  to  see  them,  they  won't  be  witnessino-, 
comforting,  and  refreshing  to  us  ;  and  therefore  let  not  the  pious  reader 
think  that,  by  the  strength  of  his  natural  light,  he  shall  ever  attain  to 


478  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

know  the  certainty  of  tliat  grace  which  is  in  his  soul;  but  let  liim  rather 
beg  hard  of  God  for  his  Holy  Spirit,  and  that  his  Spirit  may  shine  upon 
that  good  work  which  he  hath  begun  in  him,  that  so  lie  may  be  per- 
suaded, assured,  and  comforted.  Without  the  light  of  the  Spirit,  the 
work  of  the  Spirit  cannot  be  seen,  no  more  than  a  book  written  in  the 
fairest  hand  or  print  can  be  seen  without  light  to  see  it  or  read  it  by. 
But, 

[9.]  The  ninth  proposition  is  this.  Sincere  Christians  may  safely 
and  groundedly  rejoice,  delight,  and  take  comfort  in  those  graces, 
or  in  those  divine  qualities,  ivhich  in  the  light  of  the  Spirit  they  see 
and  know  are  wrought  in  their  souls.^  I  do  not  say  that  a  Christian 
should  build  the  comfort  of  his  justification  upon  his  graces,  or  that  he 
should  rest  on  his  graces,  or  trust  to  his  graces,  or  make  a  saviour  of 
his  graces ;  for  this  would  be  such  a  piece  of  pliarisaical  popery,  as 
is  justly  to  be  detested  and  abhorred  by  all  that  love  Christ,  or  are  look- 
ing towards  heaven.  But  this  I  say,  a  Christian  may  make  several 
uses  of  his  graces  ;  he  may  safely  look  upon  his  graces  as  so  many  evi- 
dences of  Christ's  dwelling  in  him,  and  he  may  look  upon  his  graces  as 
so  many  heavenly  bracelets,  or  as  so  many  love-tokens  from  God,  in 
which  he  may  safely  rejoice.  The  gracious  evidences  that  I  have  laid 
down  in  this  treatise  are  blessed  symptoms  of  salvation  ;  and  therefore 
to  rejoice  in  them  can  be  no  transgression  of  any  royal  law  of  heaven. 
He  that  can  experimentally  subscribe  to  any  of  the  gracious  evidences 
that  are  laid  down  in  this  book,  has  such  a  fair  certificate  to  shew  for 
heaven,  that  no  wicked  man  or  hypocrite  under  heaven  has  the  like  to 
shew ;  and  why  such  a  man  should  not  rejoice  in  such  a  certificate,  I 
cannot  at  present  see.  I  may  and  ought  to  rejoice  in  the  works  of  crea- 
tion. Oh  how  much  more  then  ought  I  to  rejoice  in  the  work  of  reno- 
vation, in  the  work  of  sanctification,  which  does  so  infinitely  transcend 
the  work  of  creation  ?  I  may  and  ought  to  rejoice  in  my  natural  life, 
health,  strength,  beauty  ;  and  why  then  should  I  not  rejoice  in  grace 
and  holiness,  which  is  the  life,  health,  strength,  and  beauty  of  my  soul  ? 
Christ  delights  in  the  graces  of  his  people.  '  Thou  hast  ravished  my 
heart'  (or  thou  hast  behearted  me,  as  the  Hebrew  runs),  '  my  sister,  my 
spouse ;  thou  hast  ravished  my  heart  with  one  of  thine  eyes'  (or  with 
one  glance  of  thine  eyes,  as  some  read  it),  '  with  one  chain  of  thy  neck,' 
Cant.  iv.  9.  The  eye  of  faith,  say  some  ;  the  eye  of  love,  say  others  ; 
the  chain  of  obedience,  say  some  ;  the  chain  of  spiritual  graces,  say 
others,  ravished  Christ's  heart.  The  one  eye  of  faith,  the  one  chain 
of  obedience,  unhearted  Christ,  wounded  Christ ;  this  one  eye,  this 
one  chain,  robbed  Christ  of  his  heart,  and  laid  the  spouse  in  the 
room  of  it.  Now,  shall  Christ's  heart  be  ravished  with  his  children's 
graces,  and  shall  not  their  hearts  be  ravished  and  delighted  with  those 
very  graces  that  ravish  Christ's  own  heart  ?  I  may,  yea,  1  ought  to 
rejoice  in  the  graces  of  others,  and  why  then  not  in  my  own  ?  I  may, 
yea  I  ought  to  rejoice  in  others'  outward  mercies,  and  in  my  own  out- 
ward mercies,  1  Thes.  i.  2-5,  2  Thes.  i.  3,  4.  Oh  how  much  more  then 
ought  I  to  rejoice  in  the  saving  and  distinguishing  graces  of  the  Sjjirit, 

*  Most  Christians  by  experience  find  that  their  assurance  and  joy  rises  and  falls  as 
grace  and  holiness,  and  as  the  evidences  of  grace  and  holiness  rise  and  fall  in  their 
Bouls. 


Chap.  Y.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  479 

especially  when  I  consider,  that  the  least  dram  of  grace  is  more  worth  than 
tea  thousand  thousand  worlds,  as  every  awakened  conscience  will  tell  you 
when  they  come  to  die,  Hab.  iii.  18,  Gal.  vi.  14,  Phihp.  iii.  3.  Mark 
firstly,  mostly,  and  chiefly,  a  Christian  is  to  rejoice  in  God  aud  Christ  ' 
but  secondarily  and  subordinately,  he  may  rejoice  in  those  o-races  and 
in  those  gracious  evidences  that  God  has  given  into  his  soul.  Firstly 
mostly,  and  chiefly,  a  wife  is  to  rejoice  in  the  person  of  her  husband ' 
but  secondarily,  subordinately  she  may  rejoice  in  the  bracelets,  in  the 
ear-rings,  in  the  jewels,  in  the  gold  chains  that  are  given  her  by  her 
husband.     But, 

[10.]  The  tenth  proposition  is  this,  viz..  That  that  assurance  that  the 
people  of  God  may  rise  to  by  sight  of  their  graces,  and  upon  the  sight 
of  their  gracious  evidences  in  the  light  of  the  S2nrit,  is  not  so  clear 
and  bright,  and  high,  and  full,  as  that  it  utterly  excludes  all  fears, 
doublings,  conflicts,  or  spiritual  agonies,  ]  Cor.  xiii.  12 ;  Philip,  iii' 
12-14.  Our  knowledge  of  God,  of  Christ,  of  ourselves,  and  of  the 
blessed  Scripture,  which  is  the  rule  of  trial,  is  imperfect  in  this  life. 
And  how  then  can  our  assurance  be  perfect  ?  David,  a  man  eminent  in 
grace  and  holiness,  had  his  up-hills  and  his  down-hills,  his  summer  days 
and  his  winter  nights.  Now  you  shall  have  him  upon  the  mountain 
singing  and  saying,  '  The  Lord  is  my  portion,'  Ps.  Ixxiii  25  ;  and  pre- 
sently you  shall  have  him  in  the  valleys,  sighing  and  saying,  '  Why  art 
thou  cast  down,  O  my  soul ;  why  art  thou  disquieted  within  me  ?'  Ps. 
xlii.  5,  11.  The  same  is  evident  in  Job,  Heman,  and  Asaph,  Job  iii,  • 
Ps.  Ixxvii. ;  Ps.  Ixxxviii.  Such  an  assurance  as  shall  exclude  all  fears 
doubts,  conflicts,  agonies,  is  very  desirable  on  earth,  but  shall  never  be 
obtained  till  we  come  to  heaven.  The  grievous  assaults  of  Satan,  the 
power  of  unbelief,  and  the  prevalency  of  other  corruptions  in  a  Chris- 
tian's heart,  may  be  such  as  may  shake,  I  do  not  say  overturn,  that 
assurance  which  a  Christian  may  gather  from  the  sight  and  evidence  of 
his  graces  in  the  light  of  the  Spirit.  '  The  flesh  lusteth  as  well  against 
the  Spirit,'  Gal.  v.  17,  as  it  is  a  Spirit  of  consolation,  as  it  lusteth  a°ainst 
the  Spirit  as  it  is  a  Spirit  of  sanctification  ;  and  therefore  such  an  assur- 
ance as  shall  exclude  all  sorts  and  degrees  of  fears  and  doubts,  is  not 
attainable  in  this  life.^  Whilst  we  are  in  this  old  world  we  shall  have 
water  with  our  wine,  gall  with  our  honey,  and  some  clouds  with  our 
brightest  sunshiny  days,  &c.  Most  Christians  think,  that  as  long  as 
they  have  any  doubtings  they  have  no  assurance  ;  but  they  consider 
not  that  there  are  many  degrees  of  infallible  certainty,  below  a  perfect 
or  an  undoubting  certainty.  Doubtless  some  darkness,  more  or  less,  Avill 
overspread  the  face  of  every  Christian's  soul,  and  unbelief  in  one  de- 
gree or  another  will  be  making  head  against  their  faith ;  and  hypocrisy  in 
one  degree  or  another  will  be  making  head  against  sincerity,  and  pride 
in  one  degree  or  another  will  be  making  head  against  humility,  and 
passion  in  one  degree  or  another  will  be  making  head  against  meek- 
ness, and  earthly-mindedness  in  one  degree  or  another  will  be  makino- 
head  against  heavenly-mindedness,  &c.,  yet  as  long  as  a  Christian  has 
the  sight  of  his  graces  or  his  gracious  evidences,  he  may  and  ought  to 

1  Doubting  is  not  a  virtue,  as  the  papists  would  make  us  believe,  but  it  is  a  fruit  of 
the  flesh,  and  a  thing  most  contrary  and  opposite  to  the  nature  of  faith,  James  i.  5  ;  Mat. 
xxi.  21,  and  xiii.  31.     And  therefore  Christians  should  pray  hard  to  be  rid  of  their  doubts* 


480  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

walk  in  much  peace,  comfort,  and  joy.  Such  Christians  as  are  resolved 
to  lie  down  in  sorrow,  till  they  have  attained  to  a  perfect  assurance, 
must  resolve  to  lie  down  in  sorrow  till  they  come  to  lay  down  their 
heads  in  the  dust.  Our  graces  are  imperfect,  and  therefore  that  assur- 
ance that  ari.ses  from  the  sight  and  evidence  of  them  must  needs  be 
imperfect.  Perfect  signs  of  grace  can  never  spring  from  imperfect  grace, 
1  Thes.  iii.  10.  Now,  if  this  were  seriously  apprehended,  studied,  and 
minded  by  many  weak  Christians,  they  would  not  at  every  turn  call 
their  spiritual  estates  into  question,  as  they  do,  because  they  find  some 
seeds  and  stirrings  of  pride,  hypocrisy,  vain-glory,  and  other  sinful 
humours  and  passions  working  in  them.     But, 

[11.]  The  eleventh  projDosition  is  this,  viz..  When  all  your  signs  and 
evidences  of  the  happiness  and  blessedness  of  your  condition  fails  you, 
and  are  so  clouded,  obscured,  darkened  and  blotted  that  you  cannot 
read  them,  that  you  cannot  take  any  comfort  from  them,,  then  it  highly 
concerns  you  to  keep  high,  and  j^recious,  and  honourable  thoughts  of 
God,  of  Christ,  of  his  word,  and  of  his  ways  in  your  souls,  Ps.  xcvii. 
2.  When  Christ  was  withdrawn  from  his  spouse.  Cant.  v.  6,  7,  and 
when  the  watchmen  that  went  about  the  city  had  smote  her  and 
wounded  her,  and  when  the  keepers  of  the  walls  had  took  away  her  veil 
from  her,  yet  then  she  keeps  up  in  heart  very  high,  precious,  and  hon- 
ourable thoughts  of  Christ.  Ver.  10,  '  My  beloved  is  white  and  ruddy, 
the  chiefest  among  ten  thousand.'  Ver.  ]  6,  '  His  mouth  is  most  sweet, 
and  he  is  altogether  lovely  ;'  or  his  mouth  is  sweetnesses,  and  he  is  alto- 
gether desirablenesses,  or  all  of  him  is  desires,  or  he  is  wholly  desirable. 
Here  she  breaks  off  her  praises  in  a  general  eulogy,  which  no  words  can 
express  enough.  Alas !  saith  the  spouse,  I  want  words  to  express  how 
sweet,  how  lovely,  how  comely,  how  desirable,  how  eminent,  and  how 
excellent  Christ  is  in  my  eye,  and  to  my  soul !  He  is  the  desire  of  all 
nations  de  jure.  Hag.  ii.  8,  and  all  that  is  perfect  in  heaven  or  earth  is 
but  a  dim  shadow  of  his  excellency  and  glory.  Where  Christ  is  there  is 
heaven.  Heaven  itself,  in  the  spouse's  eyes,  without  Christ,  would  be 
but  a  low  little  thing.  The  spouse  looks  upon  Christ  as  the  sparkling 
diamond  in  the  ring  of  glory.  So  David,  when  he  was  wofully  clouded 
and  benighted,  when  all  was  dark  within  him,  and  dark  about  him,  and 
dark  over  him,  Ps.  Ixxiii.  13,  'Verily  I  have  cleansed  ray  heart  in  vain, 
and  washed  my  hands  in  innocency.'  Ver.  21,  'My  heart  was  grieved, 
and  I  was  pricked  in  my  reins.'  Ver.  22,  '  I  was  as  a  beast  before  thee;' 
or  I  was  as  a  great  beast,  or  as  many  beasts  in  one,  as  the  Hebrew  word 
Behemoth  imports.  Ver.  26,  '  My  flesh  and  my  heart  faileth  ;'  that  is, 
my  outward  man  and  my  inward  man  faileth  me.  And  yet  mark,  at 
this  very  time,  when  the  psalmist  was  thus  overcast,  he  keeps  up  in 
him  very  high,  precious,  and  honourable  thoughts  of  God.  Ver.  1, 
*  Truly  God  is  good  to  Israel,  even  to  such  as  are  of  a  clean  heart.'  Ver. 
23,  '  Nevertheless,  I  am  continually  with  thee,  thou  hast  holden  me  by 
my  right  hand.'  Ver.  24,  '  Thou  shalt  guide  me  with  thy  counsel,  and 
afterward  receive  me  to  glory.'  Ver.  25,  '  Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but 
thee  ?  and  there  is  none  upon  earth  that  I  desire  besides  thee.'  Ver. 
2G,  '  God  is  the  strength,'  or  rock, '  of  my  heart,  and  my  portion  for  ever.' 
Ver.  28,  '  It  is  good  for  me  to  draw  near  to  God.*  So  the  church  in  that 
Micah  vii.,  when  God  had  hid  his  face  from  her ;  ver.  7,  when  she  sat 


Chap.  Y.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  48 1 

in  darkness  ;  ver.  8,  when  she  was  under  the  indignation  of  the  Lord  ; 
ver.  9,  when  the  righteous  man  was  perished,  and  there  was  none 
upright  among  men  ;  ver.  2,  and  when  her  enemies  rejoiced,  iusulted 
and  triumphed  over  her  ;  vers.  8  and  10,  yet  now,  even  now,  she  keeps 
up  in  her  soul  very  high,  precious,  and  honourable  thoughts  of  the 
Lord.  Ver.  7,  '  My  God  will  hear  me.'  Ver.  8,  '  When  I  fall,  I  shall 
arise  ;  when  I  sit  in  darkness,  the  Lord  shall  be  a  light  unto  me.'  Ver. 
9,  '  He  will  bring  me  forth  to  the  light,  and  I  shall  behold  his  right- 
eousness.' I  might  give  you  twenty  more  instances,  but  enough  is  as 
good  as  a  feast.  Dear  Christians,  when  your  graces  are  not  transparent, 
when  your  evidences  for  heaven  are  blotted,  and  when  the  face  of  God 
is  clouded,  oh  then,  keep  up  in  your  hearts  high,  precious,  and  honour- 
able thoughts  of  God  and  Christ,  and  of  his  word  and  ways,  &c.  When 
your  sun  of  righteousness  is  set  in  a  cloud,  when  great  darkness  is  upon 
your  spirits,  when  all  moonlight  and  starlight  of  your  graces  and 
gracious  evidences  fails  you,  Acts  xxvii.  20,  yet  then  say  with  David, 
'  Thou  art  holy,  O  thou  that  inhabitest  the  praises  of  Israel,'  Ps.  xxii.  3; 
and  with  Ezra,  '  Thou  hast  punished  me  less  than  mine  iniquities  de- 
serve,' Ezra  ix.  13  ;  and  with  Nehemiah,  'Howbeit,  thou  art  just  in  all 
that  is  brought  upon  us,  for  thou  hast  done  right,  but  we  have  done 
wickedly ;'  and  with  the  church,  *  The  Lord  is  righteous,'  Neh.  ix.  33. 
In  the  darkest  night,  and  under  your  deepest  soul-distresses,  say.  Well,  if 
I  perish,  if  I  should  miscarry  for  ever,  yet  I  will  maintain  and  keep  up  in 
my  heart,  high,  and  precious,  and  honourable  thoughts  of  God  and 
Christ,  Lam.  i.  18.  Say,  Well,  though  my  graces  are  obscured,  and 
my  evidences  for  heaven  are  blurred  and  soiled,  yet  I  shall  to  my  last 
breath  say  the  Lord  is  good,  and  his  word  is  good,  and  his  ways  are 
good ;  yea,  though  he  should  slay  me,  yet  I  will  trust  in  him,  and 
entertain  noble  and  glorious  thoughts  of  him.  Job  xiii.  1 5.  This  is  the 
way  of  ways  to  have  your  graces  cleared  and  strengthened,  your 
evidences  brightened,  your  comforts  restored,  and  your  assurance  con- 
firmed.    But, 

[12.]  The  twelfth  proposition  is  this,  viz..  That  it  is  the  great  duty 
and  concernimient  of  Christians  to  keep  the  evidences  of  their  gracious 
and  happy  condition  always  bright  and  shining.  Christians  should 
make  conscience  of  blurring  and  disfiguring  the  golden  characters  of 
grace  in  their  souls.  The  least  character  of  grace  in  the  soul,  is  more 
worth  than  all  the  gold  of  Ophir,  yea,  more  worth  than  ten  thousand 
thousand  worlds  ;  and  therefore  every  gracious  Christian  should  be  mar- 
vellous careful,  that  he  does  not  by  wilful  omissions  or  sinful  commis- 
sions cloud,  dim,  or  darken  the  least  character  of  grace,  Eph.  iv.  30, 
Ps.  li.  11,  12.  Such  as  blot  or  lose  their  evidences  for  heaven,  they  lose 
the  comfort  of  their  lives  in  this  world.  Satan's  masterpiece  is  first  to 
work  Christians  to  blot  and  blur  their  evidences  for  glory,  by  commit- 
ting this  or  that  heinous  sin  ;  and  then  his  next  work  is  to  rob  them  of 
their  evidences  for  glory,  that  so  though  at  the  long  run  they  may  get 
safe  to  heaven,  that  yet  Jacob-like  they  may  go  halting  and  mourning 
to  their  graves.  Satan  knows,  that  whilst  a  Christian's  evidences  are 
bright  and  shining,  a  Christian  is  temptation-proof  Satan  may  tempt 
him,  but  he  cannot  conquer  him ;  he  may  assault  him,  but  he  cannot 
vanquish  him.     Satan  knows,  that  whilst  a  Christian's  evidences  for 

VOL.  in.  H  h 


482  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

heaven  are  bright  and  shining,  no  afflictions  can  sink  him,  nor  no 
opposition  shake  him,  nor  no"  persecution  discourage  him,  nor  no  out- 
ward wants  perplex  him  ;  and  therefore  lie  will  use  all  his  power  and 
policy,  all  his  arts,  crafts,  and  parts,  to  draw  poor  Christians  to  blot  and 
blur  their  evidences  for  glory.  Satan  knows,  that  a  man  may  lose  one 
friend,  and  easily  get  another,  lose  his  trade  in  one  place,  and  soon  get 
a  trade  in  another  place ;  lose  his  health  and  get  it,  lose  an  estate  and  get 
an  estate,  &c.  But  if  he  lose  his  evidences  for  heaven,  he  knows  it  will 
cost  him  many  a  prayer,  and  many  a  sigh,  and  many  a  groan,  and  many 
a  tear,  and  many  a  sad  complaint,  before  he  recovers  his  lost  evidences; 
and  therefore  his  grand  design  is  to  plunder  a  Christian  of  his  evidences 
for  heaven.  O  sirs  !  keep  but  your  evidences  for  heaven  always  bright 
and  shining,  and  then  heavy  afflictions  will  be  light,  and  long  afflic- 
tions will  be  short,  and  bitter  afflictions  will  be  sweet,  2  Cor.  iv.  lG-18; 
and  tlien  every  evidence  fairly  written  in  your  hearts  will  be  a  living 
comfort  to  you  in  a  dying  hour.  When  the  tokens  of  death  are  upon 
your  bodies,  and  you  shall  see  the  lively  characters  of  grace  shining  in 
your  souls,  you  will  then  cry  out  with  old  Simeon,  '  Lord,  now  let  thy 
servant  depart  in  peace,'  Luke  ii.  29  ;  and  with  the  spouse,  '  Make 
haste,  my  beloved,  and  be  like  to  a  roe,  or  to  a  young  hart  upon  the 
mountains  of  spices,'  Cant.  viii.  1-i  ;  and  with  the  bride,  '  Come,  Lord 
Jesus,  come  quickly,'  Rev.  xxii.  20  ;  and  with  Paul,  '  I  desire  to  be 
dissolved  and  to  be  with  Christ,'  Philip,  i.  23.  When  a  man's  evidences 
for  heaven  are  either  lost  or  blotted  and  blurred,  then  he  will  be  ready 
to  cry  out  with  David,  '  Oh  spare  me  yet  a  little,  that  I  may  recover 
strength  before  I  go  hence  and  be  seen  no  more,'  Ps.  xxxix.  13  ;  and 
with  Hezekiah,  to  turn  his  face  to  the  wall  and  weep,  Isa,  xxxviii.  3. 
There  are  four  things  that  above  all  others  a  Christian  should  labour  to 
keep  ;  (1)  Christ ;  (2)  his  own  heart ;  (3)  the  word  ;  (4)  his  evidences 
for  heaven,  bright  and  shining.     But, 

[13.]  The  thirteenth  proposition  is  this  viz..  It  is  the  high  concern- 
ment of  every  Christian,  either  ivhen  he  is  in  the  darl',  or  ivhen  his 
graces  shine  brightest,  and  luhen  his  evidences  for  heaven  are  clearest, 
and  his  springs  of  comfort  rise  highest,  then  to  have  his  heart  and,  the 
ei/e  of  Ids  faith  most  firmhj  fixed  upon  these  three  roycd  forts,  or  these 
three  cities  of  refuge.  It  must  be  granted,  that  though  our  graces  are 
our  best  jewels,  yet  they  are  imperfect,  and  do  not  give  out  their  full 
lustre ;  they  are  like  the  moon,  which  when  it  shines  brightest  hath  her 
dark  spots  ;  and  therefore  a  Christian  had  need  have  his  eye,  his  heart 
fixed  upon  the  three  following  royal  forts.  You  know  in  time  of  war 
there  are  the  outworks,  and  there  are  the  royal  forts.  Now,  when  the 
soldiers  are  beaten  out  of  their  outworks,  they  retire  to  the  royal  forts, 
and  there  they  are  safe  ;  and  then  they  cast  up  their  caps  and  bid 
defiance  to  their  proudest  enemies.  Now,  our  graces  and  our  gracious 
evidences,  they  are  our  outworks ;  and  from  these  we  may  be  beaten 
in  a  day  of  desertion  and  temptation,  &c.  Now  if  we  make  our  retrea 
to  the  three  following  royal  forts,  we  may  in  a  holy  sense  cast  up  our 
caps,  and  bid  defiance  to  an  host  of  devils,  yea,  to  all  the  powers  of 
darkness.     But, 

Quest.  But,  sir,  pray  let  us  know  which  are  these  royal  forts. 

Ans.  They  are  these  three  that  follow. 

1.  The  first  is  ilte  free,  rich,  infinite,  sovereign,  and  glorious  grace 


Chap.  V.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  483 

of  God}  By  free  grace  you  are  to  understand  the  gracious  good  will 
or  favour  of  God,  whereby  he  is  pleased  of  his  own  free  love  to  choose 
and  accept  of  some  in  Christ  for  his  own.  This  we  call  first  grace, 
because  it  is  the  fountain  of  all  other  grace,  and  the  spring  from  whence 
they  flow  ;  and  it  is  therefore  called  grace,  because  it  makes  a  man 
gracious  with  God.  Now  mark,  there  have  been  many  Christians 
who  have  had  no  assurance  of  the  love  of  God,  no  sight  of  their 
interest  in  Christ,  no  sealing  of  the  Spirit,  nor  no  one  clear  evi- 
dence of  grace,  that  they  durst  rest  the  weight  of  their  souls  upon  ;  nor 
no  one  promise  in  the  whole  book  of  God  that  they  durst  apply  or  rest 
upon,  who  yet  daily  casting  or  rolling  themselves,  their  souls,  and  their 
everlasting  concernments,  upon  the  infinite,  free,  rich,  and  sovereign 
grace  of  God  in  Christ,  have  found  some  tolerable  peace,  comfort,  and 
refreshment  in  such  a  practice  all  their  days.  A  Christian  may  lose 
the  sight  of  his  graces,  and  the  evidences  of  his  gracious  estate  ;  he  may 
be  so  much  in  the  dark,  he  may  be  so  much  benighted  and  bewildered 
in  his  spirit,  that  there  may  be  no  way  under  heaven  left  to  him  to  enjoy 
peace,  comfort,  rest,  quiet,  settlement,  or  contentment,  but  by  casting  or 
rolling  of  his  soul  upon  the  free,  rich,  infinite,  and  sovereign  grace  of 
God  in  Christ ;  and  here  casting  anchor,  the  poor  bewildered,  deserted, 
tempted,  tossed  soul  may  be  safe  and  at  rest,  Isa.  1.  10.  The  free  love 
and  favour  of  God  will  be  a  lamp  to  the  soul  in  the  darkest  night ;  it 
will  be  a  sweet  lump  that  will  sweeten  the  bitterest  cup  ;  it  will  be 
a  singular  cordial  against  all  faintings  ;  it  will  be  armour  of  proof 
against  all  temptations ;  it  will  be  an  everlasting  arm  to  you  under  all 
afflictions  ;  it  will  be  a  sun  and  a  shield  to  you  in  every  condition,  Ps.  iv. 
6  :  Ps.  Ixxx.  3.  '  Cause  thy  face  to  shine,  and  we  shall  be  saved.'  Divine 
favour  is  that  pearl  of  price  that  is  most  desirable  \^  Dan.  ix.  17,  '  The 
Lord  make  his  face  to  shine  upon  his  sanctuary  that  is  desolate,  for  the 
Lord's  sake  ;'  Num.  vi.  24, '  The  Lord  make  his  face  to  shine  upon  you, 
and  be  gracious  to  you  ;'  Ps.  Ixvii.  1,  '  God  be  merciful  to  you,  and  bless 
you,  and  cause  his  face  to  shine  upon  you."  Life  is  a  very  desirable 
thing ;  '  skin  for  skin,  yea,  all  that  a  man  hath  will  he  give  for  his  life,' 
Job  ii.  4 ;  and  yet  the  loving-kindness  of  God  is  better  than  life  :  Ps. 
Ixiii.  3,  '  Thy  loving-kindness  is  better  than  life.'  The  Hebrew  word  is 
chajim,  lives  ;  to  note  that  the  loving-kindness  of  God  is  better  than 
many  lives,  yea,  than  all  lives,  and  the  revenues  of  life,  put  many  lives 
together,  put  all  lives  together  ;  and  yet  there  is  more  excellency  in  the 
least  discovery  of  divine  love  than  in  them  all.  Many  a  man  has  been 
weary  of  his  life,  but  who  have  ever  been  weary  of  divine  love  ?  Dear 
Christians,  are  your  graces  or  gTacious  evidences  shining  or  sparkling  ? 
Oh  then  solace  yourselves  mostly  in  the  free  love  and  favour  of  God  ; 
for  in  his  free  favour  lies  the  life  of  your  souls,  the  life  of  your  graces, 
the  life  of  your  comforts,  yea,  in  his  free  favour  your  all  is  bound  up. 
If  your  graces  or  evidences  are  so  clouded  and  darkened,  that  you  are 
in  a  stormy  day  beat  out  of  your  outworks,  oh  now  run  to  the  free  grace 
and  favour  of  God,  as  to  your  royal  fort,  as  to  your  strong  tower,  as  to 
your  city  of  refuge,  where  you  may  be  safe  and  happy  for  ever.    In  such  a 

1  Gen.  vi.  8  ;  Exod.  xix.  5  ;  Epli.  i.  5-7  ;  1  Tim.  i.  13-16.  '  The  grace  of  our  Lord  was 
exceeding  abundant.'  The  original  word  is  ii^s^frXi'ovatrs,  was  over  full,  redundant,  more 
than  enough,  more  than  might  serve  the  turn  for  him  who  was  the  greatest  of  sinners. 

2  Socrates  prized  the  king's  couutenance  above  his  coin.  What  is  then  the  counte- 
nance of  God  to  a  gracious  soul  ? 


484?  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

day  ponder  much  upon  these  scriptures,  Hosea  xiv.  4,  '  I  will  heal  their 
backsliding,  I  will  love  them  freely.'  God's  love  is  a  free  love,  having 
no  motive  or  foundation  but  within  itself.  All  the  links  of  the  golden 
chain  of  salvation  are  made  up  of  free  grace.  The  people  of  God  are 
freely  loved  :  Deut.  vii.  6-8  ;  and  freely  chosen,  John  xv.  16-19,  Eph. 
i.  4  ;  and  freely  accepted,  Eph.  i.  6  ;  and  freely  adopted,  Eph.  i.  5,  Gal. 
iv.  5,  6;  and  freely  reconciled,  2  Cor.  v.  18-20  ;  and  freely  justified, 
Rom.  iii.  24,  'Being  justified  freely  by  his  grace;'  and  freely  saved, 
Eph.  ii.  5  ;  '  By  grace  ye  are  saved,'  ver.  8,  '  For  by  grace  ye  are  saved  ;' 
Tit.  iil  5,  *  Not  by  works  of  righteousness  which  we  have  done,  but  ac- 
cording to  his  mercy  he  saved  us.'  Thus  you  see  that  all  the  golden 
rounds  in  Jacob's  ladder,  that  reaches  from  heaven  to  earth,  are  all  made 
up  of  free  grace.  Free  grace  is  the  foundation  of  all  spiritual  and 
eternal  mercies  ;  free  grace  is  the  solid  bottom  and  foundation  of  all  a 
Christian's  comfort  in  this  world.  Were  we  to  measure  the  love  of  God 
to  us  by  our  fruitfulness,  holiness,  humbleness,  spiritualness,  heavenly- 
mindedness,  or  gracious  carriages  towards  him,  how  would  our  hope,  our 
confidence  every  hour,  yea,  every  moment  in  every  hour,  be  staggered,  if  not 
vanquished  !  Rom.  iv.  16.  But  all  is  of  grace,  of  free  grace,  that  the  pro- 
mise might  be  sure,  and  that  our  salvation  might  be  safe.  O  sirs  !  it  is 
free  grace  that  will  strengthen  you  in  all  your  duties,  and  that  will 
sweeten  all  your  mei'cies,  Rom.  viii.  33-36,  and  that  will  support  you  under 
all  your  changes,  and  that  will  arm  you  against  all  temptations,  and  an- 
swer all  objections,  and  take  off  all  Satan's  accusations,  that  maybe  cast  in 
to  disturb  the  peace  and  quiet  of  your  souls;  aud  therefore,  whether  your 
graces  or  gracious  evidences  do  shine  or  are  clouded,  yet  still  have  your 
recourse  to  the  free  grace  of  God,  as  to  your  first  royal  fort,  your  first 
city  of  refuge ;  and  still  cry  out,  Grace,  grace.  When  your  gracious 
evidences  are  clearest  and  fullest,  then  it  concerns  you  to  look  upon  free 
grace  as  your  choicest  and  safest  city  of  refuge.     But, 

2.  The  second  royal  fort  that  Christians  should  have  their  eyes,  their 
hearts  fixed  upon,  whether  their  graces  or  gracious  evidences  sparkle 
and  shine,  or  are  clouded  and  obscured,  is  the  mediatory  righteousness 
of  Christ^  Beloved,  there  is  a  twofold  righteousness  in  Christ.  First, 
there  is  his  essential  and  personal  righteousness  as  God.  Now,  this 
essential  personal  righteousness  cannot  be  imputed  to  us  ;  but  then 
there  is,  secondly,  his  mediatory  righteousness,  that  is,  that  righteous- 
ness which  he  wrought  for  us  as  mediator,  whereby  he  did  subject  him- 
self to  the  precepts,  to  the  penalties,  commands,  and  curses,  ansAvering 
both  God's  vindictive  and  rewarding  justice.  This  is  communicated  to 
us  and  made  ours,  by  virtue  of  which  we  stand  recti  in  curia,  justified 
in  God's  sight.  The  mediatory  righteousness  of  Christ  is  the  matter  of 
our  justification.  Now,  this  mediatory  righteousness  of  Christ  includes, 
first,  the  habitual  holiness  of  his  person  in  the  absence  of  all  sin,  and 
in  the  rich  and  plentiful  presence  of  all  holy  and  requisite  qualities  ; 
secondly,  the  actual  holiness  of  his  life  and  death  by  obedience.  By 
his  active  obedience  he  perfectly  fulfilled  the  commands  of  the  law,  and 
by  his  passive  obedience,  his   voluntary  suffermgs,  he  satisfied  the 

'  Imputed  righteousness  seems  to  be  prefigured  by  the  slcins  wherewith  the  Lord  after 
the  fall  clothed  our  first  parents.  The  bodies  of  the  beasts  were  for  sacrifice,  and  the 
skins  to  put  tliem  in  mind  tliat  tlieirown  righteousness  was,  like  the  fig-leaves,  imperfect, 
aud  that  therefore  thej  must  be  justified  auother  way. 


Chap.  V.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  485 

penalty  and  conimination  of  the  law  for  transgressions.  Mark,  that 
perfect  satisfaction  to  divine  justice  in  whatsoever  it  requires,  either  in 
way  of  punishing  for  sin,  or  obedience  to  the  law,  made  by  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  God  and  man,  the  niediator  of  the  new  covenant,  as  a  com- 
mon head  representing  all  those  whom  the  Father  hath  given  to  him, 
and  made  over  unto  them  that  believe  in  him  :'  this  is  that  righteous- 
ness that  is  imputed  to  us  in  justification.  No  other  righteousness 
can  justify  us  before  the  throne  of  God.  Look,  as  Christ  was  made  sin 
for  us  only  by  imputation,  so  we  are  made  righteous  only  by  the  imputa- 
tion of  his  righteousness  to  us,  as  the  Scripture  clearly  evidences  :  2  Cor. 
V.  2],  'He  hath  made  him  to  be  sin  for  us,  who  knew  no  sin,  that  we 
might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him.'  Jer.  xxiii,  6,  '  The 
Lord  our  righteousness.'  A  soul  truly  sensible  of  his  own  unrighteous- 
ness, would  not  have  this  sentence,  '  The  Lord  our  righteousness,' 
blotted  out  of  the  Bible  for  ten  thousand  thousand  worlds.  1  Cor. 
i.  30,  '  Christ  Jesus  is  made  unto  us  of  God,  wisdom,  righteousness,'  &c. 
And  pray,  how  is  Christ  made  righteousness  to  the  believer  ?  Not  by 
way  of  infusion,  but  imputation  ;  not  by  putting  righteousness  into  him, 
but  by  putting  a  righteousness  upon  him,  even  his  own  righteousness  ; 
by  the  imputing  his  merit,  his  satisfaction,  his  obedience  unto  them, 
through  which  they  are  accepted  as  righteous  unto  eternal  life  :  Rom. 
V.  19,  'As  by  one  man's  disobedience  many  were  made  sinners,  so  by 
the  obedience  of  one  shall  many  be  made  righteous.'  Christ's  right- 
eousness is  his  in  respect  of  inhesion,  but  it  is  ours  in  respect  of  impu- 
tation ;  his  righteousness  is  his  personally,  but  ours  meritoriously. 
Look,  as  there  is  a  true  and  real  union  between  us  and  Christ,  so  there 
is  a  real  imputation  of  Christ's  righteousness  to  us.  And  a  gracious 
soul  triumphs  more  in  the  righteousness  of  Christ  imputed  than  he 
would  have  done  if  he  could  have  stood  in  the  righteousness  in  which 
he  was  created.  This  is  the  crowning  comfort  to  a  sensible  and  under- 
standing soul,  that  he  stands  righteous  before  a  judgment-seat  in  that 
full,  exact,  perfect,  complete,  matchless,  spotless,  peerless,  and  most 
acceptable  righteousness  of  Christ  which  is  imputed  to  him.  The  right- 
eousness of  Christ  is  therefore  called  '  the  righteousness  of  God,'  Rom. 
iii.  21,  22  ;  x.  3  ;  Philip,  iii.  9,  because  it  is  it  which  God  hath  designed, 
and  which  God  doth  accept  for  us  in  our  justification,  and  for  and  in 
which  he  doth  acquit  and  pronounce  us  righteous  before  his  seat  of 
justice.  That  we  are  freely  justified  by  the  righteousness  of  Christ  im- 
puted to  us,  is  the  very  basis,  foundation,  and  state  of  [the]  Christian  re- 
ligion, whereby  it  is  distinguished  from  all  other  religions  whatsoever. 
Jews,  Turks,  pagans,  and  papists  explode  an  imputed  righteousness ;  yea, 
papists  jeer  it,  calling  it  a  putative  righteousness.  Well,  sirs,  remember 
this  once  for  all,  viz.,  that  the  mediatory  righteousness  of  Christ  is  the 
life  of  your  souls,  and  will  afford  you  these  most  admirable  comforts.'^ 

[1.]  First,  In  this  righteousness  there  is  enough  to  satisfy  the  justice 
of  God  to  the  utmost  farthing.  The  mediatory  righteousness  of  Christ 
is  so  perfect,  so  full,  so  exact,  so  complete,  and  so  fully  satisfactory  to 
the  justice  of  God,   as  that  divine  justice  cries  out,  I  have  enough, 

1  Osiander  was  of  opinion  that  men  were  justified  by  the  essential  righteousness  of 
Christ  as  God,  which  opinion  is  largely  confuted  by  Calvin  in  his  '  Institutions.'  [Sub 
nomine. — G.] 

2  Luther's  great  fear  was,  that  when  he  was  dead  this  glorious  doctrine  of  free  justifi- 
cation by  the  righteousness  of  Christ  would  be  sent  packing  out  of  the  world. 


486  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

and  I  require  no  more  ;  J  have  found  a  ransom,  and  I  am  full}'  pacified 
towards  you,  Ezek.  xvi.  62,  63.     But, 

[2.]  Secondly,  This  mediatory  righteousness  of  Christ  takes  away  all 
our  unrighteousness ;  it  cancels  ever  if  bond,  it  takes  aivay  all  iniquity, 
and  ansivcrs  for  all  our  sins,  Isa.  liii. ;  Col.  ii.  12-15.  Lord,  here  are 
my  sins  of  omission,  and  here  are  my  sins  of  commission  ;  but  the 
righteousness  of  Christ  hath  answered  for  them  all.  Here  are  ray  sins 
against  the  law,  and  here  are  my  sins  against  the  gospel,  and  here  are 
my  sins  against  the  offers  of  grace,  the  tenders  of  grace,  the  strivings  of 
grace,  the  bowels  of  grace ;  but  the  righteousness  of  Christ  hath 
answered  for  them  all.  When  a  cordial  was  offered  to  one  that  was 
sick.  Oh,  said  he,  the  cordial  of  cordials  which  I  daily  take  is  this  : 
'  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  us  from  all  our  sins,'  1  John  i.  7. 
O  sirs  !  it  would  be  high  blasphemy  for  any  to  imagine  that  there 
should  be  more  demerit  in  sin,  in  any  sin,  in  all  sin,  to  condemn  a  be- 
liever, than  there  is  merit  in  Christ's  righteousness  to  absolve  him,  to 
justify  him,  Rom.  viii.  1,  33-35.     But, 

[3.]  Thirdly,  This  righteousness  of  Christ  presents  us  perfectly 
righteous  in  the  sight  of  God.  It  is  that  pure,  fine,  white  linen  gar- 
ment whereby  our  nakedness  is  covered  before  the  face  of  God  :  '  And 
to  her  was  granted'  (that  is,  to  the  Lamb's  wife)  '  that  she  should  be 
arrayed  in  fine  linen,  clean  and  white  :  for  the  fine  linen  is  the  right- 
eousness of  saints,'  Rev.  xix.  8  ;  or  the  righteousnesses  or  justifications 
of  saints,  for  the  Greek  is  plural,  ra  dizaiui/juaru.  Some  by  righteousnesses 
understand  the  righteousness  of  Christ  imputed,  and  the  righteousness 
of  Christ  imparted  ;  but  I  rather  close  with  those  who  say  it  is  an 
Hebraism  ;  the  plural  righteousnesses  noting  that  most  perfect,  com- 
plete, absolute  righteousness  which  Christ  is  pleased  to  put  upon  his 
people,  Eph.  v.  27.  Upon  the  account  of  this  righteousness  of  Christ, 
the  church  is  said  to  be  without  spot  or  wrinkle,  and  to  be  all  fair : 
'  Thou  art  all  fair,  my  love  ;  there  is  no  spot  in  thee,'  Cant.  iv.  7 ;  and 
to  be  complete  :  '  And  ye  are  complete  in  him,  which  is  the  head  of  all 
principality  and  power,'  Col.  ii.  10  ;  and  to  be  without  fault :  '  They 
are  without  fault  before  the  throne  of  God,'  Rev.  xiv.  5.  And  so  Col. 
i.  21,  *  And  to  present  us  holy,  and  unblameable,  and  unreproveable,  in 
the  sight  of  God.'     But, 

[4.]  Fourthly,  This  righteousness  of  Christ  ^uill  ansiuer  to  all  the 
fears,  doubts,  and  objections  of  your  souls.  How  shall  I  look  up  to 
God  ?  The  answer  is.  In  the  righteousness  of  Christ.  How  shall  I  have 
any  commUnion  Avith  a  holy  God  in  this  world  ?  The  answer  is.  In  the 
righteousness  of  Christ.  How  shall  I  find  acceptance  with  God  ?  The 
answer  is,  In  the  righteousness  of  Christ.  How  shall  I  die  ?  The 
answer  is.  In  the  righteousness  of  Christ.  How  shall  I  stand  before  a 
judgment  seat  ?  The  answer  is,  In  the  righteousness  of  Christ.^  Your 
sure  and  only  way  under  all  temptations,  fears,  conflicts,  doubts,  and 
disputes,  is  by  faith  to  remember  Christ,  and  the  sufferings  of  Christ, 
as  your  mediator  and  surety,  and  say,  O  Christ !  thou  art  my  sin,  in 
being  made  sin  for  me,  and  thou  art  my  curse,  in  being  made  a  curse 
for  me  ;  or  rather,  I  am  thy  sin,  and  thou  art  my  righteousness  ;  I  am 

'  Tliat  was  a  rare  speech  of  Luther :  Ipse  vidcat  uhi  anima  mea  mansura  sit,  qui  pro  ea 
sic  solicitus  fuit,  ut  vitam  pro  ea  pomitril.  ht  liiin  see  to  it  where  my  soul  shall  rest,  wlio 
took  80  much  care  for  it  as  that  he  laid  down  his  life  for  it. 


Chap.  V.]  A  cabinet  of  jewels.  487 

tliy  curse,  and  thou  art  my  blessing ;  I  am  thy  death,  and  thou  art  my 
life  ;  I  am  the  wrath  of  God  to  thee,  and  thou  art  the  love  of  God  to 
me  ;  I  am  thy  hell,  and  thou  art  my  heaven.  O  sirs  !  if  you  think  of 
your  sins,  and  of  God's  wrath  ;  if  you  think  of  your  guiltiness,  and  of 
God's  justice,  your  hearts  will  fail  you,  and  sink  into  despair,  if  you 
don't  think  of  Christ,  if  you  don't  rest  and  stay  your  souls  upon  the 
mediatory  righteousness  of  Christ.     But, 

[5.]  FiftJdy  and  lastly.  The  righteousness  of  Christ  is  the  best  title 
that  you  have  to  shew  for  a  kingdom  that  shakes  not,  for  riches  that 
corrupt  not,  for  an  inheritance  that  facleth  not  away,  and  for  an 
house  not  made  with  hands,  hut  one  eternal  in  the  heavens}  The 
righteousness  of  Christ  is  your  life,  your  joy,  your  comfort,  your  crown, 
your  confidence,  your  heaven,  your  all ;  and  therefore  whether  your 
graces  or  gi'acious  evidences  do  sparkle  and  shine,  or  are  clouded  or 
blotted,  yet  still  keep  a  fixed  eye  and  an  awakened  heart  upon  the  me- 
diatory righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ ;  for  that  is  the  righteousness  by 
which  you  may  happily  live,  comfortably  die,  and  boldly  appear  before 
a  judgment-seat.     But, 

3.  The  third  royal  fort,  that  Christians  should  have  their  eyes,  their 
hearts  fixed  upon,  whether  their  graces  or  gracious  evidences  sparkle  and 
shine,  or  are  obscured  and  clouded,  is  the  covenant  of  grace?  The 
covenant  of  grace  is  a  new  compact  or  agreement  which  God  hath  made 
with  sinful  man  out  of  his  own  mere  mercy  and  grace,  wherein  he  un- 
dertakes both  for  himself  and  for  fallen  man,  and  wherein  he  engages 
himself  to  make  fallen  man  everlastingly  happy.  All  mankind  had  been 
eternally  lost,  and  God  had  lost  all  the  glory  of  his  mercy  for  ever,  had 
he  not  of  his  own  free  grace  and  mercy  made  such  an  agreement  with 
sinful  man.  This  covenant  is  called  a  covenant  of  grace,  because  it  flows 
from  the  mere  grace  and  mercy  of  God.  There  was  nothing  out  of  God, 
nor  nothing  in  God,  but  his  mere  mercy  and  grace,  that  moved  him  to 
enter  into  covenant  with  poor  sinners.  In  the  covenant  of  grace  there 
are  two  things  considerable  :  First,  The  covenant  that  God  makes  for 
himself  to  us,  which  consists  of  these  branches,  (1.)  that  he  will  be  our 
God  ;  (2.)  that  he  will  give  us  a  new  heart,  a  new  spirit ;  (3.)  that  he 
will  not  turn  away  his  face  from  us  from  doing  of  us  good  ;  (4.)  that  he 
will  put  his  fear  into  our  hearts  ;  (5.)  that  he  will  cleanse  us  from  all 
our  filthiness,  and  from  all  our  idols ;  (6.)  that  he  will  rejoice  over  us 
to  do  us  good.  Secondly,  Here  is  the  covenant  which  God  doth  make 
for  us  to  himself,  which  consists  in  these  things,  (1.)  that  we  shall  be 
his  people  ;  (2.)  that  we  shall  fear  him  for  ever  ;  (3.)  that  we  shall  walk 
in  his  statutes,  keep  his  judgments  and  do  them  ;  (4.)  that  we  shall  not 
depart  from  him.  Upon  many  accounts  I  may  not  enlarge  on  these 
things  ;  but  by  these  short  hints  it  is  evident  that  the  covenant  of  grace 
is  an  entire  covenant  made  by  God,  both  for  himself  and  for  us.  O 
sirs !  in  the  covenant  of  grace  God  stands  engaged  to  give  whatsoever 
he  requires. 

[1.]  First,  He  requires  us  to  know  him,  and  he  has  engaged  himself 
that  we  shall  know  him :  1  Chron.  xxviii.  9,  Jer.  xxiv.  7,  '  I  "vvill  give 

1  Heb.  xii.  28 ;  1  Peter  i.  3-5  ;  2  Cor.  v.  1-4. 

2  Deut.  iv.  25  ;  Isa.  Iv.  3,  and  liv.  7-10  ;  Jer.  xxxi.  31  ;  Ps.  I.  5,  &c. ;  Hosea  xiv.  4  ; 
Tit.  iii.  6  ;  Eph.  i.  5-7,  chap.  ii.  5,  7,  8  :  Rom.  ix.  18,  23;  Jer.  xxxii.  38-41 ;  Ezek.  xxxvi. 
25-27. 


488  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

them  a  heart  to  know  me,  that  I  am  the  Lord  ;'  and  Jer.  xxxi.  34«,  '  They 
shall  all  know  me,  from  the  least  of  them  to  the  greatest  of  them,'  Heb. 
viii.  11.     But, 

[2.]  Secondly,  The  Lord  frequently  requires  his  'people  to  tnist  in 
him,  Ps.  Ixii.  8 ;  Isa.  xxvi.  4  ;  2  Chron.  xx.  20.  And  he  has  engaged 
himself  that  his  people  shall  trust  in  him  :  Zeph.  iii.  12,  'I  will  leave 
in  the  midst  of  thee  an  afflicted  and  poor  people,  and  they  shall  trust 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord.'     But, 

[3.]  Tiiirdly,  The  Lord  frequently  commands  his  people  to  fear  him, 
Deut.  vi.  lo,  chap.  viii.  6.  And  he  has  engaged  himself  that  they  shall 
fear  him  :  Jer.  xxxii.  40,  '  I  will  put  my  fear  into  their  hearts,  that  they 
shall  not  depart  from  me.'  Hosea  iii.  5,  '  They  shall  fear  the  Lord  and 
his  goodness.'     But, 

[4.]  Fourthly,  I'he  Lord  frequently  commands  his  2^<^oph  to  love 
him:  Deut.  xi.  1,  Ps.  xxxi.  23,  '  O  love  the  Lord,  all  ye  his  saints!'  And 
he  has  promised  and  engaged  himself  that  his  people  shall  love  hhn  : 
Deut.  XXX.  6,  '  The  Lord  thy  God  Avill  circumcise  thy  heart,  and  the 
heart  of  thy  seed,  to  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thine  heart  and 
with  all  thy  soul.'     But, 

[5.]  Fifthly,  The  Lo7'd  frequently  commands  his  people  to  call  upon 
him,  and  to  pray  unto  him,  Ps.  1.  15,  1  Thes.  v.  17,  &c.  ;  and  he  has 
promised  and  engaged  himself  to  pour  upon  them  a  spirit  of  prayer  : 
Zech.  xii.  10,  '  I  will  pour  upon  the  house  of  David,  and  upon  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Jerusalem,  the  spirit  of  grace  and  supplications.'     But, 

[6.]  Sixthly,  The  Lord  frequently  commands  hisp)eople  to  repent  and 
to  turn  from  their  evil  tvays,  Hosea  xiv.  1,  Ezek.  xiv.  6,  xviii.  30,  Acts 
xvii.  30,  xxvi.  20  ;  and  he  has  promised  and  engaged  himself  that  they 
shall  repent  and  turn  from  their  evil  ways,  Acts  v.  30,  xi.  18,  2  Tim.  iL 
25,  Isa.  XXX.  22,  Jer.  xxiv.  7.     But, 

[7.]  Seventhly,  The  Lord  has  commanded  his  people  to  obey  him^ 
and  to  ivalk  in  his  statutes,  Jer.  xxiv.  7;  and  he  has  promised  and 
engaged  himself  that  his  people  shall  obey  him  and  walk  in  his  statutes : 
Ezek.  xxxvi.  27,  '  And  I  will  put  my  Spirit  within  you,  and  cause  you 
to  walk  in  my  statutes,  and  ye  shall  keep  my  judgments  and  do  them.* 
So  Ezek.  xi.  19,  20  ;   xxxvii.  23,  24.     But, 

[8.]  Eighthly,  The  Lord  coramands  his  people  to  mourn  for  their 
sins,  Isa.  xxii.  12,  Joel  ii.  12,  James  iv.  10  ;  and  he  has  promised  and 
engaged  himself  to  give  them  a  mourning  frame  :  Zech.  xii.  10,  '  They 
shall  look  upon  him  whom  they  have  piei'ced,  and  they  shall  mourn  for 
him  as  one  that  mourneth  for  an  only  son  ;'  Ezek.  vii.  16,  '  They  shall 
be  on  the  mountains  as  the  doves  of  the  valleys,  all  of  them  mourning 
every  one  for  his  iniquity.'     But, 

[9.]  Ninthly,  The  Lord  commands  his  people  to  grow  in  grace, 
2  Peter  iii.  18,  &c.  ;  and  he  has  promised  and  engaged  himself  that  they 
shall  grow  in  grace:  Ps.  xcii.  12-14,  'The  righteous  shall  flourish  like 
the  palm  tree'  (which  is  always  green  and  flourishing)  ;  *  he  shall  grow 
like  a  cedar  in  Lebanon.'  The  cedar  of  all  trees  is  most  durable,  and 
shoots  up  highest.  '  Those  that  be  planted  in  the  house  of  the  Lord 
shall  flouri.sh  in  the  courts  of  our  God  ;  they  shall  still  bring  forth  fruit 
in  old  age ;  they  shall  bo  fat  and  flourishing.'  See  Hosea  xiv.  5-7  ; 
Mai.  iv.  2,  &c.     But, 

[10.]  Tonthly,  The  Lord  commands  his  ycopile  not  to  suffer  sin  to 


Chap.  V.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  489 

reign  in  them  :  Rom.  vi.  12,  '  Let  not  sin  reign  in  your  mortal  body  ;' 
and  he  has  promised  and  engaged  himself  that  sin  shall  not  reign  in 
them  :  Rom.  vi.  14,  '  Sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  you  ;'  Jer. 
xxxiii.  8,  '  And  I  will  cleanse  them  from  all  their  iniquity  ;'  Ezek.  xxxvi. 
25,  'Then  will  I  sprinkle  clean  water  upon  you,  and  ye  shall  be  clean 
from  all  your  filthiness  ;  and  from  all  your  idols  will  I  cleanse  you  ;' 
Micah  vii.  19,  '  He  will  subdue  our  iniquities.'     But, 

[11.]  Eleventhly,  He  has  commanded  his  people  to  loathe  their  sins, 
and  to  loathe  themselves  for  their  sins  :  Ps.  xcvii.  10,  'Ye  that  love  the 
Lord  hate  evil ;  Rom.  xii.  9,  '  Abhor  that  which  is  evil'  And  the  Lord 
hath  promised  and  engaged  himself  to  give  them  such  a  frame  of  spirit : 
Ezek.  xxxvi.  1 3,  '  Then  shall  you  remember  your  own  evil  ways,  and 
your  doings  that  were  not  good,  and  shall  loathe  yourselves  in  your  own 
sight  for  your  iniquities,  and  for  your  abominations  ;'  Ezek.  vi.  9,  'And 
they  that  escape  of  you  shall  remember  me  among  the  nations  whither 
they  shall  be  carried  captives,  because  I  am  broken  with  their  whorish 
heart,  which  hath  departed  from  me,  and  with  their  eyes,  which  go 
a- whoring  after  their  idols  ;  and  they  shall  loathe  themselves  for  the 
evils  which  they  have  committed  in  all  their  abominations  ;'  Ezek.  xx. 
43,  'And  there  shall  ye  remember  your  ways  and  all  your  doings  wherein 
you  have  been  defiled,  and  ye  shall  loathe  yourselves  in  your  own  sight, 
for  all  your  evils  that  ye  have  committed.'     But, 

[12.]  Twelfthly  and  lastly,  for  enough  is  as  good  as  a  feast,  God  has 
commanded  us  to  hold  out,  to  persevere  to  the  end,  1  Cor.  xv.  58,  Rev. 
ii.  10,  Luke  xviii.  1 ;  and  tlie  Lord  has  promised  and  engaged  himself 
that  they  shall  persevere  :  Job  xvii.  9,  '  The  righteous  shall  hold  on  his 
way,  and  he  that  hath  clean  hands  shall  be  stronger  and  stronger  ;'  Isa. 
xl.  31,  '  They  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength,  they 
shall  mount  up  with  wings  as  eagles,  they  shall  run  and  not  be  weary, 
they  shall  walk  and  not  faint.' 

Thus  you  see  by  an  induction  of  twelve  particulars  that  whatever  God 
requires  of  his  people,  he  stands  engaged  by  the  covenant  of  grace  to 
give  to  his  people,  to  do  for  his  people. 

Now  mark,  the  covenant  of  grace  is  confirmed  to  us  in  the  surest  and 
most  glorious  way  that  can  be  imagined,  Gen.  xvii.  7  ;  Heb,  xiii.  20  ; 
Ps.  Ixxxix.  28  ;  2  Sam.  xxiii.  5.  The  covenant  of  grace  is  so  strongly 
ratified  that  there  can  be  no  nulling  of  it.     For, 

[1.]  First,  It  is  confirmed  to  us  fe^/  ^^'^s  word.  '  I  will  be  your  God, 
and  you  shall  be  my  people,'  Jer.  xxxiii.  38.  Now,  '  all  the  promises 
of  God  in  him  are  yea,  and  in  him  amen,  unto  the  glory  of  God  by 
us,'  2  Cor.  i.  20 ;  that  is,  they  are  stable  and  firm,  as  the  Hebrew  word 
signifies.  They  will  eat  their  way  over  all  Alps  of  opposition.  In  the 
new  covenant  God  neither  makes  nor  fulfils  any  promises  of  salvation 
but  in  Christ  and  by  Christ. 

[2.]  Secondly,  God  hath  ratified  the  covenant  of  grace  ly  his  oath, 
Gen.  xxii.  16,  Heb.  vi.  19.  His  promise  is  enough,  but  surely  his  oath 
must  put  all  out  of  question.  There  is  no  room  for  unbelief  now  God 
hath  sworn  to  it.  Had  there  been  a  greater  God,  he  would  have  sworn 
by  him.     But, 

[3.]  Thirdly,  God  hath  ratified  it  hy  the  death  of  his  Son,  Gal.  iii.  15, 
Heb.  ix.  15,  16.  A  man's  last  will  and  testament,  as  soon  as  he  is  dead, 
is  in  force,  and  cannot  then  be  disannulled.     The  covenant  of  grace  is 


490  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

a  testamentary  covenant,  which,  b}--  the  death  of  the  testator,  is  so  settled 
that  there  is  no  altering  of  it.     But, 

[4-.]  FouHhly  and  la.stly.  The  covenant  of  grace  is  ratified  by  the 
seals  which  God  hath  aimeoced  to  it  What  was  sealed  by  the  king's 
ring  could  not  be  altered,  Esther  viii.  God  hath  set  his  seals  to  the 
covenant  of  grace,  his  broad  seal  in  the  sacraments,  and  his  privy  seal 
in  the  witness  of  his  Spirit,  and  therefore  it  is  sure,  and  cannot  be 
reversed,  &c. 

Now,  whenever  you  look  upon  your  graces  or  gracious  evidences  with 
one  eye,  be  sure  you  look  upon  the  covenant  of  grace,  your  last  royal 
fort,  with  the  other  eye.  The  whole  hinge  of  a  man's  comfort  and 
happiness  liangs  upon  the  covenant  of  grace.  The  covenant  of  grace  is 
the  saint's  original  title  to  heaven  ;  it  is  a  saint's  best  and  brightest 
evidence  for  life  and  salvation.  There  was  an  eternal  design,  an  eternal 
plot,  if  I  may  so  speak,  betwixt  God  the  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ;  a  bargain,  a  covenant  made  between  the  Father  and  the  Son, 
for  the  salvation  of  his  chosen  ones  ;  and  by  this  patent  and  tenure  of 
grace  all  saints  have  title  to  heaven,  &c.  Dear  Christians,  many  times 
your  gracious  evidences  are  so  blotted  and  blurred  that  you  cannot  read 
them.  Oh  then,  turn  to  the  covenant  of  grace!  When  other  evidences 
fail  you,  the  covenant  of  grace  will  be  a  glorious  standing  evidence  to 
you.  It  is  upon  the  score  of  the  covenant  that  you  must  challenge  an 
interest  in  all  the  glory  of  another  world.  The  covenant  of  grace  is  the 
great  charter,  the  magna  charta,  of  all  your  spiritual  privileges  and  im- 
munities. Now,  in  this  great  charter  the  Lord  declares  that  sincerity 
shall  go  for  perfection,  Luke  i.  5,  6.  In  this  great  charter  the  Lord 
hath  declared  that  he  judges  his  people  by  the  standing  bent  and  frame 
of  their  hearts,  and  not  by  what  they  are  under  some  j)angs  of  passion, 
or  in  an  hour  of  temptation,  Acts  xiii.  22.  In  this  great  charter  the 
Lord  declares  that  his  eye  is  more  upon  his  people's  inward  disposition 
than  it  is  upon  their  outward  actions,  2  Chron.  xxx.  18-20  ;  and  that 
his  eye  is  more  upon  their  will  than  it  is  upon  their  work,  2  Cor.  viii.  12, 
Philip,  ii.  13.  In  this  great  charter,  the  covenant  of  grace,  the  Lord 
hath  declared  that  he  will  not  forsake  his  people,  nor  cast  off  his  people, 
because  of  those  failings  and  weaknesses  that  may,  and  do,  attend  them : 
1  Sam.  xii.  22,  '  For  the  Lord  will  not  forsake  his  people  for  his  great 
name's  sake :  because  it  hath  pleased  the  Lord  to  make  you  his  people.' 
Ponder  much  upon  Jer.  xxxi.  31-38.  He  chose  you  for  his  love,  and  he 
still  loveth  you  for  his  choice.  God  will  rather  pity  his  people  under 
their  weakness  than  he  will  reject  them  for  their  weakness.  The  cove- 
nant of  grace  that  God  hath  made  with  his  people  is  as  the  covenant 
that  a  man  makes  with  his  wife.  *  I  will  betroth  thee  unto  me  for  ever, 
saith  the  Lord.  Turn,  0  backsliding  children,  saith  the  Lord,  for  I  am 
married  unto  you,'  Hosea  ii.  19,  20  ;  Jer.  iii.  13.  Now,  a  man  will 
never  reject  his  wife  ;  he  will  never  cast  off  iiis  wife  for  those  common 
weaknesses  and  infirmities  that  daily  attends  her;  no  more  Avill  the  Lord 
cast  off  his  people  because  of  the  infirmities  that  ilaily  hang  upon  them. 
In  this  great  charter — the  covenant  of  grace — the  Lord  declares  that  he 
will  require  no  more  than  he  gives,  and  that  he  will  give  what  he  re- 
quires, and  that  he  will  accept  what  he  gives  ;  and  what  can  a  God  say 
more  ?  and  what  can  a  gracious  sovil  desire  more  ? 

O  sirs  !  when  all  is  cloudy  overhead,  and  all  dark  within  doors  ;  when 


Chap.  V.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  491 

a  Christian's  graces  are  not  transparent,  when  his  evidences  for  heaven 
are  soiled  and  blotted,  and  when  neither  heart  nor  house  are  as  they 
should  be,  it  is  good  then  to  turn  to  the  covenant  of  grace,  and  to  dwell 
upon  the  covenant  of  grace.  Thus  David  did  :  2  Sam.  xxiii.  5,  '  Although 
my  house  be  not  so  with  God ;  yet  he  hath  made  with  me  an  everlasting 
covenant,  ordered  in  all  things,  and  sure  :  for  this  is  all  my  salvation,  and 
all  my  desire,  although  he  make  it  not  to  grow.'  Let  me  give  a  little 
light  into  the  words. 

'  Although  my  house  be  not  so  with  God.'  Though  David  in  the 
main  had  a  good  heart,  yet  he  had  but  a  wicked  house.  Absalom  had 
slain  his  brother,  rebelled  against  his  father,  and  lay  with  his  father's 
concubines  ;  and  Amnon  had  deflowered  his  sister,  &c.  Now  David, 
under  a  deep  sense  of  all  this  wickedness,  and  of  his  own  personal  un- 
worthiness,  sadly  sighs  it  out,  '  Although  my  house  be  not  so  with  God,' 
&c. ;  though  I  have  not  walked  so  exactly  and  perfectly  as  I  should 
have  done,  though  neither  I  nor  my  house  have  walked  answerable  to 
those  great  mercies  and  singular  kindnesses  of  God  that  have  been  ex- 
tended to  us ; 

'  Yet  he  hath  made  with  me  an  everlasting  covenant.'  The  word 
everlasting  hath  two  acceptations.  It  doth  denote,  (1 .)  Sometimes  a 
long  duration,  in  which  respect  the  old  covenant,  clothed  with  figures 
and  ceremonies,  is  called  everlasting,  because  it  was  to  endure,  and  did 
endure  a  long  time.  (2.)  Sometimes  it  denotes  a  perpetual  duration,  a 
duration  which  shall  last  for  ever.  In  this  respect  the  covenant  of  grace 
is  everlasting.  It  shall  never  cease,  never  be  broken,  nor  never  be 
altered.^  Now,  the  covenant  of  grace  is  an  everlasting  covenant  in  a 
twofold  respect  : 

First,  Fx  i^arte  foederantis,  in  respect  of  God,  who  will  never  break 
covenant  with  his  people ;  but  is  their  God,  and  will  be  their  God  for 
ever  and  ever :  Ps.  xlviii.  14,  '  For  this  God  is  our  God  for  ever  and 
ever  :  he  will  be  our  guide  even  unto  death,'  Ay,  and  after  death  too  ; 
for  this  is  not  to  be  taken  exclusive.  He  will  never  leave  his  people, 
nor  forsake  his  people,  Heb.  xiii.  5,  6. 

Secondly,  Ex  parte  confosderatorum,  in  respect  of  the  people  of  God, 
who  are  brought  into  covenant,  and  shall  continue  in  covenant  for  ever 
and  ever.  You  have  both  these  expressed  in  that  excellent  scripture, 
Jer.  xxxii.  40,  *  I  will  make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  them,  that  I 
will  not  turn  away  from  them,  to  do  them  good  ;  but  I  will  put  my  fear 
in  their  hearts,  that  they  shall  not  depart  from  me.'  Seriously  dwell 
upon  the  place.  It  shews  that  the  covenant  is  everlasting  on  God's 
part,  and  also  on  our  part.  On  God's  part,  '  I  will  never  turn  away  from 
them,  to  do  them  good ;'  and  on  our  part,  '  they  shall  never  depart 
from  me.'  How  so  ?  *  I  will  put  my  fear  in  their  hearts,  that  they 
shall  not  depart  from  me'  (even  that  fear  spoken  of  in  ver.  39,  *  that 
they  may  fear  me  for  ever'), 

'  Ordered  in  all  things.'  Oh  what  head  can  conceive,  or  what  tongue 
can  express  that  infinite  counsel,  wisdom,  love,  care  and  tenderness,  that 
the  blessed  God  has  expressed  in  ordering  the  covenant  of  grace,  so  as 
it  may  most  and  best  suit  to  all  the  wants,  and  straits,  and  necessities, 
and  miseries,  and  desires,  and  longings  of  poor  sinners'  souls.  The  co- 
venant of  grace  is  so  well  ordered  by  the  unsearchable  wisdom  of  God, 
^  Vide  Isa,  Iv.  3  ;  Gen.  xvii.  7  ;  Ps.  cv.  9,  10  ;  Isa.  Ixi.  8  ;  Heb.  iii.  20. 


492  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

that  you  may  find  in  it  remedies  to  cure  all  your  diseases,  and  cordials 
to  comfort  you  against  all  your  faintings,  and  a  spiritual  armoury  to  arm 
you  against  all  your  enemies,  viz.,  the  world,  the  Hesh,  and  the  devil,  Isa. 
xl.  28,  and  Ps.  cxlvii.  5.  Dost  thou,  O  distressed  sinner,  want  a  loving 
God,  a  compassionate  God,  a  reconciled  God,  a  sin-pardoning  God  ?  Here 
thou  mayest  find  him,  in  the  covenant  of  grace.  Dost  thou  want  a 
Christ  to  counsel  thee  by  his  wisdom,  and  to  clothe  thee  with  his  right- 
eousness, and  to  adorn  thee  with  his  grace  ?  Here  thou  mayest  find  him 
in  a  covenant  of  grace.  Dost  thou  want  the  Spirit  to  enlighten  thee, 
to  teach  thee,  to  convince  thee,  to  awaken  thee,  to  lead  thee,  to  cleanse 
thee,  to  cheer  thee,  and  to  seal  thee  up  to  the  day  of  redemption  ?  Eph. 
i.  13.  Here  thou  mayest  find  him  in  a  covenant  of  grace.  Dost  thou 
want  grace,  or  peace,  or  rest,  or  quiet,  or  content,  or  comfort,  or  satis- 
faction ?  Here  thou  mayest  find  it  in  a  covenant  of  grace.  God  has  laid 
into  the  covenant  of  grace,  as  into  a  common  store,  all  those  things  that 
sinners  or  saints  can  either  beg  or  need.  Look,  as  that  is  a  well-ordered 
commonwealth  where  there  are  no  wholesome  laws  wanting  to  govern 
a  people,  and  where  there  are  no  wholesome  remedies  wanting  to  relieve 
a  people  ;  so  that  must  needs  be  a  well-ordered  covenant,  where  there 
is  nothing  wanting  to  govern  poor  souls,  or  to  relieve  poor  souls,  or  to 
save  poor  souls ;  and  such  a  covenant  is  the  covenant  of  grace. 

And  sure  the  covenant  of  grace  is  a  sure  covenant:  Deut.  vii.  9,  'The 
Lord  thy  God  he  is  God,  the  faithful  God'  (or  the  God  of  Amen), 
'  which  keepeth  covenant  with  them  that  love  him ;'  Ps.  Ixxxix.  33, 
'  My  covenant  will  I  not  break '  (Hebrew,  I  will  not  profane),  '  nor  alter 
the  thing  that  is  gone  out  of  my  lips.^  All  God's  precepts,  all  God's 
predictions,  all  God's  menaces,  and  all  God's  promises,  are  the  issue  of 
a  most  just,  faithful,  and  righteous  will.  God  can  neither  die  nor  lie  : 
Titus  i.  2,  '  In  hope  of  eternal  life,  which  God,  that  cannot  lie,  promised 
before  the  world  began.'  There  are  three  things  that  God  cannot  do  : 
(1.)  He  cannot  die ;  nor  (2.)  he  cannot  lie ;  nor  (3.)  he  cannot  deny 
himself:  Josh,  xxiii.  14,  'And  behold,  this  day  I  am  going  the  way  of 
all  the  earth  ;  and  ye  know  in  all  your  hearts,  and  in  all  your  souls, 
that  not  one  thing  hath  failed  of  all  the  good  things  which  the  Lord 
your  God  spake  concerning  you ;  all  are  come  to  pass  unto  you,  and  not 
one  thing  hath  failed  thereof.'  O  sirs  !  the  covenant  of  grace  is  bot- 
tomed upon  God's  everlasting  love,  upon  God's  unchangeable  love,  upon 
God's  free  love,  John  xiii.  1.  Whom  God  loves  once,  he  loves  for  ever: 
'  I  have  loved  thee  with  an  everlasting  love,'  Jer.  xxxi.  3.  God  can  as 
well  cease  to  be,  as  he  can  cease  to  love  those  whom  he  has  taken  into 
covenant  with  himself.  And  as  the  covenant  of  grace  is  bottomed  upon 
God's  everlasting  love,  so  it  is  bottomed  upon  God's  immutable  counsel: 
'  God  willing  more  abundantly  to  shew  unto  the  heirs  of  promise  the 
immutabiUty  of  his  counsel,  confirmed  it  by  an  oath,'  Heb.  vi.  17.  And 
as  the  covenant  of  grace  is  bottomed  upon  the  immutable  counsel  of 
God,  so  it  is  bottomed  upon  the  free  purpose  of  God  :  2  Tim.  ii.  19, 
'  The  foundation  of  God  standeth  sure ;'  that  is,  the  decree  and  purpose 
of  God's  election  stands  firm  and  sure.  Now  the  purpose  of  God's 
election  is  compared  to  a  foundation,  because  it  is  that  upon  which  all 
our  happiness  and  blessedness  is  built  and  bottomed,  and  because,  as  a 
foundation,  it  abides  firm  and  sure.  And  as  the  covenant  of  grace  is 
'  Jer.  x.\xi.  31,  33,  35-37  ;  Ps.  xix.  7  ;  Kcv.  iii.  14  ;  Isa.  liv.  10. 


Chap.  V.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  493 

bottomed  upon  the  free  purpose  of  God,  so  it  is  bottomed  upon  the 
glorious  power  of  God,  Isa.  xxxiii.  11,  xli.  2  ;  Mai.  iv.  1  ;  1  Cor.  i.  25. 
The  power  of  God  is  an  infinite  power,  it  is  a  supreme  power,  a  power 
that  overtops  the  power  of  all  mortals.  What  is  the  stubble  to  the 
flames,  the  chaff  to  the  whirlwind  ?  No  more  is  all  created  power  to 
the  power  of  God.  The  weakness  of  God  is  stronger  than  men  ;  and 
did  not  Pharaoh  find  it  so  ?  and  Haman  find  it  so  ?  and  Sennacherib 
find  it  so  ?  and  Nebuchadnezzar  find  it  so?  and  Belshazzar  find  it  so  ? 
and  Herod  find  it  so  ?  In  all  the  ages  of  the  world  the  power  of  God 
hath  bore  down  all  before  it.  The  power  of  God  is  an  independent 
power,  a  matchless  power,  an  incomparable  power,  an  enduring  power, 
an  eternal  power.  And  as  the  covenant  of  grace  is  bottomed  upon  the 
power  of  God,  so  it  is  bottomed  upon  the  oath  of  God  :  Luke  i.  72, 
'  To  perform  the  mercy  promised  to  our  fathers,  and  to  remember  his 
holy  covenant.'  Ver,  73,  *  The  oath  which  he  sware  to  our  father  Ab- 
raham.' Heb.  vi.  17,  18;  Ps.  Ixxxix.  34,  35.  To  think  that  God  will 
break  his  oath,  or  be  perjured,  is  an  intolerable  blasphemy.  Once 
more  give  me  leave  to  say,  the  covenant  of  grace  is  bottomed  not  only 
upon  the  oath  of  God,  but  also  upon  the  precious  blood  of  Christ.  The 
blood  of  Christ  is  called  '  the  blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant,'  Heb.  xiii. 
20,  Mat.  xxvi.  28.  '  This  is  my  blood  of  the  New  Testament,  which  is 
shed  for  many  for  the  remission  of  sins/  Heb.  ix.  15.  'And  for  this 
cause  he  is  the  Mediator  of  the  New  Testament,  that  by  means  of  death, 
for  the  redemption  of  the  transgressions  that  were  under  the  first  Testa- 
ment, they  which  are  called  might  receive  the  promise  of  eternal  in- 
heritance.' Ver.  17,  '  A  testament  is  of  force  after  men  are  dead.'  It 
is  called  a  covenant  and  a  testament.  (1.)  A  covenant  in  respect  of 
God,  and  a  testament  in  respect  of  Christ.  (2.)  A  covenant  in  respect 
of  the  manner  of  agreement,  and  a  testament  in  respect  of  the  manner 
of  confirming.  Jesus  Christ  died  as  a  testator,  and  by  his  death  con- 
firmed the  testamentary  gift  before  made  of  life  and  salvation.  Now, 
the  covenant  of  grace  being  thus  gloriously  bottomed  as  you  see,  it  must 
roundly  and  undeniably  follow,  that  the  covenant  of  grace  is  a  sure 
covenant. 

'  For  this  is  all  my  salvation  and  all  my  desire  ;'  i.  e.  this  is  the  great 
ground  of  all  my  hope  concerning  my  salvation,  and  of  all  the  happiness 
and  blessedness  which  I  look  for  in  another  world.  This  everlastins: 
covenant,  this  sure  covenant,  is  the  great  charter  of  charters  that  I  have 
to  shew  for  etenial  bliss.  David  was  drawing  near  to  his  eternal  home, 
and  whether  his  graces  and  gracious  evidences  for  heaven's  happiness 
were  bright  and  shining,  or  blotted  and  clouded,  I  shall  not  at  this  time 
stand  to  inquire.  It  is  enough  that  he  stays  his  soul  upon  the  covenant 
of  grace,  and  that  he  comforts  and  solaces  his  soul  in  the  covenant  of 
grace.  And  oh  that  all  Christians,  when  their  graces  and  gracious 
evidences  are  either  clouded  or  blotted,  or  else  sparkling  and  shining, 
that  they  would  frequently  eye  these  three  royal  forts,  viz.,  (1.)  the  free 
grace  and  favour  of  God  ;  (2.)  the  mediatory  righteousness  of  Christ ; 
(3.)  the  covenant  of  grace.  Now,  that  I  may  the  more  effectually  pre- 
vail with  you  to  look  upon  these  royal  forts,  and  to  delight  in  these 
royal  forts,  and  to  prize  these  royal  forts,  and  to  improve  these  royal 
forts,  give  me  leave  to  offer  these  three  things  briefly  to  your  con- 
sideration : 


'494  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS,  [ChAP.  V. 

First,  Our  best  graces  and  performances  are  not  commensurate  and 
square  payment  in  the  eyes  of  pure  justice.  All  of  them  as  inherent 
in  us,  and  acted  hy  us,  are  but  imperfect  excellencies.  No  man  hath 
so  much  grace  and  holiness  as  is  required,  nor  doth  he  so  much  as  he 
is  obliged  to  do.  Every  particular  grace,  though  it  be  of  an  heavenly 
and  divine  original,  yet  it  is  like  the  stars  twinkling,  though  placed  in 
the  heavens;  so  that  if  God  should  enter  into  judgment  with  the  most 
righteous  person,  even  the  righteousness  that  is  in  him  would  not  be 
safety  and  defence  unto  him,  Ps.  cxliii.  2,  Job  xiv.  3,  4,  Rom.  iii.  20  ; 
for  what  a  deal  of  pride  have  we  mixed  with  a  little  humility !  and 
what  a  deal  of  passion  have  we  mixed  with  a  little  meekness  !  and  what 
a  deal  of  hypocrisy  have  we  mixed  with  a  little  sincerity !  and  what  a 
deal  of  earthly-mindedness  have  we  mixed  with  a  little  heavenly- 
mindedness !  and  what  a  deal  of  unbelief  have  we  mixed  with  a  little 
faith  !  O  sirs  !  in  the  great  business  of  your  access  to  God,  and  of  your 
acceptance  with  God,  and  of  your  reconciliation  to  God,  and  of  your 
justification  before  God,  it  is  best,  safest,  and  noblest  to  bottom  your 
faith,  hope,  and  expectation  infinitely  rather  upon  imputed  righteous- 
ness than .  inherent  righteousness,  upon  what  Christ  has  done  for  you 
than  upon  what  he  has  done  in  you,  Rom.  iii.  20-27,  Philip,  iii.  8-10. 
Inherent  righteousness  is  stained,  imperfect,  impure;  but  imputed 
righteousness  is  pure  and  perfect.  If  there  were  any  stain  or  any  im- 
perfection in  that,  it  could  not  justify  us,  it  could  not  save  us,  it  could 
not  secure  us  from  wrath  to  come.  Such  evidences  as  are  not  fetched 
from  any  thing  in  us,  nor  from  any  things  done  by  us,  but  are  fetched 
by  faith  from  our  free  justification,  and  from  Christ's  full  satisfaction 
which  he  hath  wrought  for  us,  will  be  found  the  most  full,  the  most 
sweet,  the  most  refreshing,  the  most  comforting,  and  the  most  satisfying 
evidences.  Christ  is  all  fair,  all  perfect,  all  pure ;  and  therefore  let  him 
be  most  in  your  eye  and  most  upon  your  hearts.  But  here  take  heed 
that  you  do  not  look  upon  your  graces,  or  your  gracious  evidences,  as 
poor,  low,  weak,  contemptible  things,  as  too  many  do ;  for  the  least  of 
them  is  more  worth  than  heaven  and  earth,  and  they  may  yield  you 
much  comfort,  much  support,  much  refreshing,  and  much  satisfaction; 
though  they  cannot  yield  you  that  full  comfort  nor  that  full  satisfaction 
as  Christ  himself  can  yield,  as  Christ's  satisfaction  can  yield,  as  free  jus- 
tification can  yield.  Though  children  and  friends  cannot  yield  to  a 
wife  that  full  comfort,  content,  delight,  and  satisfaction  as  her  husband 
does,  yet  they  may  yield  her  much  comfort,  much  content,  much  delight, 
much  satisfaction.     The  appUcation  is  easy.     But, 

Secondly,  Consider,  that  Christian  that  hath  free  grace,  that  hath  free 
justification,  that  hath  the  mediatory  righteousness  of  Christ,  that  hath 
the  satisfaction  of  Christ,  that  hath  the  covenant  of  grace  most  constantly 
in  his  sight,  and  most  frequently  warm  upon  his  heart,  that  Christian, 
of  all  Christians  in  the  world,  is  most  free  from  a  world  of  feai's,  and 
doubts,  and  scruples,  which  do  sad,  sink,  perplex,  and  press  down  a 
world  of  other  Christians,  who  affect  a  life  of  sense,  and  who  daily  eye 
more  what  Christ  is  a-doing  in  them,  and  what  tiiey  are  a-doing  for 
Ciirist,  than  they  do  eye  either  his  active  or  passive  obedience.  Christ 
hath  done  great  things  for  his  people,  and  he  has  suffered  great  things 
for  his  people,  and  he  has  purchased  great  things  for  his  people,  and  he 
has  prepared  great  things  for  his  people  ;  yet  many  of  his  own  dear 


Chap.  V.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  495 

people  are  so  taken  up  with  their  own  hearts,  and  with  their  own  duties 
and  graces,  that  Christ  is  little  eyed  by  them  or  minded  by  them  ;  and 
what  is  this  but  to  be  more  taken  with  the  streams  than  with  the  foun- 
tain ?  with  the  leaves,  blossoms  and  fruit,  than  with  the  tree  itself  ? 
with  the  bracelets,  ear-rings,  and  gold  chains,  than  with  the  husband 
himself  ?  with  the  nobles  that  wait,  than  with  the  king  that  is  waited  on  ? 
And  this  is  the  great  reason  why  so  many  Christians,  who  will  certainly 
go  to  heaven,  do  walk  in  darkness,  and  lie  down  in  sorrow.     But, 

Thirdly,  Trusting  in  our  own  duties,  and  resting  on  our  own  right- 
eousness, and  not  on  Christ's  solely,  is  a  close,  secret,  spiritual,  dangerous, 
and  unperceivable  sin,  w^hich  the  nature  of  man  is  exceedingly  prone 
unto,  Isa.  Iviii.  1  -3  ;  Zech.  vii.  5,  6.  The  pharisees  were  mightily  given 
up  to  trust  in  their  own  righteousness,  to  rest  on  their  own  righteousness, 
and  to  boast  and  glory  in  their  own  righteousness.  Mat.  xxiii.,  Luke 
xviii. ;  and  this  proved  their  mortal  disease,  their  damning  sin.  Trustino- 
in  their  own  righteousness  had  so  besotted  and  benumbed  them,  that 
they  had  no  mind,  no  heart  to  open  the  gates  of  their  souls,  that  the 
King  of  glory  might  enter  in.  And  this  was  that  which  undid  the  Jews, 
Rom.  X.  3,  '  For  they  being  ignorant  of  God's  righteousness,  and  going 
about  to  establish  their  own  righteousness,  have  not  submitted  them- 
selves to  the  righteousness  of  God.'  And  it  is  observable,  the  apostle 
useth  an  emphatical  word  of  a  Jew,  Rom.  ii.  17,  'Thou  restest  in  the  law,' 
s'Trava'zau}],  thou  art  secure  in  the  law,  and  in  some  admirable  privilege 
and  signal  testimony  of  God's  love.  This  was  Bernard's  temptation, 
when  being  assisted  in  duty  he  could  stroke  his  ow^n  head  with  Bene 
fecisti,  Bernards,  O  Bernard,  this  was  gallantly  done,  now  cheer  up 
thyself  !^  It  was  the  saying  of  a  j)recious  saint,  that  he  was  more  afraid 
of  his  duties  than  of  his  sins,  for  the  one  made  him  often  proud,  and 
the  other  made  him  always  humble.  ^  It  was  good  counsel  Luther  gave, 
Cavendum  est  oion  solum  a  peccatis,  sed  a  bonis  ojjerilus,  we  must 
take  heed  not  only  of  our  sins,  but  of  our  good  works.  Duties  can  never 
have  too  much  diligence  used  about  them,  nor  too  little  confidence 
placed  in  them.  They  are  good  helps,  but  bad  saviours.  It  is  necessary 
we  do  them,  but  it  is  dangerous  to  rely  upon  them.  If  the  devil  cannot 
dissuade  us  from  performing  religious  duties,  then  his  next  work  will  be 
to  persuade  us  all  he  can  to  rely  upon  them,  to  make  saviours  of  them, 
because  this  will  as  much  gratify  Satan,  and  as  certainly  ruin  our  souls, 
as  if  we  had  wholly  neglected  them.  O  man  !  thine  own  righteousness 
rested  in,  will  as  certainly  and  eternally  undo  thee  as  the  greatest  and 
foulest  enormities.  This  soul-sickness  is  that  spiritual  idolatry  that  will 
undo  thee,  for  thou  makest  thyself  a  saviour,  and  thy  duties  a  saviour,  and 
sayest  of  thy  duties  as  they  did  of  the  golden  calf,  'These  are  the  gods  that 
brought  thee  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt."  Open  wickedness,  open  idolatry, 
slays  her  thousands,  but  secret  idolatry,  a  secret  resting  upon  duties, 
slays  her  ten  thousands.  Multitudes  bleed  inward  by  this  disease,  and 
die  for  ever.  Open  profaneness  is  the  broad  dirty  way  that  leads  to 
hell,  but  religious  duties  rested  in,  is  as  sure  a  way,  though  a  cleaner 
way  to  hell.     Profane  persons  and  formal  professors  shall  meet  at  last 

1  Look,  as  there  is  nothing  more  pleasing  to  Christ  than  the  renouncing  of  all  con- 
fidence in  our  own  duties  and  righteousness;  so  there  is  nothing  more  provoking  to 
Christ,  than  the  setting  up  of  our  own  duties  and  righteousness.  This  is  a  secret  impos- 
thume  that  kills  thousands. 

■*  John  Foxe  the  Martyrologist,  as  before. — G. 


496  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

in  one  hell.  Ah,  Christians  !  don't  make  religious  duties  your  money, 
lest  you  and  your  money  perish  together.  The  phoenix  gathers  sweet 
odoriferous  sticks  in  Arabia  together,  and  then  blows  them  with  her 
wings  and  burns  with  them;  so  do  many  shining  professors  burn  them- 
selves with  their  own  duties  and  services.  You  know  in  Noah's  flood, 
all  that  were  not  in  tlie  ark,  though  they  clamb  up  the  tallest  trees, 
and  the  highest  mountains  and  hills,  yet  were  drowned :  so  let  men 
climb  up  to  the  highest  duties,  yet  if  they  be  not  housed  in  Christ,  and 
in  his  righteousness,  they  will  be  as  certainly  damned,  as  the  men  in 
the  old  world  were  certainly  drowned.  Adam  and  all  his  posterity  was 
to  be  saved  by  doing  ;  '  Do  this  and  live.'  And  hence  it  is  natural  to 
all  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Adam  to  rest  on  duties,  and  to  look  for 
life  and  happiness  in  a  way  of  doing  ;  but  if  salvation  were  to  be  had 
by  doing,  what  need  of  a  Saviour  ?  Well,  remember  this  once  for  all, 
such  as  rest  on  duties,  such  as  rest  on  their  own  righteousnes.s,  or  on 
anything  on  this  side  Christ,  such  shall  find  them  as  weak  as  the 
Assyrian,  or  as  Jareb.  They  cannot  heal  them,  they  cannot  cure  them 
of  their  wounds.  When  Ephraim  saw  his  sickness,  and  Judah  saw  his 
wound,  then  went  Ephraim  to  the  Assyrian,  and  sent  to  king  Jareb, 
yet  could  they  not  heal  him,  nor  cure  him  of  his  wound,  Hosea  v.  13. 
Duties  are  to  Satan  as  the  ark  of  God  was  to  the  Philistines  ;  he 
trembles  to  see  a  soul  diligent  in  the  use  of  them,  and  yet  not  daring 
to  rely  on  them  but  on  Christ;  but  when  he  can  draw  poor  souls  to 
confide  in  their  duties,  and  to  re.st  on  their  duties,  then  he  has  his  de- 
sign, then  he  claps  his  hands  for  joy,  then  he  cries  out.  Ah  !  ah  !  so 
would  I  have  it.  There  is  no  sin  that  doth  so  formally  and  immediately 
oppose  Christ,  and  reject  Christ,  and  provoke  Christ,  as  this  of  resting 
upon  self-righteousness ;  and  therefore  above  all,  pray  against  this,  and 
watch  against  this,  and  weep  over  this.  There  is  no  man  in  his  wits 
that  hath  a  precious  lading,  that  will  dare  to  adventure  it  in  a  cracked 
and  broken  vessel ;  so  there  is  no  Christian  in  his  wits  that  will  dare 
to  adventure  the  everlasting  safety  of  his  soul  upon  the  leaking  vessels 
and  bottoms  of  his  own  holiness  or  services.  O  sirs!  your  duties  cannot 
satisfy  the  justice  of  God  ;  they  cannot  satisfy  the  law  of  God  ;  your 
present  duties  cannot  satisfy  for  your  former  sins  and  rents  that  be  be- 
hind. A  man  that  pays  his  rent  honestly  every  year,  does  not  thereby 
satisfy  for  the  old  rent  not  paid  in  ten  or  twenty  years  before.  Thy 
new  obedience,  O  Christian,  is  too  weak  to  satisfy  for  old  debts,  and 
therefore  roll  thyself  on  Christ,  and  Christ  alone,  for  life  and  for  salva- 
sion.  Bellarmine  could  say  after  all  his  disputes  for  relying  on  works, 
on  saints  and  angels,  Tutius  est,  &c}  The  safest  way  is  to  rely  on 
Jesus  Christ.  Now,  let  all  these  things  work  you  to  renounce  your 
own  righteousness,  and  to  take  sanctuary  alone  in  the  pure,  perfect,  and 
most  glorious  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  in  the  free  grace  of 
God.  Paul  is  called  by  one  [Augustine]  the  best  child  of  grace  in  the 
world ;  for  whatsoever  he  was,  or  had,  or  did,  he  ascribeth  all  to  free 
grace,  Eph.  iii.  8 ;  he  was  the  chiefest  of  the  apostles,  and  yet  less  than 
the  least  of  all  saints  ;  he  was  very  eminent  in  grace,  and  yet  what  he 

'  The  authority  for  this  is  the  great  cardinnl's  own  treatise  on  '  Justification,'  lib.  v. 
cap.  vii.  After  defending  tlie  Koinish  as  auainst  the  Protestant  Evangelical,  he  made 
ill  is  remarkable  concession  :  '  Propter  iucertitudinem  propriae  jaslilia:  ct  periculum  inanit 
gloricc,  iulissimum  esse  in  sola  miseiicordia  Dei  et  benignilate  fiduciam  suam  reponere-' — O. 


Chap.  V.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  497 

was,  he  was  by  grace.  '  By  the  grace  of  God  I  am  what  I  am,'  1  Cor. 
XV.  10.  He  lived,  *  yet  not  he,  but  Christ  lived  in  him,'  Gal.  ii.  20.  He 
'  laboured  more  abundantly  than  they  all,  yet  not  he,  but  the  grace  of 
God  which  was  with  him,'  1  Cor.  xv.  10.  He  was  able  to  do  all  things, 
but  still  'through  Christ  that  strengthened  him,'  Philip,  iv.  13.  Oh  that 
these  three  last  things  might  work  you  to  be  more  in  love  with  free 
grace  than  ever,  and  to  be  more  in  love  with  the  righteousness  of  Christ 
than  ever,  and  to  be  more  in  love  with  the  covenant  of  grace  than  ever. 
But, 

[14.]  The  fourteenth  ipropositiou  is  this,  The  more  grace,  the  rifiore 
holiness,  the  more  any  r>ian  has  of  the  Spirit  of  sanctification,  tJie 
more  clear,  the  more  fair,  the  m.ore  full,  the  more  sweet  will  his 
evidences  be  for  heaven,  for  salvation  ;  and  the  inore  comfort,  and  the 
more  assurance,  and  the  more  settlement,  and  the  more  of  the  tvitness 
of  the  spirit  of  adoption,  such  a  person  will  certainly  attain  unto. 
That  Spirit  which  is  the  earnest  of  our  inheritance,  and  which  seals  us 
up  to  an  holy  assurance,   is  an  holy  Spirit,  Eph.  i.  13,  14  ;  he  is  fre- 
quently called  the  Holy  Spirit.     '  Cast  me  not  away  from  thy  presence ; 
and  take  not  thy  Holy  Sj)irit  from  me,'  Ps.  li.  J 1.     '  But  they  rebelled 
and  vexed  his  Holy  Spirit,'  Isa.  Ixiii.  10.    'And  grieve  not  the  Holy  Spirit 
of  God,  whereby  ye  are  sealed  unto  the  day  of  redemption,'  Eph.  iv.  30. 
'  He  therefore  that  despiseth,  despiseth  not  man,  but  God,  who  hath  also 
given  unto  us  liis  Holy  Spirit,'  1  Thes.  iv,  8.     To  make  a  man  holy,  is 
more  than  to  create  a  world  ;  it  is  a  work  too  high  and  too  hard  for 
angels  or  men ;  it  becomes  none,  and  it  can  be  done  by  none  but  by  the 
Holy  Sj)irit.     Sanctification  is  the  Spirit's  personal  operation ;  it  is  the 
great  work  of  the  Spirit  to  shape,  form,  and  fashion  the  new-creature 
holiness  in  all  the  vessels  of  glory,   2  Thes.  ii.  IS,  1  Peter  i.  2.     Tlie 
Spirit  is  the  root  of  all  holiness,  and  therefore  the  several  parts  of  holi- 
ness are  called  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit.     Holiness  is  the  very  jjicture  of 
God  ;  and  certainly  no  hand  can  carve  that  excellent  picture  but  the 
Spirit  of  God.     Holiness  is  the  divine  nature,  and  none  can  impart  that 
to  man  but  the  Spirit ;  the  Spirit  is  the  great  principle   of  holiness. 
Now,  the  more  grace,  the  more  holiness  any  man  hath,  the  more  he  is 
the  delight  of  the  Spirit ;  and  the  more  the  Spirit  will  delight  to  witness 
his  sonship,   his  saintship,  and  his  heirship  unto  him.     Scripture  and 
experience  will  tell  you,  that  commonly  men  of  greatest  holiness  have 
been  men  of  greatest  assurance.     This  is  certain,  the  more  holiness  the 
more  assurance  ;  for  so  the  precious  promises  runs,  Isa.  xxxil  17-     '  The 
work  of  righteousness  shall  be  peace,'  to  wit,  peace  of  conscience,  Rom, 
V.  1 ;  '  and  the  eft'ect  of  righteousness,  quietness  and  assurance  for  ever.' 
Inherent  righteousness,  for  of  that  he  speaks,  as  is  evident  by  the  15th 
and  16th  verses  of  the  same  chapter,  is  the  highway  to  assurance  and 
peace.     So  Ps.  1.  23,  '  To  him  that  ordereth  liis  conversation  aright,  will 
I  shew  the  salvation  of  God  ; '  that  is,  declare  myself  to  be  his  Saviour, 
say  some  ;  say  others,  I  will  give  him  a  prospect  of  heaven  here,  and  a 
full  fruition  of  heaven  hereafter  ;  say  others,  I  will  cause  him  to  see  and 
know  that  he  shall  be  saved.     So  John  xiv.  21,  '  He  that  hath  my  com- 
mandments, and  kee23eth  them,  he  it  is  that  loveth  me  ;  and  he  that 
loveth  me  shall  be  loved  of  my  Father,  and  I  will  love  him,  and  manifest 
myself  unto  him.'    Ver.  23,  '  If  any  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my  words : 
VOL.  III.  I  i 


498  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

and  my  Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come  unto  him  and  make 
our  abode  with  him.'  Holy  Christians  shall  have  most  of  the  spiritual 
presence  of  Christ,  and  of  the  singTilar  manifestations  of  the  love  of 
Christ  to  their  souls.  The  great  reason  of  reasons  why  the  springs  of 
comfort,  of  joy,  of  inward  peace,  and  of  assurance,  rises  no  higher  in 
many  Christians'  souls,  is  because  the  springs  of  grace  and  holiness  rises 
no  higher  in  their  souls.  Had  Christians  more  grace,  and  more  holiness 
in  their  hearts  and  lives,  God  would  quickly  bring  down  more  of  heaven 
and  assurance  into  their  souls.  There  is  a  blessed  assurance,  as  I  have 
told  you  before,  which  arises  from  the  discovery  of  grace  in  the  soul. 
Now,  the  more  amj^le,  large  and  full  the  matter  of  our  assurance  is,  the 
more  ample,  large  and  full  must  our  assurance  be.  Methinks  the  con- 
nection of  these  four  verses  in  Titus  ii.  1 1-14,  shews  this  ;  when  'grace 
that  appears  to  us,  teacheth  us  to  deny  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,' 
&c.  See  what  follows;  then  we  are  most  likely  to  'look  for  the  blessed 
hope  and  glorious  appearing  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.'  And 
that  prayer  of  the  apostle  for  his  Ephesians  speaks  as  loudl}'  in  the  case, 
Eph.  iii.  16-18,  that  God  would  grant  them  to  be  strengthened  by  the 
Spirit,  &c.,  to  be  rooted  and  grounded  in  love.  And  what  then  ?  That 
'  ye  may  comprehend  with  all  saints,  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  love 
of  God.'  Suppose  in  health  or  sickness,  living  or  dying,  a  man  shoidd 
labour  to  support,  comfort  and  cheer  up  his  spirit,  in  the  thoughts  or  medi- 
tations of  his  eternal  election  and  free  justification  ;  and  suppose  that 
at  that  very  time  the  Spirit  of  God,  his  own  conscience,  a  faithful 
minister,  or  an  experienced  Christian  should  tell  him  that  if  he  be  really 
justified,  he  is  really  sanctified,  2  Thes.  ii.  13,  14;  now,  if  this  man  should 
say,  What  do  you  tell  me  of  sanctification  ?  or,  I  know  not  whether  I  am 
sanctified  or  no  ;  or,  I  look  not  to  sanctification,  I  mind  not  holiness, 
I  regard  not  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  ;  will  not  the  Holy  Spirit, 
will  not  an  enlightened  conscience,  will  not  a  faithful  minister,  will  not 
an  experienced  Christian  reply,  Then  certainly  thou  art  not  elected, 
thou  art  not  justified,  for  it  is  a  truth  as  clear  as  the  sun,  a  truth  that 
will  admit  of  no  dispute,  viz.,  that  none  are  eternally  elected  and  freely 
justified  but  they  are  sanctified,  Horn.  viii.  1,  13,  19,  30  ;  and  that  they 
that  are  not  sanctified  are  not  justified?  Mark,  there  is  a  close  connec- 
tion of  sanctification  with  justitication  in  the  promises  of  the  covenant. 
Sanctification  and  justification  go  hand  in  hand  ;  they  come  forth  like 
twins  out  of  the  womb  of  free  grace,'  as  you  may  see  in  these  remark- 
able Scriptures :  Jer.  xxxiii.  8,  '  I  will  cleanse  them  from  all  their 
iniquity  whei'eby  they  have  sinned  against  me,  and  1  will  pardon  all 
then'  iniquities  whereby  they  have  sinned,  and  whereby  they  have 
transgressed  against  me.'  Here  you  see  thum  both  expressed  together 
in  the  same  deed,  '  I  will  cleanse  them  from  all  their  iniiputy ;'  there 
is  our  sanctification  promised  ;  '  And  I  will  pardon  all  their  iniquities;' 
there  is  justification  promised.  So  Micah  vii.  19,  'He  will  subdue  our 
iniquities,  and  thou  wilt  cast  all  their  sins  into  the  depths  of  the  sea.' 
Here  you  find  justification  and  sanctification  again  in  the  promise. 
'  He  will  subdue  our  ini(|uities;'  this  is  sanctifying;  'and  he  will  cast 
all  their  sins  into  the  depths  of  the  sea  ;'  this  is  justifying.  Hob.  viii. 
10,  '  I  will  put  my  laws  into  their  minds,  and  write  them  in  their 
iiearts'  (there  is  the  promise  of  sanctification) ;  ver.  12,  'And  I  will  be 

*  Bernard  iu  Cant  ,  Serin.  ;i7. 


Chap.  V.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  499 

merciful  to  their  unrighteousness  and  their  sins,  and  their  iniquities 
will  I  remember  no  more  ;'  there  is  the  promise  of  justification  :  1  John 
i.  9,  '  If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our 
sins;'  there  is  our  justification  promised ;  'and  to  cleanse  us  from  all 
unrighteousness ;'  there  is  the  promise  of  sanctification  :  Ezek.  xxxvi. 
25,  '  From  all  your  filthiness,  and  from  all  your  idols  will  I  cleanse  you ;' 
there  is  the  promise  of  sanctification ;  ver.  29,  '  I  will  also  save  you 
from  all  your  uncleannesses;'  there  is  the  promise  of  justification  : 
1  Cor.  vi.  11,  '  But  ye  are  washed,  but  ye  are  sanctified,  but  ye  are  jus- 
tified.' Justification  and  sanctification  are  inseparable  companions  ; 
distinguished  they  must  be,  but  divided  they  can  never  be ;  where  sin 
is  pardoned,  the  gift  of  sanctity  is  still  conferred.  It  is  weakness,  it  is 
wickedness,  for  a  man  to  conclude  that  he  is  in  an  elected  and  justified 
estate  when  he  has  nothing,  when  he  has  not  the  least  thing  to  evidence 
himself  to  be  in  a  sanctified  estate.  Both  justification  and  sanctifica- 
tion have  a  necessary  respect  to  the  salvation  of  all  those  that  shall  go 
to  heaven.  He  that  will  go  to  heaven  must  be  sanctified,  and  he  that 
will  go  to  heaven  must  be  justified.  No  man  can  go  to  heaven  without 
both ;  no  man  can  go  to  heaven  unless  he  be  justified  :  Rom.  viii.  30, 
'  Whom  he  called,  them  also  he  justified  ;  and  whom  he  justified,  them 
he  also  glorified.'  None  are  justified  but  such  as  are  called,  and  none 
are  glorified  but  such  as  are  justified.  And  as  no  man  can  go  to  heaven 
but  he  that  is  justified,  so  no  man  can  go  to  heaven  but  he  that  is 
sanctified :  John  iii.  5,  '  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him.  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the 
kingdom  of  God.'  Ver.  5,  '  Jesus  answered,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
thee,  except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God  ;'  Heb.  xii.  14,  '  And  holiness,  without  which 
no  man  shall  see  the  Lord.'^  By  these  scriptures,  it  is  evident  that 
there  is  an  absolute  necessity  both  of  sanctification  and  justification  in 
reference  to  salvation.  Now  as  sanctification  and  justification  are  linked 
together,  so  the  more  clear,  the  more  full,  the  more  evident,  and  the 
more  eminent  a  man's  sanctification  is,  the  more  clear,  the  more  full, 
the  more  evident,  and  the  more  eminent,  will  tlie  evidences  of  his  jus- 
tification be.  The  greatest  evidences  of  our  sanctification  carries  with 
them  the  greatest  assurance  of  our  justification  and  of  our  salvation.  But, 
[15.]  The  Jifteentli  proposition  is  this,  When  your  graces  are 
strongest,  and  your  evidences  for  heaven  are  clearest,  and  your  com- 
forts rise  highest  upon  the  sight  of  your  graces  or  gracious  evidences, 
then  in  a  special  manner  it  concerns  you  to  make  it  your  great 
business  and  work  to  act  faith  afresh,  to  act  faith  with  a  greater 
strength,  upon  the  free,  rich,  and  glorious  grace  of  God,  and  upon  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  reported  of  the  crystal,  that  it  hath  such  a 
virtue  in  it,  that  the  very  touching  of  it  quickens  other  stones,  and  puts 
a  lustre  and  beauty  upon  them.  This  is  most  true  of  faith.  Faith  is 
a  grace  that  gives  strength  and  eflficacy  to  all  other  graces  ;  it  is  like  a 
silver  thread  that  runs  through  a  chain  of  pearl ;  it  hath  an  influence 
upon  all  other  graces  that  are  in  the  soul.  Faith  is  as  the  spring  in 
the  watch,  that  moves  the  wheels  ;  not  a  grace  stirs  till  faith  sets  it  at 
work.  What  is  said  of  Solomon's  virtuous  woman,  viz.,  that  she  sets 
all  her  maidens  to  work,  Pro  v.  xxxi.  15,  27,  is  most  true  of  faith:  faith 
'  See  my  Treatise  on  Holiness.     [Vol.  IV. — G.] 


500  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

sets  all  the  f^races  in  the  soul  at  work.     We  love  as  we  believe,  and  we 
obey  as  we  believe,  and  we  hope  as  we  believe,  and  we  joy  as  we  be- 
lieve, and  we  mourn  as  we  believe,  and  we  repent  as  we  believe.     All 
graces  keep  time  and  pace  with  faith, ^  &c.     Now  when  your  graces  are 
most  shining,  and  your  evidences  for  heaven  are  most  sparkling,  oh  then 
give  faith  elbow-room,  give  faith  full  scope  to  exercise  itself  upon  the 
Lord  Jesus.     Adam's  obedience  in  innocency  was  not  more  pleasing 
and  delightful  to  God,  than  the  exercise  of  your  faith  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
will  be  at  such  a  time  pleasing  and  delightful  to  him.     You  are  to  look 
upon  all  your  graces  and  gracious  evidences  as  your  highest  encourage- 
ment to  a  lively,  cheerful,  and  resolute  acting  of  faith  upon  the  person 
of  Christ,  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  1  John  v.  13;  Kom.  i.  17,  &c. 
All  a  Christian's  graces,  and  all  his  gracious  evidences,  should  be  but 
as  a  golden  bridge,  or  as  Joseph's  waggons,  Gen.  xlv.  19,  21,  27,  a  means 
to  pass  his  soul  over  to  Christ  afresh  by  a  renewed   exercise   of  faith. 
When  your  graces  and  gracious  evidences  are  most  splendent,  then  be 
sure  that  Christ  be  found  lying  as  a  bundle  of  myrrh  between  your 
breasts,  and  all  is  well,  and  will  be  well,  Cant.  i.  12.     Dear  Christians, 
when  your  eyes  are  fixed  upon  inherent  righteousness,  and  upon  your 
gracious  evidences,  then  let  your  hearts  be  firmly  fixed  upon  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  his  imputed  righteousness.^     Paul's  eye  was  fixed 
upon  his  grace,  upon  his  better  part :  Rom.  vii.  22,  '  I  delight  in  the 
law  of  God  after  the  inward  man  ;'  ver.  25,  '  And  with  my  mind  I  serve 
the  law  of  God.'    And  yet  at  the  very  same  time  his  heart  was  set  upon 
Christ,  and  taken  up  with  Christ.  Ver.  26,  '  I  thank  God  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,'     Though  Paul  had  an  eye  to  his  noble  part,  his 
better  part,   his  regenerate   part,   yet   at   the   same  time  his  heart 
was  taken  up  with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  freeing  of  him  from  the 
curse  of  the  law,  the  dominion  of  sin,  the  damnatory  power  of  sin,  and 
as  translating  of  hiin  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God.     '  I 
thank  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'     So  in  Col.  ii.  2,  3,  you  have 
their  eyes  fixed  upon  grace,  and  at  the  same  time  their  hearts  fixed  upon 
Christ.     '  That  their  hearts  might  be  comforted,  bein^  knit  together  in 
love,  and  unto  all  riches  of  the  full  assurance  of  understanding,  to  the 
acknowledgment  of  the  mystery  of  God,  and  of  the  Father  and  of 
Christ,  in  whom  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge.' 
Their  eyes  were  upon  grace,  but  their  hearts  were  taken  up  with  Christ. 
So  in  Philip,  iii.  8,  the  apostle  had  his  eye  upon  the  excellent  knowledge 
of  Christ.     But,  verse  9,  his  heart  is  taken  up  with  the  righteousness 
of  Christ.     '  That  I  might  be  found  in  him,  not  having  mine  own  right- 
eousness, which  is  of  the  law,  but  that  which  is  through  the  faith  of  Christ, 
the  righteousness  which  is  of  God  by  faith.'     Though  Paul  had  his  eye 
upon  grace,  upon  inherent  righteousness  ;  yet  in  the  very  presence  of 
his  grace  his  heart  was  taken  up  with  Christ,  and  with  his  imputed 
righteousness,  as  is  evident  in  the  text.     This  is  your  glory.  Christians, 
in  the  presence  and  sight  of  all  your  graces  and  gracious  evidences,  to 

'  Heb.  xi.  ;  Rom.  iv.  3,  and  viii.  24 ;  Zech.  xii.  10. 

*  Plutarch,  in  tlio  life  of  Phocion,  tells  us  of  a  certain  gentlewoman  of  Ionia,  -who  shewed 
the  wife  of  Phocion  all  the  rich  jewels  and  precious  stones  she  had.  She  answered  her 
again,  All  my  riches  and  jewels  is  my  husband.  This  is  more  applicable  to  Christ,  &c. 
The  precious  stone  opalnm  is  said  to  liave  the  virtue  of  all  stones — the  brightness  of  tiie 
carbuncle,  the  purple  colour  of  the  amethyst,  the  amiable  greenness  of  the  emerald ;  but 
what  are  all  these  to  Christ '? 


Chap.  V.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  501 

see  the  free  grace  of  Christ,  and  his  infinite,  spotless,  matchless,  and  glo- 
rious righteousness  to  be  your  surest,  sweetest,  highest,  and  choicest 
comfort  and  refuge.  Look,  as  Rebekah  was  more  taken  with  the  per- 
son of  Isaac  than  she  was  with  his  ear-rings,  bracelets,  jewels  of  silver, 
and  jewels  of  gold,  Gen.  xxiv.  30,  52,  64,  65,  66,  67 :  so  it  becomes  a 
Christian,  in  the  presence  of  his  graces  and  gracious  evidences,  which 
are  Christ's  ear-rings,  bracelets,  and  jewels,  to  be  more  taken  up  with 
Christ  than  with  them,  Christ,  and  his  mediatory  righteousness,  should 
be  more  in  a  Christian's  eye,  and  always  lie  nearer  to  a  Christian's 
heart,  than  inherent  righteousness.  Grace  is  a  ring  of  gold,  and  Christ 
is  the  sparkling  diamond  in  that  ring.  Now,  what  is  the  ring  to  the 
sparkling  diamond  ?  It  is  not  safe  to  pore  more  upon  inherent  right- 
eousness than  upon  imputed  righteousness.'  It  is  not  wisdom  to  have 
our  thoughts  and  hearts  more  taken  up  with  our  gracious  dispositions 
and  gracious  actings,  than  with  the  person  of  Christ,,  the  righteousness 
of  Christ,  the  life  of  Christ,  the  death  of  Christ,  the  satisfaction  of 
Christ,  &c.  Dear  Christians,  was  it  Christ,  or  was  it  your  graces,  or 
your  gracious  evidences,  or  your  gracious  dispositions,  or  your  gracious 
actings,  that  trod  the  wine-press  of  your  Father's  wrath,  that  satisfied 
divine  justice,  that  pacified  divine  anger,  that  did  bear  the  curse,  that 
fulfilled  the  law,  that  brought  in  an  everlasting  righteousness,  that  dis- 
charged your  debts,  that  procured  your  pardon,  that  made  your  peace, 
and  that  brought  you  into  a  state  of  favour  and  friendship  with  God  ? 
If  you  answer,  as  you  must,  '  None  but  Christ,  none  but  Christ,'  oh  then, 
let  your  thoughts  and  hearts  be  firstly,  mostly,  chiefly,  and  lastly  taken 
up  with  the  Lord  Jesus.  Though  inherent  grace  be  a  glorious  creature, 
yet  it  is  but  a  creature.  Now,  when  your  thoughts  and  hearts  are  more 
taken  up  with  inherent  grace,  than  they  are  with  Christ,  the  spring  and 
fountain  of  all  grace ;  you  make  an  idol  of  inherent  grace,  and  reflect 
dishonour  upon  the  Lord  Jesus,  John  i.  16  ;  Col.  ii.  2,  3.  A  Christian 
may  lawfully  look  upon  his  graces  and  his  gracious  evidences,  and  a 
Christian  ought  to  be  much  in  blessing  and  praising  of  God  for  his 
graces  and  gracious  evidences,  and  a  Christian  may  safely  take  comfort 
in  his  graces  and  gi'acious  evidences,  as  they  are  the  fruits  of  God's  eternal 
and  unchangeable  love  ;  but  still  his  work  should  be  to  live  upon  Christ, 
and  to  lift  up  Christ  above  all,  Isa.  xxxviii.  3,  2  Cor.  i.  1 2.  It  is  Christ, 
it  is  his  mediatory  righteousness,  it  is  free  grace,  that  a  Christian  ought 
to  make  the  chief  and  only  ground  and  bottom  of  his  hope  and  comforts. 
Though  good  old  Jacob  did  really  rejoice  in  the  chariots  and  waggons  that 
Joseph  had  sent  to  bring  him  down  to  Egypt,  yet  he  did  more  abundantly 
rejoice  in  this,  that  Joseph  was  alive,  and  that  shortly  he  should  see  and 
enjoy  Joseph  himself.  Gen.  xlv.  26-28.  Though  a  Christian  may  really  re- 
joice in  his  graces  and  gracious  evidences,  yet  above  all  he  ought  to  rejoice 
in  Christ  Jesus,  to  triumph  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  to  take  up  in  Christ  Jesus 
as  in  his  great  all.  Gal.  vi.  14,  Philip,  iii.  3,  2  Cor.  ii.  14,  Col.  iii.  11.  There 
is  a  great  aptness  and  proneness  in  many  (may  I  not  say  in  most?)  gracious 
Christians,  to  gaze  so  much  and  so  long  upon  their  graces,  upon  their 
gracious  dispositions,  upon  their  gracious  evidences,  and  upon  their 
gracious  actings,  that  too  often  they  neglect  the  exercise  of  faith  upon 
Christ,  upon  the  promises  ;  they  gaze  so  much  and  so  long  upon  what 

'  He  that,  holds  not  wholly  with  Christ,  doth  very  shamefully  neglect  Christ.     Aut 
tolum  mecum  (ene,  aut  toium  omitte.  —  Grego.  Nazian. 


502  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS.  [ChAP.  V. 

is  wrought  in  them,  nnd  done  by  them,  that  they  forget  their  grand 
work,  wliicli  is  immediate  closing  with  Christ,  immediate  embracing  of 
Christ,  immediate  relying  upon  Christ,  immediate  staying,  rolling,  and 
resting  upon  Christ,  for  justification  and  salvation.  Now  .from  these 
frequent  miscarriages  of  Christians,  some  have  taken  the  liberty  and 
boldness  very  hotly  and  peremptorily  to  cry  down  the  total  use  of  all 
characters,  signs,  and  marks,  the  evil  of  which  I  have  formerly  pointed 
at,  and  therefore  let  this  touch  suffice  here.  Grace  is  excellent,  yea, 
very  excellent,  but  Christ  is  infinitely  more  excellent  than  all  your  graces, 
and  therefore  above  all  let  Christ  still  have  the  pre-eminence.  Col.  i.  8. 
Now,  though  it  must  be  granted  that  a  Christian  may  lawfully  make 
use  of  his  graces  and  gracious  evidences,  in  order  to  his  support,  comfort, 
and  encouragement,  yet  it  cannot  be  denied  but  that  the  noblest,  purest, 
highest,  and  most  excellent  acts  and  exercises  of  faith,  are  when  a 
Christian  closes  with  Christ,  embraces  Christ,  hangs  upon  Christ,  and 
stays  himself  upon  Christ,  and  upon  free  and  precious  promises,  when 
sense  and  feeling  fails,  when  joy  and  comfort  fails,  and  when  his  gracious 
evidences  for  heaven  fails.^  Oh  now,  to  turn  to  Christ,  and  to  turn  to 
the  breasts  of  a  promise,  and  to  live  upon  Christ,  and  to  hang  upon  a 
promise,  is  the  way  of  ways  to  exalt  Christ,  and  to  glorify  Christ.  There 
is  nothing  that  pleases  Christ,  or  that  delights  Christ,  or  that  is  such  an 
honour  to  Christ,  as  these  pure  actings  of  faith  are.  Signs  and  evi- 
dences are  most  sweet,  comfortable,  and  pleasing  to  us  ;  but  the  pure 
actings  of  faith  are  most  eyed  and  valued  by  Christ,  and  therefore  many 
times  Clirist  draws  a  curtain  between  him  and  the  soul,  and  causes  a 
Christian's  sun  to  set  at  noon,  and  damps  his  joy,  and  mars  his  peace, 
and  clouds  his  evidences  for  heaven,  on  purpose  to  train  up  his  children 
in  the  pure  actings  of  faith,  Cant.  iii.  1-5,  and  v.  3-6.  It  is  sad  when 
Christians  make  such  immoderate  use  of  their  signs,  marks,  evidences, 
as  damps  and  hinders  those  direct  and  immediate  acts  of  faith,  whereby 
they  should  receive  Christ,  and  apply  Christ,  and  rest  upon  Christ  alone 
for  pardon,  peace,  reconciliation,  justification,  and  salvation.  He  that 
pores  so  long  and  so  much  upon  his  graces  or  gracious  evidences  as  shall 
hinder  him  from  the  fresh  and  frequent  actings  of  faith  upon  Christ,  he 
casts  contempt  upon  Christ.^  Though  the  sight  of  a  Christian's  graces 
and  gracious  evidences  be  very  comfortable  and  delightful  to  him,  yet 
the  sight  of  Christ  should  be  ten  thousand  times  more  comfortable  and 
delightful  to  him.  O  sirs  !  what  are  the  favourites  to  the  king  himself  ? 
What  are  the  servants  to  the  lord  they  wait  on  ?  What  are  the  friends 
of  the  bridegi'oom  to  the  bridegroom  himself  ?  What  are  all  the  brace- 
lets and  jewels  to  the  husband  that  gives  them  ?  No  more  are  all  a 
Christian's  graces  or  gracious  evidences  to  the  Lord  Jesus  himself.  A 
Christian  should  say  to  all  his  gifts,  graces,  evidences,  and  services,  Stand 
by,  make  room  for  Christ,  make  room  for  Christ.  Oh,  none  but  Christ  ! 
Oh,  none  to  Christ !  Living  by  signs  is  most  natural,  pleasing  and  com- 
fortable to  us,  but  living  by  faith  is  most  honourable  to  Christ.  It  is 
said,  '  the  just  shall  live  by  his  faith,'  not  by  his  evidences,  Hab.  ii.  4, 
Heb.  x.  38.     When  men  pride  themselves  in  their  evidences,  and  when 

'  Cant.  viii.  5;  Job  xiii.  15;  Ps.  xlii.  5,  11  ;  Isa.  1.  10;  Micah  vii.  7-10;  John  xx. 
27-2'J. 

-  Clirist  is  an  incomparable  cordial,  he  is  worthily  called  the  consolation  of  Israel, 
Luko  ii.  2i>. 


Chap.  V.]  a  cabinet  of  jewels.  503 

men  secretly  lean  upon  their  evidences  instead  of  leaning  upon  Christ, 
and  when  men  bottom  their  hopes  and  comforts  upon  their  signs  and 
evidences,  when  they  should  he  bottoming  of  all  their  hopes  and  com- 
forts upon  Christ ;  on  a  sudden  Christ  withdraws,  and  the  soul  is  im- 
mediately filled  with  clouds,  fears,  doubts,  darkness  ;  and  all  a  man's 
graces  and  gracious  evidences  are  eclipsed,  and  he  can  see  nothing,  nor 
feel  nothing,  but  deadness,  hardness,  barrenness,  hypocrisy,  unbelief, 
self-love,  guilt,  &c.,  which  makes  him  a  Magor-missabih,  a  terror  to  him- 
self. Now  the  design  of  Christ  in  all  this  is  to  train  up  his  people  in  a 
life  of  faith,  and  to  teach  them,  in  the  want  of  their  signs  and  evidences, 
how  to  live,  above  their  signs  and  evidences,  upon  himself,  who  is  their 
life,  their  hope,  their  heaven,  their  happiness,  their  all,  Col.  iii.  3,  4, 
i.  27.  Now,  Christians,  the  best  way  to  prevent  these  sore  soul  distresses, 
is  in  the  moderate  use  of  your  signs  and  evidences,  to  live  much  in  the 
fresh  and  frequent  actings  of  faith  upon  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  in  so  doing, 
you  will  neither  grieve  Christ,  nor  provoke  Christ,  nor  wrong  your  own 
precious  and  immortal  souls.     But, 

[16.]  The  sixteenth  and  last  proposition  that  I  shall  lay  down  is  this  : 
Whenever  any  fresh  doubts  or  fears  rise  in  your  hearts  upon  the 
stirrings  of  corruptions,  or  dehility  of  graces,  or  failing  in  duties, 
&c.,  then  keep  close  to  these  tiuo  rules  :  First,  have  recourse  to  any  of 
the  former  characters  that  are  laid  down  in  this  book  ;  and  while  you 
find  any  of  tliem  shining  in  your  souls,  nay,  though  it  were  but  one, 
never  pass  any  judgment  against  the  happiness  and  blessedness  of  your 
spiritual  or  eternal  estates.  Secondly,  turn  yourselves  to  such  particular 
promises,  and  plead  such  particular  promises,  and  rest  and  stay  your 
trembling  souls  upon  such  particular  promises,  and  cling  fast  to  such 
particular  promises,  that  have  been  comforts,  cordials,  and  supports  to 
many  weak,  doubting,  trembling  Christians,  who  have  been  always 
afraid  to  say  they  had  grace,  or  to  say  that  God  was  their  Father,  or 
Christ  their  Redeemer,  or  the  Spirit  their  sanctifier,  or  heaven  their 
inheritance,  &c.^  I  have  read  of  a  woman  that  was  much  disquieted  in 
conscience,  even  to  despair,  endeavouring  to  be  her  own  executioner, 
but  was  comforted  by  that  blessed  promise,  Isa.  Ivii.  15,  'For  thus  saith 
the  high  and  lofty  One  that  inhabit eth  eternity,  whose  name  is  holy  ;  I 
dwell  in  the  high  and  holy  place,  with  him  also  that  is  of  an  humble 
and  contrite  spirit,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the  humble,  and  to  revive  the 
heart  of  the  contrite  ones.'  And  J  have  read  of  another  man,  who  being 
ready  to  die,  Lord,  saith  he,  I  challenge  thee  by  that  promise,  Mat. 
xi.  28,  '  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I 
will  give  you  rest,'  and  so  was  comforted.  And  I  have  read  of  some 
others  [Uranas  and  Beza]  that  were  comforted  with  that  promise,  John 
X.  29,  '  None  shall  pluck  them  out  of  my  Father's  hand.'  And  I  have 
read  of  another  who,  having  deeply  wounded  his  conscience  by  subscrib- 
ing to  popish  errors,  was  much  comforted  by  that  blessed  scripture  : 
1  Tim.  i.  15,  'This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation, 
that  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners,  of  whom  I  am 
chief  And  I  have  read  of  another  [Mr  Bilney  the  martyr]  who  was 
much  comforted  under  soi'e  distresses  by  that  promise  :  Isa.  xxvi.  3, 
'  Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace'  (or  as  the  Hebrew  runs,  shalom, 

^  Sirtorius  paid  what  he  promised  with  fair  words. — Plutarch.     But  so  does  not  God  : 

meu  may  eac  their  words,  but  God  won't  eat  his. 


504-  A  CABINET  OF  JEWELS,  [ChAP.  V. 

shalom,  peace,  peace) '  whose  mind  is  stayed  on  thee,  because  he  trusteth 
in  thee/'  And  many  have  gone  to  heaven  triumphantly  by  the  refresh- 
ing and  comfort  that  they  have  found  in  these  following  scriptures : 
John  vi.  37,  '  All  that  the  Father  giveth  me  shall  come  to  me  ;  and  him 
that  Cometh  to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out ;'  Isa.  Iv.  1,  '  Ho  every  one 
that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters,  and  he  that  hath  no  money  :  come 
ye,  buy  and  eat  ;  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and  wilk  without  money  and 
without  price  ;'  ver.  3,  '  Incline  your  ear  and  come  unto  me  :  hear,  and 
your  soul  shall  live  ;  and  I  will  make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  you, 
even  the  sure  mercies  of  David.'  And  so  Rev.  xxii.  17,  '  And  the  Spirit 
and  the  bride  say.  Come ;  and  let  him  that  heareth  say,  Come  ;  and 
let  him  that  is  athirst  come  ;  and  whosoever  will  let  him  take  the  water 
of  life  freely.'  So  Hoseaxiv.  4,  *  I  will  heal  their  backslidings,  and  love 
them  freely.'  So  Isa.  xliii.  25,  '  I,  even  I,  am  he  that  blotteth  out  thy 
transgressions  for  mine  own  sake,  and  will  not  remember  thy  sins ;' 
chap.  Ivii.  18,  '  I  liave  seen  his  ways,  and  will  heal  him  :  I  will  lead  him 
also,  and  restore  comforts  unto  him,  and  to  his  mourners  ;'  ver.  1 9,  '  I 
create  the  fruit  of  the  lips  ;  Peace,  peace  to  him  that  is  far  off,  and  to 
him  that  is  near,  saith  the  Lord  ;  and  I  will  heal  him.'  Oh,  these  have 
been  comforting  promises,  and  upholding  promises,  and  refreshing  pro- 
mises to  many  doubting,  drooping  souls. ^  It  is  impossible  that  such  a 
soul  should  ever  drop  into  hell,  that  can  cling  fast  to  any  of  these  pro- 
mises, that  can  hang  upon  any  of  these  promises,  that  can  rest  and  lay 
the  weight  of  their  souls  upon  Christ  in  any  of  these  promises.  Doubt- 
less reliance  upon  Christ  in  these  precious  promises  hath  ferried  many 
poor,  doubting,  trembling  souls  to  heaven.  The  promise  is  the  golden 
cabinet,  and  Christ  is  the  costly  jewel  that  is  laid  up  in  it.  The  pro- 
mise is  the  field,  and  Christ  is  the  pearl  of  price  that  is  hid  in  it.*  All 
the  promises  they  point  to  Christ,  they  lead  to  Christ,  they  hang  upon 
Christ :  '  All  the  promises  of  God  in  him  are  yea,  and  in  him  amen,' 
2  Cor.  i.  20.  In  the  new  covenant  God  neither  makes  any  promises,  nor 
fulfils  any  promises  of  salvation,  but  in  Christ  and  through  Christ.  Now, 
when  any  fears,  or  darkness,  or  doubts,  or  disputes,  arises  in  your  souls 
about  your  spiritual  estates,  oh,  then,  run  to  Christ  in  the  promise,  and 
plead  the  promise,  and  hang  upon  the  breasts  of  the  promise,  and  let 
your  souls  cleave  close  to  the  promise ;  for  this  is  the  way  of  ways  to 
have  your  evidences  cleared,  your  comforts  restored,  your  peace  main- 
tained, your  graces  strengthened,  and  your  assurance  raised  and  con- 
firmed. 

'  '  A  broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  0  God,  thou  wilt  not  despise.'  This  promise  was  a 
cordial  to  Bernard  on  his  dying  bed ;' he  died  with  this  promise  in  his  moutli.  And 
Austin  found  so  much  sweetness  in  tlie  same  promise,  that  he  caused  it  to  be  written  on 
the  wail  over  against  his  bod  where  he  lay  sick  and  died. 

*  The  i)romises   are  pabulum  fidei  cl  animafid  i,  the  food  of  faith  and  the  soul  of  faith. 

3  An  oversight  which  Brooks  shares  witii  Sibbes :  a  '  treasure,'  not  a  '  pearl,'  was  in 
'  the  field.'     Cf.  Sibbes,  vol.  ii.  pp.  245,  248.— G. 


END  OF  VOL.  IIL 


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